SERVICE APPEAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24817, 17 January 1942, Page 8

SERVICE APPEAL

STATEMENT AT HEARING REFUTED BY MINISTER RESERVIST NOT PRIVATE SECRETARY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 10. It was stated during the hearing of an appeal against territorial service at Palmerston North that the reservist concerned was the private secretary of the Minister of Man-power. The appeal was made by Mrs J. M. Quirke. wife of the reservist, and it was based on the grounds c fl status and undue hardship. To-day Mr Semple issued the following statement;— “I have only seen this young man once or twice, and that was when he came into my office to take notes in Mr Mitchell’s absence when deputations were interviewing me, on railway questions. I did not know whether he was married or single, and had not the faintest idea that his wife or anyone else was appealing on his behalf. As far as the wife of this young man is concerned, I have never seen her in my life. I have never had any discussion with her husband on any subject at all, let alone on military matters. ‘‘The last thing I would think of doing would be to interfere in. any way with the functions of a man-power committee or a court of appeal. The moment-1 did that, the principles underlying these institutions would be destroyed, and I would leave myself open for real and severe criticism, particularly if I sought to protect anyone who was working in my department. These matters are left entirely to the jurisdiction of the Man-power Committees in the case of territorials required for the defence of New Zealand, and to the Armed Forces Appeal Boards in the case of men required for overseas. The members of these tribunals will testify that I have never used any influence on them in any shape or form, and I never shall. To create the impression that I did so is unfair, unkind, wicked, and deliberately false.” Mr Semple said that his two sons were voluntarily fighting overseas, and that it was unlikely that he would appeal to protect anyone else. He had himself volunteered for service on two occasions to fight, and would a thousand times rather be fighting with his sons than in a position where he was receiving insults of every kind, including anonymous letters of the most scurrilous nature.

“ I don’t mind fair criticism, but this is hitting below the belt, and I resent it with all the force at my command,” the Minister concluded.