FAILURE TO ENROL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 108, 9 May 1941, Page 8

FAILURE TO ENROL

YOUNG MAN FINED

EMPLOYER ALSO CHARGED "Why didn't you do your duty like a man and enrol with the rest of your fellow*Ynen?" asked Mr. F H Levien. S.M.. in the Papakura Magistrate's Court yesterday, of Allen Turnbull. who appeared on a charge of failing to enrol in the national military reserve. Sergeant T. Dyer said Turnbull was a young man of 23. born in New Zealand, and was employed by a local carrier as a lorry driver. His employer had continually asked Turnbull if he had enrolled". Apparently the employer had been misled, but he got suspicious when defendant did not get caught in the ballots. Defendant should have made an application about March. 1940. Defendant said his father attended to all his business transactions, and he thought his father had enrolled him. His father had since died, but he had no personal recollection of signing an enrolment form. In imposing a fine of £10 the magistrate said that in his opinion defendant never intended to enrol. Turnbull's employer. Alfred Walker (Mr. S. D. Rice) was also charged for employing an unregistered employee. Counsel said Walker had repeatedly asked Turnbull whether he had enrolled. but defendants "yes" answers turned out to be a tissue of lies. Ballots came along, said counsel, and Walker became alarmed. It was only when he bluffed Turnbull that he would inform the police that Turnbull went to the post office and enrolled. Even when Walker insisted on seeing his card. Turnbull said he had mislaid iu Mr. Rice submitted that his client had taken every reasonable precaution as provided by the Act. The magistrate, in reserving his decision, said the point was whether Walker had taken steps which amounted to reasonable precautions.