PAY IN MEANTIME

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21214, 10 September 1940, Page 4

PAY IN MEANTIME

MOBILISATION DELAY MEN OF FOURTH DRAFT CALL AT DEFENCE OFFICE (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Monday The position of men called up for service with the Fourth Reinforcements whose entry into mobilisation camps has been deferred as a precautionary measure against the spread of the outbreak of measles was explained by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, in an interview to-night. The Minister said those men who were unable to resume their former employment were requested to call at the nearest defence office with their original calling-up notice and on the due date would be entitled to receive military pay. This would continue as long as suitable employment was not available or unttl they were again posted for military duties. “At the moment it cannot be stated with any certainty what period will elapse before these men can be permitted to enter camps,” said Mr Jones. “It has been recognised that a number of men may have given up their civil employment in anticipation of their being required to proceed to camps this week, and therefore they may now be out of work until required to undertake their military duties. The co-oper ■ stion and assistance of former employers of these men is sought by the Government, which requests that all employers who can possibly do so should retain or re-engage members of their staffs who were called up for service with the Fourth Reinforcements.”

At the Army Department office today it was stated that no indication of the actual procedure to be followed by the men wishing to collect their pay was to hand. In any case nothing could be done before Thursday at the earliest. INCLUDED IN BALLOT REJECTED VOLUNTEERS FURTHER MEDICAL TEST (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Monday In a further statement today the Minister of National Service, the Hon. R. Semple, said considerable misunderstanding existed regarding the issue of certificates of enrolment to first division reservists who had volunteered for overseas service and had been rejected on medical grounds. Such men, said the Minister, remained members of the first division and, as such, were liable to be called in a ballot and required to undergo a further examination by a medical board. Many o'f these men would previously have been rejected for comparatively minor defects, some of them of a definitely temporary nature. It would obviously be unfair to exclude them from ballots when by the time they were drawn they might have regained perfect health. The Minister also said the Government had decided that a departure would be made from the procedure followed during the last war with regard to gazetting the names of men drawn in ballots. The procedure then was to indicate men who had previously volunteered by inserting a star before their names in the printed lists. This would not be done on this occasion, as it was not desired to make any distinction between those who volunteered and those selected for service by means of the ballot.

“However,” the Minister added, “the Gazette notices will contain a statement that names appearing in the list include men who volunteered and had been found to be medically unfit.”