THE DEFENCE ACT.

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 February 1911, Page 4

THE DEFENCE ACT.

The Government .is about to issue n reminder to the youth of New Zealand between the ages of IS and 25 years, of their obligation to serve in the territorial forces, compulsory military training having been provided for in the new Defence Act which came into force at the commencement of the year. Tire notice, which will take the form of a large poster, quotes the Defence Act, 1909, which provides for compulsory training, and no doubt the nearest area officer will be named when the posters are distributed in various localities. Physical unfitness is the first cause of exemption provided for in the statute, but the following will also be exempt from service:—Members of the Permanent Staff and Permanent Force ; persons who qualify by examination as officers or instructors to the junior cadets while they so act; those who have been convicted of any disgraceful crime, or found by any Court of Justice to be of notoriously bad character : The decision of any Dominion Court of Justice and any military court martial will be accepted on this point. The Governor has power by proclamation to exempt in lime of peace all or any persons residing within any particular area. The object of this provision' is to meet the case of outlying settlers, who, on account of distance, cannot, without great expense and loss of time in travelling to and fro, carry out the obligation to undergo training. Should they move into an unexempted area, they must within thirty days report to tire area officers. The burden of proving exemption from service lies upon the person claiming exemption. Training in the general training section shall, according to the Act, be 14 days in training camp and 12 half days at drill in the area in which the individual resides, except in the artillery and engineer branches, in which the training shall be fourteen days in camp and twenty half-days or their equivalent.