MILITARY SERVICE

Otago Witness, Issue 3250, 28 June 1916, Page 9

MILITARY SERVICE

RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS MADE A FINAL APPEAL BOARD. »vi.i J iji J \uj.o\\, june 23. The Military btrvieu isw was reported to the Legislative Council u-o-d.iy by mo xxoii. iVir toiuntiei ironi cue ouuutos lvevision uonimntee. beverai important alterations were made in the .Dili, wiiicii will be considered uy tne Council m committee on A uesciay. Hie definition of uiose included in the Reserve is sbgiitly altered to make liable lor further service disehaiged trom the lorees except tiiose clisciuagcd lor disablement or in lieaitn. Provision is made lor the endorsement on the register oi the fact tliat a person nas volunteered and not been accepted for service. 'the exclusion of aliens and men of alien origin from the forces is provided for m tiie following- new clause: —"if the commandant determines upon evidence satisfactory to him that eitner of the parents of any Reservist is, or at any time was, by birth, or naturalisation, or otherwise, a subject of an enemy nation, or that such Reservist or either of his parents is. or was at any time, employed in the Service of an enemy nation, the commandant may, if he thinks lit, discharge him from the Reserve.

Every Reservist who, without reasonable cause 1 , tile proof whereof shall lie on him, fails to submit himself for medical examination when required, shall be liable on conviction to a line of £lO or three months' imprisonment. The applicability, of the First Offenders Probation Act to men guilty of desertion from the force is deleted trom the Bill.

Provision for religious objectors is made by the insertion of the following new ground for appeal for exemption from military service :—"That ho was, on August 4, 1914, and has since continuously been, a member of a religious body, the tenets and doctrines of which religious body declare the bearing of arms and the performance of any military service to be contrary to divine revelation, and also that, according to his own conscientious religious belief, the bearing of arms and the performance of any military service is unlawful by reason of being contrary to divine revelation. But a Military Service Board shall not allow any appeal on this ground unless the appellant shall signify his willingness to perform such non-military work or service in New Zealand as may be required of him at such rate of payment as may be prescribed."

The new claim inserted by the Lower House providing that an employer who was the father or mother of an employee should not be entitled to appeal for the exemption of that employee is struck out. A new provision is inserted providing that the Governor may, if he thinks fit, constitute and establish by regulations a Final Appeal Board, to consist of such number of persons as tiio Governor determines, to be appointed by him and to hold office during his pleasure. The Final Appeal Board may hear and determine appeals from military service boards, but only in such classes of cases as may from time to time be prescribed by the regulations. Where an appeal to the Final Appeal Board is permitted, the decision of the Military Service Board shall be suspended pending the decision of this board. The Minister of Defence or any Military (Service Board may refer any question of interpretation, administration, or procedure arising under the provisions of the Act relating to exemptions, discharges, or appeals. The decision of the Final Appeal Board upon any general matter shall be notified to the military service boards in general, which shall bo bound by that decision. The minimum penalties of one month s imprisonment or £lO for failure to apply for registration in the Reserve (is not enrolled)' are withdrawn, and the penalties are made "not exceeding three months" and "not exceeding £50." The work and pay to be required of men exempted from military service shall lie prescribed by regulation, and persons refusing to do such work shall be liable to 12 months' imprisonment or a fine of £IOO. An important alteration has been made to the clause giving a. constable power to arrest, without, warrant, any man who fails to -answer satisfactorily am- question nut t-, him bv such constable. The words "arrested without warrant" have been deleted, and the following inserted : "Detained by a constable and brought before a justice of the peace to be dealt with according to law."