YESTERDAY'S RECRUITS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16377, 3 November 1916, Page 8

YESTERDAY'S RECRUITS

ONLY EIGHT VOLUNTEER.

THKEE PASS THE DOCTOR.

Eight men enrolled at the city recruiting station yesterday, and of that number three were accepted, two were deferred, and three were rejected as unfit for active service. Three recruits who were deferred for various reasons at the first examination were accepted yesterday. The names, occupations and addresses of those accepted, and the areas in which they reside, are — no. 1, CITY, onotrp. P. Harrison, surveyor's cadet, Devonport. R. I. Meachen, motor-mechanic, Federal Street. A. Oliver, farmer, Grey Lynn. Deferred, now fit :— W. B- Doran. carpenter, Victoria Street. J. J. Herrick, clerk, Northcote. E. Joynt, cabinetmaker, Ponsonby.

CITY COUNCIL EMPLOYEES.

CASE OF SINGLE MEN.

NO HALF-PAY TO CONSCRIPTS.

Whether the City Council ought to bring any special pressure to bear upon single men in its employ to enlist was a point discussed at last night's meeting of the municipal body. The matter came up in the form of a report from the Works Committee detailing the number of single and married men employed in the city engineer's department. The position wax. shown to be as follows: Single men with no dependants, 20; old single men, over 55, 5; single men with mother, 10; single men with sisters, 5; married men without family, 61; married men with 1 child, 103; married men with 2 children, 93; married men with 3 children, 70; married men with 4 children, 41; married men with 5 j children, 32; married men with 6 children, 1 16; married men with 7 children, 10; married men. with 8 children, 4; married men with 9 children, 1; married men with 10 children, 1; married men with 11 children, 1; married men with 12 children, 1 married men with 13 children, 1. In view of the fact that some of these men are in the first division of the national register and as the committee was of opinion that the compulsory clause of the Military Service Act in respect of the first division should be enforced, it had no recommendation to make, excepting that, generally, no married men be retrenched while single men remain in the council's' service, with the exception of those discharged from the New Zealand forces. Persuasive Letter Suggested. Mr. G. Baildon opposed the recommendation. As a recruiting committee the council should not be employing young eligible men. He knew of one such who had been taken into the council's employ within the past few months who was of the military age for the first class. That map had not offered his services. Mr. Baildon moved as an amendment: " That the single men of military age in the council's employ be written to and asked whether they had offered their services to the military authorities, and, if not, to show cause why." In reply to Mr. A. Hall Skelton, the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, said some of the single employees of the council were unfit, Mr. P. J. Nerheny opposed the motion. He did not think the council should single these men out. They were prepared to go when they were called upon to go. Mr. W. J. Holdsworth said that the step should have been taken a year ago if at all. The Mayor said that that consideration had actuated the committee. Mr. A. Hall Skelton said that the Government was making great efforts to get recruits. They had 12 men going round the city now obtaining promises from men in a nice way to enlist. He approved of a letter —not of a coercive nature —being sent to the council's single employees pointing out what the position was, and askirg if they could see their way to - assisting to make up the deficit in the reinforcements. The Amendment Lost. Mr. P. M. Mackay also supported the amendment. It was not too late yet to try persuasion, and he favoured the suggested letter being sent to the council a eligible employees. Mr. H. N. Bagnall opposed the amendment, and said there were men who had enlisted and had refused to go to the front when their time came. He knew a family where not one of five sons ha*', gone. He favoured the law being put into force against the shirker. Mr. H. D. Heather said this was not the time to step in. The fact that the Government's recruiting officers were in the city made it unnecessary for the council to act. The amendment was lost. Council's Attitude Indicated. At a subsequent stage, on the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the council decided that on and after November 11 the resolution granting half-pay to enlisted men shall become void, without prejudice to the past.' In reply to a question, the Mayor said that the adoption of the clause would mean that no employee who was a conscript would receive half-pay. As to how this would affect married men he said they were in the second division, and their position need not be reviewed yet. Before them there were 80,000 men of the first division to be called up. The committee had framed its recommendation with the express view of stimulating the position. It would serve as a clear intimation to employees as to the council's attitude.