MILITARY SERVICE BILL

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17251, 19 August 1916, Page 8

MILITARY SERVICE BILL

ENROLMENT OF RESERVE. TO COMMENCE SEPTEMBER 1. IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER. ■ —\ The following statement has been communicated to .the newspapers by.the Prime Minister (the Hon W. F. Massey), .chairman of the Recruiting Board : ' The Military-Service Act provides for both civil and military processes, and in tho circumstances the Cabinet lias deemed it desirable that there should be a uniform controlling authority. The administration of tho Act, therefore, so far as concerns all matters in respect to which the statute does not givo a specific. direction, has been placed under tho control of the Recruiting Board. 1 have-now to- announce that iff h*4 been decided to proclaim the enrolment of the first division of the Expeditionary Reserve on Friday, September 1, 1916, and of the second division on tlie day following, namely, Saturday, September 2, 1916. ■ T.ii -the case of each division a period of fourteen days thereafter is allowed by the Act to all men of military age (not less than twenty and under forty-five years of age) who have .not registered, under the National Registration Act to enrol under the Military Service Act, or to men who have changed, their placo of abode since registration to notify their new address. It has been found necessary to' proclaim' the enrolment of both divisions of the reserve simultaneously in order to protect the men ip the second division.

POWERS OF CONSTABLES. The Act empowers any constable, after the enrolment of the’first-division lias been proclaimed, to question ' any man who may reasonably be supposed to-bp, of military age, and to detain him if he is not satisfied with.his answers. The Act also forbids any employer to employ a reservist who is not enrolled. For the protection of reservists, certificates of enrolment will be issued on ap> plication to every man who is enrolled, and the production of this certificate will be a sufficient answer to any constable, and a sufficient proof to any employer, of enrolment, but this certificate cannot bo issued ,to a man who belongs to the second division until the enrolment of that division is proclaimed. Hence the necessity to proclaim both divisions, so that every man of military age may receive this evidence of his enrolment. •./- OBLIGATIONS OF ELIGTBLES. It should ibe distinctly understood that, while the compulsory provisions of tho Act will not be applied to the second division oT the reserve until the first division is exhausted, that fact does not relieve any man of military age in either division of his obligation with respect to enrolment or notifying any change of address. CONSTITUTION OF DIVISIONS. The first division consists of reservists - who are unmarried men, or married ■ men whose marriage took place since May, 1915, unless they have a child under sixteen years of age by a previous marriage, or widowers with no children under sixteen, or men who,are divorced or judicially separated from their wives, and who have no children under sixteen years of age. The second division consists of all other reservists. THE WIDEST PUBLICITY. During this enrolment period the widest publicity will be given to the obligations imposed by the Act on reservists and employers by means of advertisements in all newspapers and by posters, placards and lantern slides conspicuously displayed from end to end of the Dominion. The display.of these posters, placards and slides will be made compulsory as a wax necessity by regulations to be issued under the War' Regulations Act. ■ ' DUTIES AND PENALTIES. The board also intends to issue a statement clearly petting forth the provisions of the Act with respect to the duties of reservists and of employers and the penalties they will incur if they neglect or refuse to discharge these duties. Every man of military age should make it his particular business to carefully read this statement, as well as the advertisements on postters and placards, which will appear on Friday, September 1 next, and subsequently during the enrolment period. The Act has two main functions — (a) The enrolment of the reserve. < (b) The calling up of the reserve. It is proposed to enrol the; reserve within the period etated, but there will fie no oalling up under the Act so long as voluntary recruiting produces the number of men required for each reinforcement draft. %