CERTIFICATES OF ENROLMENT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3073, 8 May 1917, Page 6

CERTIFICATES OF ENROLMENT

NEGLIGENT RESERVISTS

THOUSANDS YET TO CALL

Many thousands of members of the Expeditionary Force Reserve have not yet received their certificates of enrolment. The actual number is surprisingly large, even when allowance has been made for reservists who have entered camp and men who have left Now Zealand since the compilation of the National Register. - Sonie of the re- » servists may be' neglecting deliberately to secure their certificates) in the hope of thus keeping out of sight of the military authorities, but it is evi- . dent that very many men are being , simply careless about' the matter. They, will find presently that they aro putting themselves as well as the lecrniting organisation to inconvenience. Every reservist who has not yet received his certificate of enrolment in tho Expeditionary Force Reserve should apply for it. He should give ;. particulars that <will enable his name to he identified ■in the roll of the reserve. For example,, if John Smith, of Blank Street, Wellington, filled in . a National Register form, or otherwise became enrolled in the reserve, and has since changed his address, he must not write as "J. Smith; So-and-So Street, Petone," and then expect the officials to identify him. The certificate of enrolment is a document of importance, ' and the officers will not part with one until they are satisfied that the man to whom it is being addressed "is enrolled as a member of the Reserve. There is a. proper form for use in applying for a certificate .of enrolment. The man who_ one of those forms is required to state at_ what post office he wishes to receive his certificate, which has' to he called for personally. The certificate will then be forwarded to the given address, and if a reservist has changed his address in the meantime he must take steps to secure the document. He may either ask the Government Statistician to re- • address the certificate or ask.the post office to; forward it to an office within his.reach. Reservists should understand 'clearly that the oertificates > in . all cases, go to the post offices mentioned in the original application forms, unless special request to the contrary has been received. The Government Statistician lias not undertaken the task of, transferring to these forms notifications of change of address received in connection with the roll of the reserve.

__ Speaking to a reporter on the subject, the Government Statistician (Mr. ..Malcolm Fraser) said that he had received about 200,000 applications for certificates of- enrolment, ,and thb task of dealing with thejn had been a. stupendous one. The certificate, had " been forwarded to the post office named by the reservist himself in every case where the applicant could be identified as,a member, of the reserve. But ,'* very great deal of difficulty had been created by insufficient addresses, variations of names, duplications, and changes of address. If a man has not received his certificate,, let him ask . himself if he had given all tho information he ought to give or had taken all the steps he had been directed to take., ■