MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 788, 19 August 1916, Page 4

MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

i ENROLMENT OF RESERVE. j THE PROVISIONS RE-STATED. i DUTIES AND PENALTIES. r,-„ s WELLINGTON, August 18. ] The following statement has been | issued by Mr Massey, chairman of Ihe-Reeniiting Board: The Military Service Act provides i for both civil and military processes, and in the circumstances. Cabinet has deemed it desirable that I there should be a uniform controlling authority. The administration of the Act, therefore, so far as concerns all matters in respect to which the statute does not give a specific I direction, has been placed under the I control of the Recruiting Board. 1 have now to announce that it has been decided to proclaim the enrolment of the first division of the Expeditionary Force Reserve on Friday, September 1, and of the second division on the day following, Saturday, September 2. In the case of each division, a period of 11 days thereafter is allowed by the Act to all men of military age (not les than 29 and under 40 years of age), who have not registered under the National Registration Act, to enrol under the Miliary Service Act, or to men who have changed their place of abode since •cgistration to notify their new address. it has been found necessary to ;i - oc!aim the enrolment of both div'•sions of the Reserve simultaneously, in order to protect the men in 'lie second division. The Act empowers any constable, '.lter the enrolment of the first div'sion lias been proclaimed, to question any man who may reasonably 'se supposed l<> be of military age, ■>nd to Mletain him if he is not satisfied with his answers. The Act also forbids any employer to employ a reservist who is not enrolled. During this enrolment period the widest publicity will be given to the obligations imposed by the Act on escrvists and employers by means >i' advertisements in all newspapers, mi bv posters, placards, and lanern slides conspicuously displayed '■' lira end to end of the Dominion, the display of these posters, plaards, and slides will be made comulsory as a war necessity by rcgu- ' itions to be issued under the War k'gulalions Act. The board also intends to issue a statement clearly setting forth the provisions of the Act. with respect, o the duties of reservists and of cnidoyers, and the penalties they will ! mcur if they neglect or refuse to discharge these duties. Every man of military age should n:\hc il his particular business to carefully read this statement, as well as the advertisements or posters and placards which .ill appear on Friday, September ! next, and subsequently during the enrolment period. The Act has two main functions:— fa) The enrolment of the reserve; (b) the calling up of the reserve. It is proposed to enrol the reserve within the period stated, but there will be no calling up under (he Act so i long as voluntary recruiting pro-! duces the number of men required ! for each reinforcement draft. For the protection of reservists, certificates of enrolment will be issued on application, to every man who is enrolled, and the production j of this certificate will he a sufficient answer to any constable and a suffi-1 eient proof to any employer of enrolment. But this certificate cannot j he issued to a man who belongs to ■he second division until the enrolment of that division is proclaimed. j Hence the necessity to proclaim both j livisions, so that every man of mili-; tary age may receive this evidence 1 of his enrolment. It should be distinctly understood | hat while the compulsory provisions of the Act will not be applied to the second division of the Reserve until | tiie first division is exhausted, that \ fact does not relieve any man of j military age in either division of his obligation with respect to enrolment or notifying any change of address. The first division consists of reservists who are unmarried men or married men whose marriage took place since May 1, 1915, unless they have a child under 1G years of age by a previous marriage, or widowers with ho children, under 16, or men who are divorced or judicially separated from their wives, and who have no children under 16 years of age. The second division "consists of all other reservists.