RUSSIA AND FINLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11948, 24 April 1902, Page 5

RUSSIA AND FINLAND.

THREAT TO ABOLISH THE FINNISH CONSTITUTION. By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright. (Receive:! April 23. 10.46 p.m.) St. Petersburg, April 23. A MAJORITY of the Finnish recruits having failed to appear, an Imperial Russian rescript has been addressed to the Governor of Finland granting a delay and threatening the abolition of the Finnish Constitution in the event of further evasion of service.

Writing on March 3, the Helsingfors correspondent of the London Times says:—"Notwithstanding the pressure that has been brought to hear on the clergy in Finland to read out from their pulpits the new Military Service Edict there still remain a great many parishes in which it has not yet been made public, although it is more than six months since it was promulgated by the Senate. As I have mentioned before, the majority of the communes in Finland have refused to elect members to the Conscription Boards entrusted with the task of carrying out the levy of recruits this spring. As far as is known at present 243 communes have refused to elect members, whilst 71 have returned representatives. The fines with which the recalcitrant communes have been threatened by the provincial governors, in some cases amount to considerable sums, the highest being, for a rural commune which has refuged twice to elect, 14,000 marks (about £560), and for the urban commune of Tammerfors 33,000 marks (£1320). The entire medical board of Pinbind have tendered their resignation in order to escape the necessity of appointing medical officers to attend to the levy of recruits and thus contribute to the carrying into execution of the illegal military edict."