SKILLED FARM HANDS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 18, 16 October 1917, Page 8

SKILLED FARM HANDS

.QUESTION OF THEIR EXEMPTION

MILITARY SERVICE BOARDS' WORK Sy Itelesr&pli-:Press Association. Haweraj Ootober 15. At tha sitting of the Wellington Military Servioo Board, Mr. K. D. Welsh asked Jeavo to refer to a newspaper report that a memorandum had been addressed • to tho military service boards by tho • Becruiting Board with reference to the depletion, of skilled farm workers, and ;.. the policy to be followed with regard to \ productions. The announcement in- tho . Presa had come as a surprise, and per- . haps in due course the board might make : ; 6ome pronouncement as to the position, so that oounsel would be able to adviso . their olients. U .The, chairman (Mr. D. G. A. Cooper) .. said the board had read the report' rcfened.to. For his part he thought the : report must bo wrong, because he did Eot think the. Government would endeavour to belittle tho boards and inter- : fero with their authority as a. judicial . 'body. The military service boards were f judicial. bodies, .whoso functions were > distinctly defined by the Military Service . Act. Tho present board, with other boards, had done its duty, to the best of I. its; ability, sometimes under very distressing circumstances. •• The board, 'had j sometimes to give deoisions which it had ' , felt very keenly. ' He hoped those who .had appeared, /before the poard had accepted the board's decisions feeling that ' the'board had done its befit. He believed - tlioea who had como before tho board ' lad accepted the position in the proper ; spirit." He did not wish tc> add'anything i further,' because jio - thought; the news,paper, statement must be a mistake. The board bad received no communication. ■ -whatever from tlje Recruiting Board, and \naturally the board -would' expect to re- ' ceivo any communioation from. the Recruiting. Board before it appeared in tho Press. • ■ .-Captain Walker said,''as -military representative. he had received no notice of

the memorandum. As representing tho Oroi>u, ho thought lie would havo received a copy bcl'oro it was published ill papers. Sir. I). Af'Laren concurred in the chair8. remarks. He had at t ; mes met ( with individuals who had suggested that 1 'ho board was told what to do. That was not so, and never had been so. Tho board had always given its decisions impartially, and to the best of its ability on the ovidenco presented. It was .quite proper for tha Government to make any pronouncement of policy that related to the public interest, but before any etato menu was published in tho Pross it should first be sent to the boards or bodies oonoerned. In any of its deliberations the board had never taken into consideration tho reports in the newspapers. It would bo a very great sign of weakness if the hoard were to follow newspaper comments, as very often these wore misleading. Ho believed that generally tho decision of the boards had been cheerfully assented to on account of the abnormal conditions existing./; Mr. G. Williams also concurred with what had been said by. his fellow-mem-bers'of the board: There was a conference of boards in Wellington recently, when the Minister made highly complimentary references to the manner in which the various boards were oarrying out their work, .and thanked them cordially for it. It seemed to him that if tha statement as reported were correct, it would place the boards in a most extraordinary position.

A question was asked in the House of Representatives regarding this telegram last evening by Mr. Talbot. He drew the Minister's/attention to the message, and in' effect asked tho Minister to make a statement. . ■ Sir Jamfrs Allen, who had not been in the House when Mr. Talbot begnn to put his 'question, said that Mr. Cooper; the chairman or tho hoard, would, he thought, have received tho latest memorandum by-this time.- Was there a question about another memorandum? - Mr. , v Young: They say they didn't receive any. Sir James Allen: Oh, well, I think that is a newspaper 'error. I don't know whether he has received the last memorandum, but he must have received tho others. The latest one may not have reapbed him before the announcement made in the House was telegraphed up. The others he must hart received. .