NATIONAL SERVICE

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1917, Page 2

NATIONAL SERVICE

THE GALL TO THE COLOURS,

THE FIFTH BALLOI

RUMOURS OF IRREGULARITIES

DENIED.

WELLINGTON, Marcli 15. A mischievous rumour has been eir-

drawing of the hist ballot, under the Military Service Act.. It has been stated that one of the girl attendants manipulated the cards to the advant-

fraud was discovered, ami that a new ballot h.ad i i !i • taken, the offender having been dismissed in disgrace.

"I want; to deny the rilliloiir absolutely," said the Minister id' Defence when the matter was brought under his notice. ''The Government Statistician informs me that no such fraud was discovered and no girl was dismissed. I think it is very improper that those rumours should be circulated. In

point of fact the drawing is not in the bands of women, as anyone who has seen the ballot machinery in operation can testify. The women attendants draw cards from the boxes when the numbers arc- called, but they do not see the names on the cards, nor do they remove the cards from the boxes. This is done by the .Magistrate conducting the ballot, and the magistrate also may check the girls- work to see that the rigid cards have been produced for his inspection."

THE MEDICAL TEST

COX 1)1 TIOXS AGAIN TfGtrrEXEi).

(i!Y TKLKORAPIf—SPECIAL TO "sTAR.'']

WELLINGTON, This Dnv

"i am personally f-'oiny into (lie whole matter- Then 1 are several phases which must be inquired in to, was the reply of the Minister of Defence when your correspondent called attention (o the strong' criticism of the extraordinary differences between the medical examination of recruits in the various centres and the examination which follows later at Trentham.

When it was suggested in Sir ■Tames Alien I lint more co-ordina-tinn was needed to standardise the medical tests, lie replied : Tins would not altogether dispose of the difficulty due to rejections from the camp of men who pass the local Medical Hoards, as they develop defects under camp conditions which it would be impossible to discover otherwise"(iuided' hv the (government," concluded Sir Tames Allen, "we reduced our standard of physical requirements, but there may be good reason to revert to the former standard. OPERATIONS OF CLAUSE,

STKIKI.Mi FKATI'RFS. [|!Y TV.hf.r.UAVH- Sp-fjTUX JO "STAR-"] WKLLIXOTOX. This 1).,y. Striking' figures showing' the result of ihc operations of clause • >■") of the Military Service Act, known as the ''family shirkers' clause," were g'iven your correspondent bv (he Hon- Sir -lames Alien. 'I he ioial number uoiiiied under the ciause was 2.851, but 707 were struck oil' for various reasons and 102 are-, vet to he notified. Of the remaining l 2042 twentynine enlisted before the clause began to operate, 211 enlisted voluntarily, L'Hi being' passed as fit. Three hundred and two were found to be outside the scope of the clause as their brothers had enlisted. 59 were drawn in the ballot, 7?)\ fwere over or under age or married, and oo have not yet been foundThe actual number of fit men who entered cam]) under the provisions of this clause was -!()•'>. while .110 more will enter at definite dates. Those awaiting' medical examination number -'>o(i. appeals adjourned sine die number '■>[)'■) and appeals not disposed of number 519The Minister hones that this record of results will heighten the public confidence in the administration lot' the Mliitarv Service Act-

i'n\'\vr MAinTAL

[S-Z. PRESS 4.SSOCIAIION.I

WELLINGTON, This Day

As tlu< result of a court-martial case, Samuel Edward Fitzgerald, win) was drawn in the first ballot. it was announced that Fitzgerald was charged with having deserted his Majesty's service in that he absented himself from the Expeditionary Forces until apprehended by the civil authorities, he at the' time having signed on as steward of the Manuka for Sydney. The Court found accused'guilty and sentenced him to imprisonment with hard labour for one vear. The sentence was confirmed. fNIVKRSITV l>l!Ol<KSSori KXKMP'I'KD. fl'Kll I'UKSS ASSOCIATION.] PUXKWN. This Day. Tll> Military tiervire Hoard exempted liuh.-rl .lack, Vrofessor of I'hy.sh :; at i!u; ()tu<;o University. It was ' stated' _ that every el'lorl . hail been made It) provide a substitute. Conditional exemption was maided to Messrs Stevenson and Cook on liHialf of some of their employees who are engaged on essential work on the transport in iltit-k.