LEI TEES TO THE EDITOR

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

LEI TEES TO THE EDITOR

CERTIFICATES OF ENROLMENT

Sir,—l have just read, in the Nelson. "Evening Mail" a paragraph copied, from your paper with regard to certificates of enrolment in the Kxpeditionary; Force Deserve. You say, "If he has: not yet received his certificate the fault is his." Sir, this statement is incorrect, as I shall prove to you. I belong to the Second Division, and I hold my acknowledgment card, which is proof that I am enrolled, but I have, not yet received my enrolment certificate, nor the notification that it is at the post office. During the last two months I have written four letters to:' the Government Statistician, stating that I had not received it, but I can. get no answer from him, nor has my, certificate been forwarded. According to your article,, this certificate should> be at the post office. If it iB, how am I to get it, without the notification —which I have to sign as a receipt— that it is there? If I were arrested for being unable to produce my certificate, wouldn't I have a case for defamation of character against the Government Statistician?—l am, etc., A. ALLAN. : Ngatitama Street, Nelson, May 2. [This letter was referred for inquiry, to the Government Statistician, who! courteously gave a reporter the facts as recorded in the files. The Statistician's Department received a letter from Mr. Allan dated March 23, stat- : ing that an application, for a certificate of enrolment had been forwarded! a fortnight previously. • The earlier letter could not be traced, and there •was delay while search was being made for the application. Mr. Allan wrots again on April 12 and April 26. The application form was not discovered, but a new form was mad* out and the certificate of enrolment was forwarded on May 1. The Government Statistician mentioned that the correspondence, of his office had been delayed to soma extent in April by a move to new quarters, the Easter holidays and the arrangements for the big ballot taken at the beginning of last week. Some additional information on points raised m onr correspondent's letter is given ltt another column.]