DEFAULTERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17587, 18 September 1917, Page 4

DEFAULTERS.

The Defence Minister made the extraordinary announcement in the House of Representatives last evening that over three thousand members of tho First Division of the National Reserve, who had been drawn in the ballots, had not yet been located. An indication that a considerable number of men had failed to respond to the call to the colours was given some little time ago, but tho public did not realise that there wero quite so many shirkers. Wo ought to be able to assume that the authorities have taken nil the necessary steps to find the defaulters, but tho rounding-up process has not been very vigorously carried out, and it is surely time that drastic steps were taken. A man who fails to respond to tho call of his country is entitled to no consideration from the State. Ho is liable to bo treated as a deserter, of course, and ho would have no legitimate grievances if ho wero deprived of his civil rights and debarred from liolding property. In a sense he is worse than an alien, because the alien is under no obligation to render military

service. Sir James Allen suggested that ho might furnish a list to each member of Parliament and seek his assistance in discovering the defaulters, but it would bo more to the purpose to advertise the names throughout tho Dominion, and if other methods fail the onus could be laid on employers of ascertaining the precise status undor the Military Service Act of every man in their employ. Obviously a special effort must bo made to bring the offenders to book, Sorno of those listed as deserters may havo joined the colours as voluntary recruits—errors in this direction havo been rather frequent—but it is impossible that so large a contingent can havo disappeared utterly, and the announcement made by the Defence Minister was really a sad confession of failure on the part of the authorities. Thero ought to bo no further trifling with the question, and the sooner the Government adopts stern measures the better the public will be pleased.