THE CALL TO THE COLOURS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15929, 16 June 1917, Page 8

THE CALL TO THE COLOURS.

HOME SERVICE; THE OBLIGATIONS OF RESERVISTS.

Sinco the Military Scrvico Act eamo into operation many thousands of men have been classified as fit for Homo Servico only. The Minister of Defence has stated recently that men of 43 to 45 years of ago nro to bo employed only in Homo Servico, Binco tho military authorities prefor not to send them into the firing-lino. Tliero nppear a to bo doubt in some quarters as to what Home Scrvico really is (says tho "Dominion"). "Does ib mean servico in England or Now Zealand?" asks a Reservist. "What is tho nature of such service? "Would it necessitate the existing military trainiiig ? Would it, assuuiing tlio servico relates to New Zealand, mean total military servico, or would it permit of a portion of timo being devotee? to a civil occupation ?" Tho Reservist who is placcd in tho Home Sorvice class comes under CI a: is* 14 of tho Military Sorvice Act, which reads: — "If tho Commandant is satisfied that any man who has been called up for servico in tho Expeditionary Forco is permanently inodically unfib for active servico l>eyond tho seas, tho Commandant shall . . . exempt him from foreign service, in which case ho shall remain a member of tho Expeditionary Force liahlo for military service, in New Zealand in such capacity ag tho Commandant from timo to timo thinks fit. Military servico as used in this connexion means any servico in connexion with or for tho purposes of tho present war." The Homo Servico man is not liahlo to bo sent abroad. Ho will not bo given military training of tho ordinary kind, sinco ho is not required to fight. But he is under military orders, and ho mnv bo roquircd to porform nuy service "in connexion -with or for .the purposes of the presont war." Tho De« fonco Department, up to. tho present timo. has not imposed any duties at all on Homo Sorvico men. Volunteers from this pronp have boen accepted for c#rtain duties in tho military camps, harbonr fortifications, nnd olsewhcro and any Rcervist bo emnloyod must leave his civilian «tmnloymo?it. What further n«o the Government will make of tho Home Sorvifco men remains to bn seen, and depends, presumably, upon the durntio-n of tho war. It bns stated nl-eady that tho prrnnn is to b-> re-o*amine<l boftro the mobilisation of fcho Second Division begins.