FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14442, 31 October 1917, Page 7

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

I A FINAL APPEAL (From Our farliamentary Reporter.) . WELLINGTON, this day. - The abandonment of the Expeditionary Forces Act Amendment Bill deprives the Gpvea-nment of a number of useful provisions for the smoother working of compulsory military service. - It • was pi*oposed, m viewr of the large extension of the Financial Assistance Board's operation, as the result of the calling up of the second divison, to ihcreaee the Size of the Board. Persons convicted of desertion from the E-cneditionary* Force, or for disobedience oi *militai*y orders, were to/be deprived of, civil rights, and the Military Service Boards would, had the BUI passed, been .empowered to exempt fix>m service aiiy anan .three or niore of whose brothers hay© enlisted and who has no other brother of military age. Tli© effect of * the* Council's rejection of clause 3 is to place the exemption, of : cLergy and teachers an the hands of the Mmtary :Service Boards as m t'he past.- The Boards have been accepting the certificate of the Minister of Defence m connection with recommendations for Jfche. exemption of clergy. They may continue to db this. Tsio Governr ment no*iv proposes; to, take advantage of section 31 of tho Military^Service Act, 1916, under which a Final Appeal Board wii be constituted, "which may ' hear appeals from decisions of the M-l^tary Service Boards m such classes, the cases being subject to such limitations, as shall be prescribed by the regulation. ; This {tuthofity may also have' referred to it by the Minister of Defence or any Military Servic^ Board any questions of interpretatdoiij administration) or .procedure whadi tmay arise. ; Any siidh ■question may be so refeCTed ? whether; it is of general or particular application. Fi very determination of the Final Appeal Board shall be binding' upon, the Military Service ' Boards. "'■} "*•