RACEGOERS QUESTIONED

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9965, 8 May 1918, Page 5

RACEGOERS QUESTIONED

AT AWAPUNI MEETING not One shirker discovered “It will be remembered,” stated the Hon. T. M. Wilford (Minister for Justice) to a “Times” representative yesterday, “that steps wore taken by the police in connection with the two-days’ race meeting at Awapuni (Palmerston North), on April 17 th and 18th last, to round up those man who were apparently of military ago to ascertain whether they had duly enrolled as reservists, and whether they had their registration cards or leave passes, as the case may be. In the reports furnished to me it is shown that on the first day of the race meeting 590 men were questioned by the police and su. on the second day of the meeting. Of the men interrogated, some 5 per cent, were found to be without their registration cards or leave passes. I instructed the police at Palmerston North to follow the matter up, and carefully investigate the cases of those men who were unable to produce evidence of their enrolment, and to ascertain whether the statements made by them could be verified: and to-da-v I received the final report of the police, in which it is stated that the names of the men taken at Awapuni had been checked; with their statements, and that all were found to be duly enrolled reservists, and resided at the" addresses given by them to fhe police. “It « interesting to note that of the 1090 men interrogated during the twodays’ race' meeting the police authorities a>d not succeed iu finding one man ■who could be designated a shirker.”