H.—lla

167. As far as rehabilitation releases have been concerned, the figure of 6,500 realized by the end of March, 1943, would relate entirely to men released through sick and wounded channels, as would the bulk of the further 8,000 released from this sourcc during the year ended 31st March, 1944. The step-up in the figure for that year is, of course, explained by the heavy engagement in which the New Zealand Division was involved at that time. 168. The total rehabilitation releases of 9,900 during the last twelve months do not include more than 25 per cent, of sick and wounded releases. The balance are almost entirely first or second furlough draft personnel who exercised the right to remain in New Zealand, and long-service repatriate personnel who were returned before April of the present year. SECTION V.-ACTIVITIES OF ARMED FORCES APPEAL BOARDS - # (i) Activities, August, 1940, to March, 1944 169. The organizational development of Armed Forces Appeal Boards from their establishment in August, 1940, up to 31st March, 1945, is described in Section I of Part I of the report. 170. The activities of the Boards between August, 1940, and March, 1944, involved, of course, the screening of all compulsory mobilizations —such screenings being effected by means of consideration of appeals lodged on one ground or another by cither the reservist or the employer or the Director of National Service. 171. During this period Armed Forces Appeal Boards played a vital part in the postponement of service of men who, especially under the stress imposed by the major mobilization of 1942, were for the time being indispensable to the industrial war effort. During 1943 and the first quarter of 1944 the screening activity of the Boards again enabled the reinforcement and development of overseas Forces in such a way as to enable industry to bear the draw-off of man-power in the best possible manner. 172. From May, 1943, to March, 1944, Armed Forces Appeal Boards had heard 10,714 appeals against military service on all grounds —i.e., public interest, undue hardship, status, and conscientious objection. Of this number, 1,213 were dismissed outright or withdrawn and a further 728 were dismissed subject to time or service condition, while 6,344 were adjourned sine die ; 2,429 were struck out, the reservist in each case being Grade IV, or adjourned because of the temporary medical unfitness of the reservist. Table Bof the Appendix shows the growth in the number of determinations of each kind from May, 1943, to March, 1945. (ii) Activities, April, 1944, to March, 1945 173. During the year ended 31st March, 1945, Armed Forces Appeal Boards heard the extraordinarily high total of 30,012 appeals (on all grounds) against military service. The outstanding element in this huge increase was, of course, the comb-out of Category " A " men held on appeal until November, 1944. The activities of Armed Forces Appeal Boards during the last twelve months have not only involved the review of appeals in respect of men already held under appeal, but have also involved the hearing of first appeals. The figures do not show the number of persons affected, but the number of new appeals and reviews heard. 174. A total of 11,456 of the 30,012 appeals heard during the last twelve months were heard in the first quarter of the current year, and 6,539 in the last quarter of the preceding year. Appeal Boards have therefore, during the last six months, worked at an unequalled tempo. The needs of the Second Division replacement scheme resulted in the outright dismissal of 2,576 appeals during the first quarter of the current year and 963 during the last quarter of the preceding year, while the comparable figures for appeals dismissed subject to a time condition were 2,316 and 758. As a result, therefore, of the activity of the Armed Forces Appeal Boards, 1,721 men in the last quarter of 1944 and 4,892 men in the first quarter of the current year have been made available to meet the needs of Army, either immediately or with only a brief time qualification. 175. Armed Forces Appeal Boards faced particular difficulty in the last year because, as the total number of Category " A " and Grade I twenty-year-old men held on appeal was progressively reduced from 41,617 in March, 1944, to 28,292 in February, 1945, the scope for dismissal of appeals was much narrowed. Furthermore, the activities of Boards during the last twelve months have had to bo pursued in an industrial situation marked by a total of vacancies in essential industry in the neighbourhood of 10,000. Men released for service had to be so released in such a way as to do least injury to the more important undertakings. This, in turn, involved taking into account the extent of assistance which undertakings had received or were still receiving from the services of rehabilitated ex-servicemen and members of the 3rd Division " Necal " drafts. 176. Notwithstanding these difficulties, Armed Forces Appeal Boards have by their contribution greatly assisted the manning of all Second Division replacement drafts so far despatched. 177. In addition to the hearing of appeals against service, Armed Forces Appeal Boards have continued during the last twelve months to discharge the complementary function of recommending releases of industrially valuable personnel. This aspect of the activities of Appeal Boards and District Man-power Officers is discussed in the previous section of this report —i.e., in particular, reference to the cumulative total of persons withdrawn by Appeal Board and Man-power Officer action.

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