THE SECOND DIVISION
PROVISION FOR CLASSIFICATION, The classification of tho Second Division of the Expeditionary Reserve has been occupying the attention, of the Recruiting Board for some, time past, and it is stated now that definite proposals are being submitted to Cabinet for approval'. The Second Division comprises all married men over twenty and undr fory-six years of age, also widowers with children under fifteen years of age. The. Military Service Act contemplates the separation of the members of this division into groups, and it has been assumed generally that the basis of classification will be the number of dependants supported by the reservist. A! married man who has no children is better able to serve his country, other tilings being equal, than. the mimed man with two or three or more children. But the classification is not as easily devised as would appear at first sight. For instance, a man with one child and a weekly salary, whioh will cease ou enlistment, is in. a worse position than the man who has'four children and an assured income from business or property. The- intention of the Recruiting Board is to make the classification on broad lines, and then leave the Military Service Boards to deal with the exceptional cases. 'Age as well as the number of dependants may be taken into consideration in the grouping of tho men. ' A grot deal of hardship will bo inevitable if the mobilisation of members of the Second Division becomes 'necessary, and that fact ought to be faced by the men concerned. Tho rates of military pay almost certainly will not be increased. The scale of allowances may be amended in the direction of increasing the separation allowance payable to the wife, but -the basis of payment in all cases will be the same, and the standard will be tho amount that is fair in tho case of the wage-earning classes of the community. In other words, many wives who are accustomed 'to housekeeping on a family income of from £6 to £8 a week, and more, will have to adapt their weekly budgets to an income of from £2 to £2 10s.. a week. This sort of thing has happened already in tho cases of First Division men who were supporting widowed mothers, and so forth, but the instances have been comparatively rare.
The probable date of the exhaustion of the First Diyision is still a. subject of discussion. The available figures do not provide a basis for an exact calculation, since it is impossible to know what proportion of the remaining memders of the division are fit for active service. But there appears to bo no present reason for amending the suggestion already made, that the married men will not become subject to tho chances of the ballot before October, and will not.be required to enter camp before December ,or January. The dates may be later. •
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3064, 27 April 1917, Page 4
Word Count
484THE SECOND DIVISION Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3064, 27 April 1917, Page 4
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