MILITARY SERVICE BOARD

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2999, 9 February 1917, Page 6

MILITARY SERVICE BOARD

MORE APPEALS

FARMER CALLS THE BOARD " UNFAIR"

CUSTOMS J3ASES ] ■' i More appeals were heard, by the third Wellington -Military Service Board yesterday. , Mr. W. fl. S. Moorbouse •is chairman of the board, and the mem- ' hers are Messrs. A. O'L. Considine and -M. J. Mack. . Thomas Mitchell, farmer, Taita, ap- ; : pealed the ground of undue hardship.- He said that his parents, a sis- " teiy 'and- a brother lived on a farm in the Hutt Valley. The farm carried •eighteen dairy cows, and he was the : only able-bodied man on the premises. The chairman' said the appeal was dismissed, and that leave till April 1 was guaranteed the appellant. Mitchell: Appeal dismissed! The chairman: Yes. Mitchell: Very unfair. If you were looking at the circumstances as I am "•you would not dismiss it. The chairman: If 1 had my way, I .would not send anybody. Mitchell: I would like to go to the / war, and would have gone long ago hut for the hardship 'it would cause ■my parents. The chairman: I think you will find there is labour offering. Mitchell: There is no labour offering, and anyhow we can't afford to pay £3 A week. The chairman: AH these cases are hard, of course. Mitchell: This is a case cf real hardship—a man with a father who has bronchitis, asthma, heart disease, and ; a broken hand; a brother who is unfit; " that leaves a sister to work a farm with eighteen cows. Very unfair I call it. .'Anyhow, all right! An Enthusiast. William Booth Lambert, salesman, l'anera Terrace, Wellington, appealed for an extension of time. He said that he had done <V good doal of volunteering in the School Cadets and the D Buttery—and had made several attempts to get away on active service, but had .been turned down by the military as unlit; He had married, but „even now was willing to go if given a certain extension of time. The board ..allowed him until May 7, when the case will be reviewed. Customs Men and the Revenue. . William Montgomery, Comptroller of Customs, appealed for the exemption of Alexander I'aul, Herbert Arthur Wild, and William M'lntosh, examining Customs officers. He said that the staff had been reduced from 149 in 1014 to 118 in' 1916. ;It was very' important that the examining officers should be retained. The Customs revenue bad increased from £3,492j000 in 1914, to over £4,000,000 in 1916,. and the in- .• creased revenue had meant increased work. The work had increased also owing to the imposition of an all-round primaga duty on all goods, and owing to the need for checking enemy goods. He believed, -too, they were being asked to take on a check'of stocks of coal, flho work of the class of man he appealed for was highly intricate, and could not be done by casuals. The • country needed revonue to pay interest •'on its loans. If these men were sent, there would be less revenue and great delay with goods. . The. hearing of the cases was adjourned till May 1, They will then be 'reheard. Other-Cases. • Edwin Kupli, furniture manufacturer, 139 Willis Street, Wellington, asked for two months'/extension to 1 wind up business matters. After hearing the case, the board complimented Kupli on the manner in which he had conducted his case, and said they quite realised that he was making a big sacrifice. The case ivas adjourned for the production of certain evidence. Charles Onyon, managing editor o£ "Timber Lumber" asked for exemption on- the grounds that his calling up would be contrary to the public interest and a hardship. Mr. T. H. Gill appeared for appellant. It was mentioned that it was doubtful if appellant was'fit for active service, and the board cut the case short and sent Onyon for medical examination. . Bernard O'Kane, agent, Hotel Bris'tol, Wellington, had lodged an appeal, hut-notice of withdrawal was received. The clerk to the hoard mentioned that he had been advised that O'Kane had failed to pass the medical test. Daniel O'Brien, labourer, Abel Smith Street, Wellington; claimetl to he over age, and he produced a baptismal cer- \ iificate. The case was adjourned for the verification of the signature on the . certificate. James Lyon, builder, Grafton Road, Wellington, wlio, it was' said, seemed to be a voluntary, recruit asking for a small extension of time, withdrew' his appeal, and it ' was stated that he is now in camp. ' ' ■ W. H. Powell, dental surgeon, 211 Grant Road, Wellington, had lodged an appeal, but did not appear, and his appeal was dismissod. Davis and Porteous, surveyors, Wellington, appealed for the exemption of Garth C. Ballantync, surveyor's assistant. Mr. C. H. Treadwell, appeared as counsel in the case, and said that the firm had lost the whole of its men through enlistment. They wanted Bal-. lantyne for the finishing of a bush snr"vey. They could not get another man. The appeal was dismissed. ,The-board did not consider Ballantyne was doing essential work. . . The board will sit again at 10 o'clock this morning." •