MILITARY SERVICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 September 1940, Page 9

MILITARY SERVICE

SEPARATE BALLOTS HEARING OF APPEALS. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Speaking further in regard to the separate ballots for the Territorial force, and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force the Minister for National Service, Mr Semple, stated:— “Included in the First Division there will be many reservists who are obviously permanently unfit for service with the armed forces. In this class there will be men who have already volunteered for service and have not been accepted on account of medical unfitness, men suffering from permanent disabilities such as infantile paralysis, persons who have lost a limb, and many other cases. “Up to the present there has been no authority to exclude such persons from the ballot, but power has now been taken in the amending regulatons to enable a properly-constituted medical board to certify, where the evidence is deemed to be conclusive, that a person is permanently unfit for service in the armed forces, and in such circumstances the reservist will be transferred to the Third Division of the Reserve and will not be liable to be called up for miitary service. “Unfortunately, it will not be possible to deal with any of these cases before the taking of the first ballot, but as soon thereafter as possible steps will be taken to review these cases and such evidence as is available will be submitted to a medical board so that any reservists who are totally unfit for military service can be excluded from subsequent ballots. “Power has also been taken in the I amending regulations to enable the Minister of National Service to require a reservist to perform honorary service either within any scheme .under the Emergency Precautions Regulations or otherwise. This will enable some obligation of service other than in the armed forces to be placed on reservists who have been drawn in the ballot, and for any reason have not been placed in the armed forces where such honorary service can be performed without undue interference with their normal occupations. “Another important amendment will enable appeal boards to direct that any man called up for overseas service who is granted temporary postponement of such service shall undertake Territorial service in New Zealand.