C1 MEN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 48, 20 November 1917, Page 4

C 1 MEN

THE LIABILITY TO SERVICE. Drafts of CI men from all over New Zealand aro to enter the special trainiDir camp at Tauherenikau this week, it is "expected that about GOO men will be received before the end or iho week, representing probably not fewer than 400 fit men to be transferred to later reinforcements. Complaint has been made m somo quarters that men have suffered hardship through beinr? called up for training in tlie CI camp bavins already been rejected and having, on the strength of their rejection, contracted business and domestic liabilities. The Defence authorities cannot give much consideration to any hardship of the kind suggested. Everv man of military age should understand that until ho is actually discharged from the Expeditionary Force Heserve, on account of complete and irreparable unfitness, he is liable to be called upon for service during tho present " The liability is continuous, and rejections aro tentative only. It is obvious, for example, that a lowering of tho physical standard would bring in many men who have been declared unfit under present conditions. No lowering of the stantlard is at all likely, as far as foreign service is concerned, but tho Defence authorities realise that a prolongation or the war beyond next year may make necessary the readjustment of home service obligations. No man capable of rendering any service is entitled to regara himself as finally exempt. It may be said, in justice to the u mon, that the great majority of them enter camp and undergo training with every appearanco of pleasure and pride. A big proportion of those men wero volunteers originally, and wero keenly disappointed when they were rejected as medically unfit. They go into enmp willingly, and the enthusiasm they display in their training is nn important in producing tho excellent results that have already been reported from the CI camp.