A MILITARY DEFAULTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4580, 8 June 1917, Page 5

A MILITARY DEFAULTER.

FAILURE TO BE MEDICALLY EXAMINED.

11 MONTHS’ IMPRISONMENT’,

Press Association Telegram,

O-HKiISTIJ-H UKWH-. June i. Owen McKee, who was sentenced to-day by a court-martial to eleven months’ imprisonment for failing to attend medical examination, declined to give or call evidence, but handed in a.long statement for publication, which the President said he was not at all sure would be privileged . When asked if he had anything .to say in mitigation of punishment, he proceeded to make a statement criticising Ministers of the Crown, which the President declined to listen to. HOW MANY DEFAULTERS? By Telegraph—Special Correspondent. WELLINGTON, June 7. Some time ago there, was a demand in Wellington and other centres that the Defence Department should really take some effective stops to deal with the men who were defying the Militarv Service Act. It was alleged, at that time, that the number of defaulters was large and information on this point was sought by the Minister for Defence. Certain information was supplied to him and this seemed to show that the number of defaulters was, in fact, so small as to be almost negligible. The Minister dul not accept the figures at once and publication of them was withheld pending further inquiry. That inquiry, lias been going oil more or le f? n in Tj ' mittently ever since and still the Minister has not got figures which be is prepared to make public. A ieorganisation has been going on m the branch of the Defence department which deals with the diafti » of men from civilian life mto the armv whether as volunteers of conscripts. This process of re-organisa-tion* is now nearly complete, but it is improbable that the information will he available for two weeks yet. D is reported, however, that the number of men not traced, exclusive of those whoTave I»en included, in the ballot in error, will he about 1000. _