THE DEFENCE ACT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 10 April 1912, Page 5

THE DEFENCE ACT

FURTHER STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE. 'United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Replying to representatives on a deputation which urged the enforcement of the compulsory principle of the Defence Act, the Hon. A. M. Myers said that so long as he was Defence Minister it was clearly his duty to see the law carried out. " Only a very small minority of the people of the Dominion were opposed to military training. In regard to imprisonment, it was not the intention of the Legislature that failure to comply with the Act should involve imprisonment; but failure to pay the fine brought about that result.* The majority of those imprisoned had served their sentences; but in regard to a few whose sentences varied from four to fourteen days, the Cabinet remitted a portion of the sentences. Every man who refused to pay the fine was going to be imprisoned ; but he pointed out that in the cases under review each man had served a portion of his sentence, and the law to that extent had been vindicated. An amendment of the Act was contemplated to provide some other penalty than imprisonment. The Government would endeavour to make the scheme an unqualified success.