THE MILITARY SERVICE ACT

Otago Witness, Issue 3429, 2 December 1919, Page 44

THE MILITARY SERVICE ACT

A STATEMENT BY MR HOWARD ELLIOTT REFUTED.

Among the questions put to Sir jJmes Allen at his meeting at Middlemarch lastnight was the following, which was written: "Is it true that Archbishop O'Shea threatened you that, if legislation was passed including Roman Catholic priests and the Marist Brothers in the Military Service Act, all Roman Catholio civil servants would be called out on strike?" Sir James Allen replied that he had wished, during the present election and at all times, to avoid reference to any sectarian questions or sectarian strife. " The statement referred to, however, which had recently appeared in, a report in the Otago Daily Times, "was so grossly wrong that he had deemed, it his duty, knowing how untrue it was, to telegraph to his Grace the Archbishop informing him of what had b?en said, and asking him for his comment. He had since received the following reply: "Howard Elliott's reported statement at Dunedin last night absolutely without foundation ; I never made any such threat or suggestion.—(Signed) Archbishop O'Shea.." "I- also deny," added Sir Janues Allen, " that any such threat was uttered or that any such threat was brought to bear upon me. Neither in the legislation nor in the administration of it was any person or sect given preferential treatment. _ Provision was made in the Military Service Act for Military Service Boards *to consfder as a ground for appeal the religious scruples or tenets of those sects whose religion prohibited them from bearing arms. In such cases where exemption was not allowed, the Defence Department made provision to utilfsD the service of the reservists in the Ambulance Corps instead of making them bear arms. This applied to all alike, irrespective of sect or religion."