MILITARY SERVICE BOARDS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17284, 27 September 1916, Page 6

MILITARY SERVICE BOARDS.

Tue appointment of tho Military Service Boards will serve as a fresh reminder to eligible men that the, authority of tho State will be used, if and when necessary, to ensure full drafts of reinforcements. In selecting tho gentlemen who will havo to hoar applications for exemption tho Government has probably acted wisely in pas-s----ing over many well-qualified citizens who happen to hold positions to which they have been elected by popular vote. It is particularly desirable that the important work of these boards shall be carried out with perfect impartiality and independence, and this may Ire assisted by tho absence of any possible consideration about prospective vdtes. We do not propose to discuss tho personnel of the boards individually. It was, of course, impossible to secure representatives of the principal particular classes of tho community, it that had been desirable, since each board has but three members, one of whom is a magistrate. The interests of the primary producers are represented on each board, while two have members identified with Labour, ouo has a merchant, and on tho Canterbury board a gentleman has boen selected for his experience as a moving spirit in tho Citizens' Defence Corps. The Minister of Defence showed an intelligent appreciation of tho subject in arranging a conference of tho magistrates who will bo chairmen of the boards. This was dono in order to ensure as far as possiblo uniformity of policy throughout the Dominion. That is obviously proper and necessary. If voluntary enlistment is satisfactory tho work of these boards will, of conrse, be light, and we hope that may be their experience. Wo trust, however, that if the Military Service Act is usee} to obtain soldiers the authorities will keep the public reasonably informed regarding the decisions of the boards and the principles upon which those decisions aro based. Wc cannot help being a little apprehensive over the new policy of withholding from the public details of district quotas and figures showing tho numbers enlisted in tho respective areas, because it was distinctly understood that compulsion would bo applied, if at all, in those parts of the Dominion

where volunteers woro short of the quota. The public, wo should say, is not only entitled to have that undertaking fulfilled, but also has a, right to know that it is being carried out. The operations of the Military Service Board? will naturally arouse curiosity, which, being perfectly legitimate, ought to be as fully as possible recognised and satisfied.