A VOLUNTARY RECRUIT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 148, 22 June 1918, Page 4

A VOLUNTARY RECRUIT.

.. ' —— ——• -.'.■ i , )..;• '. ? : -"',;'/;■.; .; ■ E J:-V.^' DAIRY COMPANY'S APPEAL. ■■- ; - ; ; THREE MONTHS' EXTENSION. (By Telegraph.-Special to "Star.") HAMILTON, this day. ■ At to-day's . sitting • of. the Military -s * , Service Board, .the appeal of Wai-" -. - kato Co-operative Dairy Association on. behalf .of Edward Smith, ' buttermaker,\: ,' of Frankton, was dealt ' with,'."and,-■.-. ■ aroused considerable. Interest. ' • ',* The chairman stated that it 'had been .....-, ■■■■ ~ the basis of considerable , newspaper ;, ' corroispondence and a good deal of .mis-«;.■•, J J. conception. Smith was a voluntary re ";'.;.'. cruit, but in March, 1917, the company -/■■; appealed for him owing to difficulty in. •'■;' filling his place. .In October,. 1917,, the' ;■-.-. ;■ case was reviewed. Leave-was granted ;" r ,-. : till April, 19IS, and Smith .was ;due 'to.v ."V leave for camp on May 2. In April the', '.'-y company, .realising that Smith's leave; • "''■ was about to expire, and their manager " " ' (Shirley) being absent in America, took ...V proper steps. They - communicated with -j ;■ • the Commandant, asking that Smith's ,-■/.■ case be referred to the Board then sit- % ting in Hamilton. No reply was re- '~ '.':. ceived, and the Board, left for Auckland ■, tM', without considering, the appeal. Then .... Mr Goodfellow appeared to have writ- f .-'- ---ten to the Director of Recruiting, and to • the Department of Agriculture, for on ■' ."• April 29 the Department urged upon the . • 4', Director that Smith be granted leave,, ; t r and the matter placed before the Board. The Director of Recruiting referred the ' case to the chairman of the Wellington ' •' ' Board as a matter of urgency, and, as. -.-.' a result, on May 1, 1918, a memorandum , . ~ ' was sent to the Director from the Second Wellington Board, requesting that Smith ' be withheld from camp until the case i.->V had been dealt with by the Auckland Board. So, concluded the chairman, it was toy order of the Wellington Board ' that Smith was withheld from camp, not ' "■■ by the Auckland Board being overridden by Ministers or someone else, as 'had been suggested in some quarters. '.; Mr Goodfellow stated that the manager (Shirley) would return in July, and '' the company would not ask any further 'I exemption for Smith. '■ Mr Rosser said that Smith was one of t seven brothers, only one being at the front. The chairman considered this discounted by the fact that Smith was a *■ voluntary recruit. A letter received by the Board was Tead, stating that Smith should not be exempted, as men were available, one a returned soldier, to take his place. Mr Goodfellow said the men suggested were unsuitable. The company regretted the necessity to ask further extension, but Smith was the only man in the company's factories for whom exemption had been as&ed. Three months' extension was granted. Mr Rosser said he was not satisfied that the company had exhausted every means in an endeavour to secure a man to take Smith's place. The chairman asked Mr Rosser if he " desired to dissciif from the finding. Mr Rosser replied that he would hardly go so far as that, but he desired to express his opinion.