THE APPEALS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 873, 27 November 1916, Page 8

THE APPEALS.

SITTINGS OF THE BOARDS. SOME KNOTTY PROBLEMS. fSpecial to The Son.] WELLINGTON, November 25. The hearing of the appeals under the Military Service Act obviously is going to be a lengthy business, but the members of the boards expect to improve their pace as the work proceeds and precedents are established. The cases will tend to fall into definite classes. The conditions naturally will vary with individual reservists and some knotty points are sure to arise. But it will not often be necessary for a board to spend several hours hearing one case, as has happened already. If that were so the Defence Department would require to create a board for every recruiting district in order to get the work done within a reasonable period. Instances of hardship are being qiwtfed already and there appears to be a tendency in some quarters to blame the v Defence Department for what is occurring. The department, as a matter of fact, has had nothing to do either with the compilation of the roll or the taking of the ballot. The First Division, from which the draft of conscripts is being drawn, consists nominally of all the unmarried men, widowers without young children, and men married since May 1, 1915, of military age. The roll does not distinguish between different classes of unmarried men, and a reservist who is supporting a widowed mother and several brothers and sisters may be called up at the same time as a young fellow who has not a dependent or a care in the world. But the first man has the right of appeal on the score of "undue hardship" and the authorities have been careful to make the process of appeal simple and easy. If any reservist considers that he is suffering an injustice in being summoned for service at the present juncture, he can take his case to the Military Service Board. Several Roman Catholic priests are included in the reservists summoned for service. There seems a posr sibility of injustice here. The Catholic priests do not marry and so all of them under 4f> years of age are included in the First Division. Clergy of other denominations usually marry and so will not be in the First Division. Under these conditions the Catholic Church probably will be forced to appeal for exemptions, though its bishops, lest its clergy should be unduly depleted. Various other problems, some of them of a more difficult character, will present themselves for the consideration of the Military Service Boards. Two employers may be working side by side in the same industry. One of them will take the patriotic view and do his best to release every employee' who may be selected for service. The other will appeal for the exemption of his hands on the plea that his industry cannot spare the men. The boards will have to be careful that one employer does not secure an advantage over his competitior in this fashion. Many points of this nature have already received consideration at the hands of the authorities.