MILITARY SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3008, 20 February 1917, Page 6

MILITARY SERVICE

ENFORCING THE ACT

WARRANTS BEING ISSUED

Ihe Defence authorities stated 3'estovday that a. begiiming had been made : .-irith the enforcement of the Military Service Act against men who have ieeii drawn ia the ballot,, but , wlio. hale neglected to present themselves for medical examination when directed to do so or to parade for entry to camp. Jlanj: hundreds of balloted men have already,entered, camp, Inifc ttiey wcie me/i who responded to the call without /iraiting to be fetched by the police. lieBisters, objectors, and-laggards of various types have been able to stay out of camp temporarily in defiance of- tho call,to service, diving, it is said, to the Defence Department not being ready to deal With them. But tho machinery is now complete, aud the first warrants ~were'issued on Saturday. '.'' The Jiiimbei' of warrants actually issued up. to the present time is Very small, and it does not appear that in Group 5 (Wellington .City and Suburbs) any defaulter has yet been ar- \. rested. But the responsible officers stated definitely yesterday that" they . were ready to proceed, and that they • intended,to enforce the Act firmly and impartially against all men who had neglected to fulfil their obligations. . Tho procedure is simple. When a resorvist has been drawn in the ballot he is notified to atend! at a specified ■place on a certain day for medical examination. If be does not appear he becomes liable to arrest. After arrest he will bo sent to District HeadquartOfc,and tried by court-martialj the maximum punishment being two years' imprisonment. The proceadings will \e •fcte'-.Pjesa, , Mid -ttw Teswrmt /will be given all reasonable facilities for presentinghis case. But it may be noted that the Act does not accept any excuses, for non-performance of the duty imposed upon ail men of military age. If a man has been medically examined and passed as. fit, aiid then fails to parade on the day of mobilisation, ho : mil bp arrested and sent in custody to :■ camp, where his case will be dealt with' by the camp authorities. He will be . liable to a term of imprisonment or to such other disciplinary measures its the Army Act provides. The leseryisv is a soldier from the time'ho is calledl up .for service, and , he does not escape, military law by disobeying the order .to appear for medical examination or to 'enter camp. ■ When a reservist has heen drawn in the ballot or summoned under Section So of the Military Service Act, he is notified by the Defence authorities to present himself for medical examination, at a certain time and place. If he is passed fit, he is directed later to parade at the headquarters of his recruiting district in order that he may be taken to camp. Some of the men do-not respond.to these calls, but the authorities do not assume at once that euch men are defaulters, since there is : the possibility that tho, notices may not have reached the individuals for whom they wero intended. The Defence Department is arranging, to pub-' lish a list of men who.are not yet accounted for, in order, that there, may be no excuse- for misunderstanding. Provision is made for the publication of such a. list in : Clause 13 of the Military Service Act, -which reads as follows: — ■ ■ . ' Every man who has been called , lip for service with the ExpeditionaTji 3?orce-under /ftris Act may be reguired from time to time,by tho Commandant, by notice in the ! Gazette, to report' at any time and place; and if Tie iails oVuly to present himself at the place and. time so notified (or in case of sick- . ness or other unavoidable impediment, then at the same place and . as soon as possible after time so notified) he may be tried and pun-- '. ished under the Army Act for the offence of desertion or of absenting himself without leave, as the case may be. The publication of this list in the Gazette will serve a double purpose. It will be a final notice to the men concerned that they must present themselves for medical examination or for'.-such -other purpose as the Commandant thints fit; and it will at tho same time inform the community generally that certain reservists, whose names have "already appeared in the list of balloted men, have not yet discharged the duties required of them. ,