MILITARY SERVICE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1276, 15 March 1918, Page 9

MILITARY SERVICE.

APPEALS FROM BALLOT. FIRST BOARD’S SITTING. A sitting of the First Canterbury Military Service Board was held in Christchurch to-day. Mr J. S. Evans, S.M., presided, and with him wore; Messrs J. D. Million and E. C. Studholme. Captain A. G. Pilkington ap-j peared as military representative. On November 28 last, Private Anthony Duncan Tench, a voluntary recruit, was before the board through an application having been made for leave without pay for him. The board then recommended that he be allowed three, months’ leave, the matter to be further considered at the end of that time, and Tench to obtain work in an essential! occupation. Now Mr Hunt applied fori a further three months, and stated that! Tench was harvesting. The chairman! pointed out, however, that the case of a I voluntary recruit could only be dealt with by the board on the authorities seeking a recommendation from the [ board, and there was no such application j before the board at present. The board could not deal with it simply on Mr Hunt’s application. The adjourned appeal of W. Collins, on behalf of Leslie N. W. Collins, farm manager, Springston (Mr Acland), was again adjourned until further notice. John Havelock Syme, farmer, Kimberley (Mr M. J. Gresson), appealed on the ground that he was the last man on the farm. —The appeal was adjourned sine die, on condition that appellant did good work on his own place and as much outside work as possible. The] chairman said that the board was asking the Efficiency Board’s trustees in the] various districts to keep an eye on these] men whose cases had been adjourned sine die. Time until the May draft was granted to F. G. S. Chapman, labourer, Lincoln (Mr H. K. McDougall), to enable him to arrange his affairs. An application for time to arrange his affairs had been sought by Thomas Willie Price, jun., hotelkeeper, Hororata, but Mr Hoban, appearing for him, explained that Price’s draft had now been put back until May, ami he might not want further time. Counsel therefore asked that the appeal be adjourned to next sitting, to keep it alive. This was agreed to after a little discussion. An application for a rehearing of the dismissed appeal of John Lawson Baird, formerly a coal-miner, of Westport, but now of 132 St. Asaph Street, Christchurch, was dismissed, but leave until the May draft was recommended. The adjourned ease of Arthur Miln Kidd, dairyman, Mcßratney’s Road, Dallington, was before the board again. It was first heard a year ago. The appeal was now dismissed, but time until the June draft was allowed. On January 5 the appeal of Russell P. o’Shaughnessy, farmer, Halswell (Mr Cassidy) was dismissed, but three months’ leave was allowed the reservist. An application was now made for a rehearing. After a lengthy review of the position the application was adjourned until next sitting. John Sutherland, mine-owner, Glentunnel, appealed on the ground that he was over military age. He was, however, found to be inside the limit, but his appeal was adjourned sine die. An adjournment sine die was granted to Benjamin Hayes, farmer, Halkett, on condition that he will have to go if a brother who-is now in the Cl Camp does not become fit for the front. Harvesting work and domestic circumstances were the grounds of the appeal of Jeremiah Hogan, farm labourer, Doyleston (Mr Donnelly). The, appeal was dismissed, but time until the June draft was allowed. John Haigh Jebson, farmer, Sheffield, asked that his appeal bo dismissed so that he could go into camp. His recpiest was granted. Malcolm Johnson, farmer, Kirwee (Mr F. W. Johnston) said that, with a brother, he was farming 1440 acres of leasehold, and also 346 acres belonging to a brother at the front, and that his father was unable, because of ill-health, to give material assistance. He was allowed until the June draft. An adjournment until June, when his case will be further considered, was granted to Robert Bruce Pelvin, contract shearer and musterer, Annat, who pleaded that he was the sole support of a wife and three children.

An appeal on behalf of George Fowler, farm labourer, Aylesbury, had been lodged by Mr Johnson, but Fowler had left Johnson’s employment. Ills new employer, H. J. Feutz, now supported Fowler’s appeal. The appeal was adjourned until June, on certain conditions. An extension of time until the April draft goes into camp, to enable harvesting to be completed, had been sought | for Arthur Walter Me J arrow, farm ■ assistant, Leeston, by his employer, T. R. Rollo. When he came before the j board, however, Rollo asked for time until June. Time until the May draft was allowed. Previously, time until the February draft went into camp had been allowed j to Patrick Henry McGrath, farmer, i Kaiapoi (Mr Hoban), but a rehearing! was sought on the ground that the re-1 servist had failed in his efforts to dis-I pose of his farm or have it carried on , in his absence. It was decided to obtain a report from the National Efficiency Board, and to recommend leave [for the reservist in the meantime. I Time until the May draft, for thrcah!ing, was allowed to Hugh Douglas, farm j labourer, Hororata, employed by T. B. | Jones. j Robert Henson, mill proprietor, asked f/S time until August 1 for August Trivbtt Hamilton, farm labourer, Springston South, who also appealed personally. Hamilton had enlisted nearly two years ago, but had been rejected from camp | as medically unfit, after six weeks, and had married afterwards. Time until July 22 was allowed. Stanley Groves, farm hand, Sheffield, I who wanted time for threshing, was | allowed until the May draft. | The appeal of Charles Bracewell, rab- | bit poisoner, Ilanmer Springs, was alI lowed, he being under age. 1 The appeal of John Brownlee, butcher, Springfield, had been before the j board on several occasions. Originally it was adjourned sine die, but on October 26 last it was dismissed, leave until the January draft being allowed. On December 29 an application for a rehearing was before the board, but was adjourned from that date, and there had been two subsequent adjournments of it. It was now adjourned again until next sitting. The appeals of the following reservists were adjourned sine die, the men having been medically classified C 2:— Barret Browning, home missionary, Ross (appeal by Dr Erwin); James Gillick, mine manager, Coalgate; and Nathaniel Thompson, farmer, SouthI bridge.