THE GRANTING OF COMMISSIONS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3067, 1 May 1917, Page 6

THE GRANTING OF COMMISSIONS

• (To tho Editor.) Sir,—ln,your columns of a recent issue there appeared an assurance from the Minister of Defence as to the unquestionably impartiality observed in the granting of commissions at the front. We beg that you will give publicity to this communication, the object of which is to apprise the people of this country of the fact that the time is ripe for an investigation of the matter alluded to as it stanus be.o in t.ur midst. - AVe have no hesitation m Hating that such an investigation is urgently required, not only in the interests of future candidates for commissions, hut in the far greater and more important interests of those who arc sending their sons into camp, and who naturally are anxious that the services of the best men procurable in the country should be enlisted for the role of leadership. AVe would draw attention to the fact that balloted men are being allowed to come into camp and still retain the commissions they held before hearkening to their country's call. Only the sight of their names in the newspapers could stir their patriotic pulses. And ■yet some of these men—men of the First Division—will in all probability be given companies to conimand. iii other words, our men are to go to the front commanded by rank conscripts. Also to be considered in this connection is tho fact that through these conscripts being posted as Officers to different companies without having to pass any examination or compete in the n.c.o.'s classes great injustice is being done to men .of a totally different stamp, who have perhaps months before made the sacrifice of breaking up thefr homes and withdrawn from their vocations, and who, moreovor, are men of the_ Second Division. Their places in their country's forces are taken by men who, if they have not by overt aot or spoken word actually shown that they objected to rendering their country the service it was in dire need of, yet have procrastinated,, vacillated, tacitly refused to face the issue, and come into camp only when the law of that country directed. And so we havo the spectacle of Second Division men, and for that miftter, returned men, rendering the salute to these conscripts. There is surely no need for us to labour the argument further, but we may be permitted to point out that we have touched upon only one phase of the whole subject—a subject concern-, ing which, investigated, a wide field for discuss'ion may be opened up.— I am, etc. MILITES. [There may be ground for griovanco over the granting of commissions, indeed cases have been brought under our notice that suggest such to be the case, but the fact that a man may havo been called up in the ballot should not be a bar to his advancement on his merits. The real test should be the qualifications of the candidates for commissions, and in that respect it is difficult to credit the assertion that men called up in the ballot are permitted to retain, without examination or competition, tho commissions they hold (presumably in '' the Territorial forces) on cnterting camp for training for service abroad.]