MILITARY SERVICE

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 July 1941, Page 6

MILITARY SERVICE

APPEAL BOARD SITTING GREY DISTRICT APPLICATIONS The Armed Services Appeal Board, Messrs F. F. Reid, S.M. (chairman), G. in. Hall, and A. H. McKane commenced a three-day sitting at Greymouth this morning, to deal with appeals against overseas service. Albert Spicer, docker, appealed on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest. United Sawmills Ltd. (employers) were co-appellants, on the grounds of public interest and undue hardship. There was no appearance of coappellants. Spicer in evidence said he was still classed as a docker, but was doing tailing out as well. The appeal was dismissed subject to reservist not being called for service before September 1. J. F. Gilbert, manager of Gilbert, Tomasi, Sawmills (employees), appealed on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest for Donald Sinclair, yardman, and on'the ground of public interest for John Pearce Gilbert, yardman. Appellant gave details of the company’s capital, and the shareholders. He said that John Pearce Gilbert was a lorry driver at the time he was drawp in the ballot, but when a former yardman left, at Easter time, Gilbert was placed as yardman. No other man was available. The former yard - man went to a job in Canterbury at higher wages. Sinclair had been employed by the firm for about four years. The company employed 35 men but the men employed as yardmen were so employed because of their ability. Six men from the mills had been called in previous ballots. Witness had four brothers, two overseas, one at school and one the reservist appealed for. Decision was reserved. Hahn Bros.’ appeal on the grounds of public interest and undue hardship for David Liddell, was withdrawn. Austral Malay Tin Ltd. (employers), appealed on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest for Joseph James Coakley, driller. ■ Mr. A. M. Jamieson appeared for the Company. He said the appeal was adjourned from the previous sitting. Charles Stewart agreed that a three months’ postponement was granted in December and a further postponement in April. He now applied for a postponement until December. He had not been able to get a man to replace the reservist. The appeal was dismissed, subject to reservist not being called for service before December 1. George G. Lockington (employer) Reefton, appealed on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest for William Canfield Lockington, farm and sawmill hand. Appellant said that he had a farm ■ of 512 acres, about five miles from Reefton. A mill was at present work- . ing on about 30 acres of bush. There ’ were about 450 head of sheep on the farm and about 90 head of cattle. He , also had about 900 acres of property - in addition to the other farm. The re- i servist had been anxious to join the j Air Force with his brother but was not' accepted. The reservist was an ] experienced tractor driver. The mill | was putting out as much timber per < man as any other mill. \ To Mr. McKane:: He had not ad- ( ve'rtised for a man to replace the re- ( servist, who was employed about two - thirds of his time in the mill. , To Mr. Hall: The farm just about ] carried itself, but the mill was his S main interest. i c To Mr. Reid: Two of his sons were - in the Air Force, one training at j Taieri, and the other was waiting to I go overseas any clay with a construe- 1 £ tional unit. , / The appeal was adjourned sine die, i on the ground of public interest. The appeal of F. Taverner (em- e ployer) and Mrs. C. Youngman for Leslie W. Youngman was withdrawn. The New Forest Sawmilling Co., j Ltd. (employer), appealed on the c grounds of public interest and undue - hardship for Robert William Griffen, j tailer-out. c Mr. J. S. Robertson represented the j company. He said the reservist had' been tailing-out since last Christmas. He was 29 years of age, and quite a j good worker. Mr. Reid: According to a letter re- h ceived from the manager he had been 0 employed there for only three months, q Joseph Frederick Tibble, manager . of the mill, said that on April 3 when the appeal was lodged, the reservist fe had then been employed only three g months. He did not know anything | about the reservist’s history. He was | an experienced man. | Frederick Lovell Turley, secretary K of the Union, said that in' the past | three or four years’he had worked in | and out of the mills. E The appeal was adjourned sine die, I on the ground of public interest. f Arthur Francis Stewart, farmer, ap- | pealed on the ground of public inter- | est ’ I Mr. J. W. Hannan for appellant, | said the appeal had been adjourned i for three months at the last ' sitting. I Appellant was the only man on the | farm, which was of 180 acres. It was g put up fpr sale, but no sale had re- | suited, and it was practically impos- | sible to get farm labour in the dis- | trict. i a

In evidence, appellant said he secured the farm with stock and implements, for £4OO. He was the only man on the farm. To Mr. McKane: When he put the farm.up for sale, he valued it at £2O an acre. To Mr. Reid: The valuation of the place was £BOO when he took it over from his father, three years ago. The appeal was dismissed, subject to reservist not being called for service before November 1. F. W. Ross. F. L. Turley (for the Timber Workers’ Union) and the Landing Sawmilling Company (employers) on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest, appealed for Arthur William Ross, a bushman. Mr. J. K. Patterson represented F. W. Ross.

