RAISING AGE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20629, 3 December 1941, Page 6

RAISING AGE

ARMY SERVICE PLANS IN BRITAIN RESERVE OCCUPATIONS TEST OF IMPORTANCE (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Fress Assn.) (British OfTicial Wireless.) Reed. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY, Dec. 2. “The situation now demands that men should no longer be reserved by virtue of their occupation, but the sole test should be the importance to the war effort of the work on which they arc engaged,” said the Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill, during the course of his speech in the House of Commons to-day on Britain's woman-power and manpower. “We proposed to raise the age of reservation by one-year steps in month intervals commencing on January 1, 1942. That is to say. every month the reserved age will rise by one year, thus bringing a new quota into the area of this more specially individual and detailed examination. “Individual deferment will be granted only to men engaged on work of national importance. Service such as the merchant navy and civil defence will be excluded. “Special arrangements will also be made for men in industries in which particular problems arise. “To cope with all those new complications the existing and permanent machinery of the Ministry of Labour will be developed further by decentralising into 45 districts and the setting up of 45 district boards. Second Great Change The second great change affecting men is raising the age of compulsory military service from 41 to 51 years. Men called up over the age of 41 years will not be posted for the more; active duties with the forces. They will be used for static or sedentary duties, which will liberate younger men. “It is not intended to call up men not physically fit, but there are many tasks in the modern armed forces which can be discharged by men who will not be called upon to march with the troops. “In raising the age of legal obligation from 41 to 51, we are bringing under review nearly 2,750,000 men, the vast majority of whom are already in useful employment, but who will now, where necessary, be directed to jobs more closely concerned with the war effort. We may later have to advance another decade.” Mr. Churchill then described the third great change—the lowering of the military service age to ’IBJ years, thus bringing in an additional 70,000 recruits to the armed forces during thecalendar- year 1942. “Assurances were given to Parliament that none brought into the army under the National Service Act will be sent abroad younger than 20," he said. “These did not apply and had not in practice been applied either to the navy or the air force, or to many volunteers who joined the army, and there was no reason why they should apply to the army above the age of 19 years.

“It is not thought that any large nse will be made of these powers in the near future, but none the less, we ask the House to relieve us of this restrictive pledge.”