AGE LIMIT OF RESERVISTS

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 69, 19 September 1917, Page 8

AGE LIMIT OF RESERVISTS

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Is there any provision in the Expeditionary Forces Bill for the exemption | of reservists who attain the, age of 45 before they are balloted? If not, a great •deal of unnecessary hardship and dislocation of business could be, avoided if, j while the Expeditionary Forces Amendment Bill is before parliament, a clause could be inserted providing for suchexemption. , : . . , ; The. reason for this suggestion is that on 7th June,: 1917, the following news-, paper paragraph appeared:—"The' Government has received advice from General Richardson in England, in reply j to the enquiry as to what was being done with the men approaching the age limit of 45 years. General Richardson replies simply that men who are over 45 are not sent to France." The apparent uselessness of calling up men of 45 is further, accentuated by the following statement published in your journal on 18th July : "Any man who has reached his 44th birthday, on being called up for' service, will be placed in Class C 2 (medically unfit), and transferred to home service." Can you tell me if this latter statement is official?—l am, etc., SMALL BUSINESS MAN. 18th September. [There is no provision in the Act such as our correspondent suggests. The administrative practice, however, is that any man who has attained his 44th birthday, on being, called up in the ballot, is classified :by the Medical Board at. C 2, and is given leave without pay until further orders. —Ed.]