F. W. Ross put in a written statement, and a medical certificate regarding his own health. He added that the reservist had been a bushman for two years when the appeal was made and had since been docking at the mill. To Mr. Tracy: He had 20 cows milking, all by hand. His was a bush farm. To Mr. Hall: The reservist had been on the farm prior to taking the mill job two years ago. He was 21 years of age now. To Mr. Patterson: The reservist went to the mill after witness met with a serious accident, so that his earnings would replace those of witness, who could no longer work. Frederick Lovell Turley, secretary of the Timber Workers’ Union, said reservist was an experienced bushman, but was docking at present. The appeal was adjourned until the next sitting at Greymouth, to give the Company an opportunity to call evidence. Otherwise, said the chairman, the appeal would be dismissed. Kitchingham’s Cycles Ltd. (employers) appealed for Stanley Alfred Worthington, on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest. Mr. A. M. Jamieson for appellants said that the appeal had been heard at the last sitting, but since then a manager had been obtained, and further time was required to enable the manager to become accustomed to his duties. Appellant put in a written statement. In reply to Mr. Tracy, Worthington said he would require at least two months’ postponement. The appeal was dismissed, subject to the reservist not being called up before October 1.

Misses S. C., and C. Morris (employers) appealed on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest for John James Morris, electrician. Awritten statement was put in. Mr. J. W. Hannan represented the appellants and said that it y/as desired that the reservist’s service oe ! postponed until the end of September. I The appeal was dismissed, Subject 1 to reservist not being called rip before October 1. The Director of National Service appealed on the ground of public interest for John Inglis Braidwood, coal miner, and an appeal on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest was also made by his business partners, W. B. Blom and E. F. Rollerson.. William Bruce Blom said the reservist was a partner in the business, and had been a partner since October last. He had known the reservist for four years, and he had been mining all that time. The mine had just reached the production stage, and was now producing about 24 tons of coal a week. This would increase, however, within the next fortnight to about 50 tons a week. The appeal was adjourned sine die, on the ground of public interest. Blackwater Mies Ltd. (employers) appealed for Albert Arthur Lines, battery hand, Douglas McPherson, trucker, Howard Stanley Benson, gold miner, Francis Lionel Thomas Panting, quartz miner, Keith Herbert' Kent, electrical, engineer, Patrick Corcoran, miner, and William Gidley, braceman. An appeal for Patrick Joseph Durkin, miner, was withdrawn.

Mr W. J. Humphries, manager of the- company, in evidence, said Lines had been employed by the company since 1932. Durkin had now left the company’s employ. McPherson had been employed since 1937. Benson had been with the company since January, 1940. Reeve joined the company in April, 1940. He thought that Reeve had had previous experience. He worked until the end of August, 1940, and then rejoined the staff in January, 1941. He did not know what Reeve was doing in the meantime. Kent was definitely a key-man and had been with the company for eight or nine years. Corcoran had been with the company since September, 1940, but was a miner of considerable experience before that, Gidley had enlisted for the Air Force, and had been with the company since 1937. Panting had been employed by the company since 1938. The chairman announced that the Board was satisfied that in each case the men had been engaged in mining for some years, and all the appeals would be adjourned sine die, on the ground of public interest.

Alexander Mines Ltd (employers) appealed on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest for Duncan Edwin McVicar, aerial line worker. Mr T. H. Lee, secretary of the company, put in a written statement.

