MEN ON FURLOUGH

Grey River Argus, 22 October 1943, Page 2

MEN ON FURLOUGH

FIRST APPEALS AT GREYMOUTH. The first appeals by furlough men against return to service in the Middie East were heard, by the Armed Forces Appeal Board at a sitting at Greymouth yesterday. Mr. W. Meldrum presided, with him Messrs R. J. McLean and W. Panther. Mr. C. F. Shapcott was secretary. Of ten cases set down for hearing six were heard in public and one in conunittee, two were held over to a later silting, and one was withdrawn.

At the beginning of the sitting yesterday morning the chairman said that the Board did not sit to decide whether or not a man should be sent back overseas. Its job was merely to obtain the full facts for submission to the military authorities, and the decision in each case would rest with tlie Army. The hearing was a public one, he said, and matters would be dealt with in committee only where they were of a private family nature. It would be left to the discretion of the press whether or not they would publish all the facts that came out. The Board knew that this discretion would be carried out by the press here. No instruction would oe issued that the names of appellants should not be published, but in view of the fact that the matter would not end that day but would go on to the military authorities it was suggested that the names should not be published.