ARMY CALL-UP

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 263, 2 August 1941, Page 8

ARMY CALL-UP

No Married Men Before Available Single Men PROCEDURE ON APPEALS “It is intended that married men shall not be called up till steps have been taken to ensure that all single men who can be released for the armed forces have been called up,” the Minister of National Service, Mr. Semple, said in an interview yesterday. Adjournments previously granted will be reviewed by the appeal boards as quickly as possible, added the Minister.

Answering questions on the general procedure on apepals for men called in the ballots and the submission of evidence to an Armed Forces Appeal Board, Mr. Semple said the National Service Department instituted a director’s appeal only in exceptional circumstances, the onus of instituting an appeal resting primarily on the man called up or his employer - : “I have already made it clear that the Government does not intend to depart from its policy of declining to regard any industry or occupation as completely or permanently reserved,” he said. The only one way by which postponement of the military service of a fit man could be procured was by an appeal to an Appeal. Board and all cases were dealt with on their merit. There was no authority for the exercise of Ministerial or official discretion on individual appeals. The Minister advised employers to ensure that they were informed of employees drawn in the ballots and if it was necessary to seek a postponement of service they should lodge appeals witljin 10 days of the issue of the Gazette calling the employee up. In special circumstances, an appeal board could accept jurisdiction in respect of appeals lodged within a further month. “As for departmental procedure and inquiries,” he said, “it has been arranged that if appeals against territorial service have been made to the Manpower Committees, the facts adduced at the hearings may be referred to the Crown representative of the appeal board so that he may have available some history of the case. Sometimes it happens, perhaps for patriotic reasons, that appeals are not lodged by employers of men who it is in the national interest to retain in civilian occupations. In appropriate cases, appeals were lodged by the Director of National Service in order that the circumstances might be adequately reviewed by the Appeal Board. Secretaries of the Manpower Committees also undertook inquiries into particular cases which appeared to require special investigation.”