To Mr Reid. Mr Lee said the reservist had not had previous experience in quartz mines before joining the company. He had been employed previously on the Worksop dredge, and went to the mine when the dredge closed down. To Mr McKane: The job could be done by an older man, but no other man was available. He had advertised at Waihi, and on the West Coast. The appeal was adjourned until the next sitting. The Chairman said the Board was not satisfied the reservist’s work was specialised It could be done by an older man and the company would be given the chance to get one.. The Waitahu Coal Syndicate (employers), represented by Mr T. H. Lee. appealed for Thomas James Williams, coal miner, on the grounds of undue hardship and public in- , merest. A written statement was put > in. Mr Lee said the reservist had been ■ a coal miner for G. McClatchie and Co., Ltd., but was now a lorry-driver for the Waitahu Syndicate. He was with his former employer for abon eight years. , 1 Decision was reserved. ! F. W. Archer (employer) and the' Director of National Service appealed on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest in the case of the former, and public interest in the case of the Director, for Peter John Coghlan, coal miner. Mr Archer said the reservist had been employed for about 20 months. He was on‘the coal and was an experienced miner. The appeal by Archer was stnick off for lack of jurisdiction, having been filed well out of time, but the

| Director’s appeal was adjourned sine die. William Joseph August, baker, appealed on the grounds of public interest and undue hardship. Mr J. V/. Hannan represented appellant, who put in a written statement. He said he purchased his business in 1936, paying £1270. He had considerably improved the premises since, and his stocks had increased. He was' married on June 29, 1940. To Mr 1 Tracy: He advertised the business for sale, but had only one reply from a boy of 20 who had no money. He also advertised for a ma’'., but had no reply. To Mr McKane: In addition to the town of Reefton, he served the outlying districts. He had been baking for 12 years. Qualified bakers eouia not be obtained., Michael Joseph Fogarty, secretary of the Master Bakers’ Association, put in a written statement in support of the appeal. The appeal was adjourned sine die. HOKITIKA SITTING. MANY APPEALS DISMISSED. The Armed Forces Appeal Board sat at Hokitika yesterday, when 23 appeals were heard. An appeal by W. H. Stopforth, managing director of a Hokitika drapery firm, for Bernard Jack Groufsky, a shareholder in the business, was dismissed, reservist not to be called up before October 1. William Arthur Buchanan (co-ap-pellant, Mrs. M. I. Buchanan) appealed on the grounds of public interest, undue hardship, and conscientious objection. The appeal was dismissed, and the co-appellant’s appeals were adjourned sine die, the reservist to render non-combatant service.

Ronald Charles Adamson, butcher, Hari Hari, appealed on the grounds of public interest and undue hardship, ’ adjourned from the previous sitting ■ in Hokitika. The appeal was dis- , missed, reservist not to be called up [ before October 1. W. D. Nolan, senr., was co-appel-lant in the appeals of Robert Patrick Nolan, Edward John Nolan, and William Denis Nolan, junr., on the grounds of public interest and undue hardship. The appeal of Robert Patrick Nolan was adjourned sine die on account of medical grading; the appeal of Edward John Nolan was adjourned, to be reviewed in January; and the appeal of William Denis Nolan was dismissed. The following appeals on the ground of public interest were adjourned sine die: Joseph Henry Wilson (sawmill bepchman)_. George Arnold Bergman (farmer), Leslie John Michel, Thomas David Bradley (farmer), Thomas Joseph Dunster (sawmill worker), Robert Monson Vincent. I The appeal of Thomas Nolan for his son, Thomas Edward Nolan, on the grounds of undue hardship and public interest, was heard, and decision was reserved. Decision was also reserved in the appeal, of Mrs. R. McMillan for her son Arthur James McMillan on the grounds of public interest and undue hardship. The appeal by Stuart and Chapman, Ltd., for Charles Elwyn Griffiths (blacksmith and welder) was adjourned sine die, on the ground of public interest. Mrs. M. E. Griffin appealed for her son Patrick Asquith Griffin on me grounds of public interest and undue hardship, the appeal being adjourned until the next sitting of the Board in Hokitika. The appeal of P. H. B. Olson for his I son, Percy Richard Leonard Olson on the grounds of public interest was ; dismissed. The appeal of W. Perry & Co. for an employee, Clement Edward Higgins, was dismissed. i The appeal of Wataroa Sawmilling; Co., Ltd., for John Heveldt, an employee, was withdrawn, as was the .appeal of Stuart and Chapman, Ltd., for Raymond Percy James. An appeal by G. C. Harris for Victor Adam Cron on the grounds of undue hardship was withdrawn, but Cron appealed on the grounds of status and conscientious objection. The appeal was dismissed. Kevin Magnan Mulrennan, farm hand, whose appeal on conscientious grounds against service in the Territorial Forces heard at a previous sitting, had been dismissed, appealed on the same grounds against overseas service. In reply to the chairman, he said that he was prepared to carry on as at present, helping the country by producing. He was not prepared to assist the military machine. The appeal was dismissed.