H—lla

90. Broadly speaking, the appeal procedure threw the initiative 011 the employer to lodge the appeal where it appeared that the man should not be withdrawn from industry. The Director of National Service could, through his local representative, lodge an appeal on grounds of public interest in those cases where the man himself, or his employer, failed to lodge such an appeal, but where it nevertheless appeared desirable to retain the man in industry. Thus the initiative rested mainly with the employer, who had personal knowledge of the demands being made upon his plant, 'the priority accorded to those demands, and the availability of labour to meet them. 91. Up to June, 1942, when Man-power Committees were reorganized, 60,051 men had lodged appeals against Territorial service. The number of men affected by appeals represented 43 per cent, of the total number of men called up for Territorial service during the period. (iii) The Activities of Armed Forces Appeal Boards 92. While the Man-power Committees dealt with appeals against Territorial service (except appeals on the ground of conscience) and appeals against overseas service by volunteers, it was also necessary to deal with appeals against compulsory overseas service. There were two alternative means of doing so —either to increase the number of Man-power Committees to deal with the greater volume of combined appeals, or to create different tribunals to deal specifically with appeals against compulsory overseas, service. As there was considerable difference between the criteria applying to home service and overseas service (both as regards medical grading and as regards the weighting of public interest grounds) it was preferable to adopt the latter alternative. Provision was accordingly made in the National Service Emergency Regulations 1940 for the establishment of Armed Forces Appeal Boards. 93. Towards the end of 1940 six itinerant Appeal Boards were established. These were later augmented by an additional three auxiliary Boards which were found necessary to cope with the growing volume of work. 94. Up to the end of February, 1943, Appeal Boards and Man-power Committeesplayed 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 the period all eligible men were called up for service. Appeals against Territorial service, dealt with by Man-power Committees,, have already been mentioned above. The number of individual men affected by appeal* lodged with Armed Forces Appeal Boards up to June, 1942, was 26,336, or 33 per cent, of the men balloted for overseas service. 95. In June 1942, the distinction between Territorial and overseas service was removed. The existing Man-power Committees and Appeal Boards were accordingly merged and given power to deal with all appeals except those of conscientious objectors, (The appeals of conscientious objectors remained throughout the war in the jurisdiction of the nine original Appeal Boards.) The merger of Committees and Boards resulted in twenty-six statutory Appeal Boards. The progressive decline in the number of appeals to be heard led to a contraction in the number of Boards to twenty-two in August, 1942 r and nineteen in the following July. This process was carried further in February, 1944, when the number was reduced to sixteen. 96. Appeals arising out of ballots 16 to 19 (married men with children) as lodged with the reconstituted Appeal Boards from June, 1942, to the end of February, 1943. affected 69,365 men, or 71 per cent, of the number balloted. 97. From Ist March, 1943, to the end of March, 1944, Appeal Boards were mainly concerned with sifting applications for release so as to expedite the reduction in homedefence Forces once the threat of invasion had been removed, and to effect such demobilization in the best interests of industry. With all eligible men already balloted, the number of individual men affected by first appeals heard during this period was only 10,714.

21