The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1940. RECRUITING OBSTACLES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 15, 18 January 1940, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1940. RECRUITING OBSTACLES

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that ice can do.

Slop-work meetings have been held lur nuiny reasons, hut there can hardly 1»' :i precedent for the meeting lit'lil yesterday by the employees (if the nmnirip.nl abattoir, who dc-ired to express resent inent iit being debarred from enlistment in the N.Z.b.F. Tlje spirit whieli prompted the meeting iirid was evident in the discussion i- admirable, and il it were widely emulated there would be no recruiting problem. It is unfortunate—und the public has yet to be convinced that it is unavoidable— that men and w'oinen desiring to play their part in this war should meet witli m> much d i-cou rhgemen t. Those de-iring to raise money lor patriotic purposes discover more ea<ilv what is lorbiddeu than what is allowed — and the patriotic fund- languish in consequence. And, as the VVestfTeid slaughtermen have found, men going to enlist may discover that becanse of their occupation they are debarred. There is, of course, no doubt that in this matter the (iovemment's objective is correct. It would receive no thanks, bnt abuse, from the public it it allowed the enlistment of so many workers in essential industries and services that those industries and services were crippled. But the methods adopted to attain the objective are far from satisfactory. I here is a list of reserved occupations, but it is more or less secret. Fanners are included in the list, but that has not prevented many farmers from enlisting. The purpose of keeping the list secret is not achieved.

There arc other objections to the present system. The list of reserved occnpntions, though no doubt carefully prepared, ought to be open to public scrutiny and comment. It is doubtful whether, in the absence of a national register, such as was found necessary in New Zealand in tho'laJst war, anyone compiling a list of reserved occupations could have had adequate information. To take the case in point, the retention in the Dominion of a number oT slaughtermen is obviously essential, but how many does the Dominion require under present conditions? Must all who give slaughtering as their occupation be refused the opportunity to enlist, or might a limited number be accepted without detriment to the industry or the public? It is hard to see that the Government can be in possession of such facts. Without them, the present system of negative restriction must be rough and ready, and productive of resentment find of actual injustice. The Massey Government gained nothing by delaying until 1015 the compilation of a national register, and this Government should not be blind to that lesson.