PROCLAIMING THE RESERVE.

Grey River Argus, 21 August 1916, Page 3

PROCLAIMING THE RESERVE.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. DUNEDIN, August 18. The proclamation for the enrolment of the Expeditionary Force Reserve, as provided by the Military Service Act, will be gazetted in about a fort night's time. The. Minister of Defence, the Hon. J. Allen, who is on a short visit to Dunedin, stated in reply to a question this morning that preparations for beginning enrolment were practically completed. It is intended to enrol both divisions of the Reserve without delay. If it be necessary to put .the provisions of the Act into operation, tlie first division, consisting- of all Re servists who. on trie passing of the Act were unmarried men of married men whose marriage took place subsequently to-- May Ist iqij (except such I as have a child under 16 years of age, of mci whose marriage has been dissolved or who are judicially separated from their wives and who have no children under 16 years of age. will be called iip first. It is expected that en rolment .will be well advanced in the first fortnight of September. In the event of a shortage of recruits in any recruiting district, the district will have td be, prepared to accept compulsory enlistment. It is intended, however, tb put'into operation first the special provisions for the calling up of members of a family .which includes two or more brothers who belong to the first division of the Reserve and are 'not) permanently unfit for military service.^ It is likely that the first of the Miiltary Appeal Boards to be established under the Att will be a Board or Boards to deal with such family cases. ' One phase of the auestion as regards compulsory enlistment constitutes a difficult problem, for the adminstrative authorities. This is the extent to which the State should ~o in the matter of rendering unfit men fit for military service. In cases where operations are required, ij, is customary t*o wajt six months after the opera tion before calling the recruits up for training; .It is -sr'arc'elv likely that the Government would go further, than insisting bri\y on verv minor operations. This difficult question is now engaging the serious attention of the Government, and the Minister aHrnits frankly that the problem is hot goingto be easy of solution.. ' : As regards, recruits under the voluntary system' of recruiting. w£re r^-i*»r*-e'd as unfit, it \* very nrobnMr that further ex-im 'nation will ho necessary; Exception will likely be made in cases wli*>re' rrsfirvists. a<= volunteers, were declared to be hopelessly unfit for military service,