IMPORTANT CHANGES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 66, Issue 5597, 26 March 1943, Page 3

IMPORTANT CHANGES

RELEASE OF MEN NEW SYSTEM EXPLAINED Important changes in procedure in connection with the release of men from the armed forces were explained in a statement by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, issued on Wednesday.

In future, Mr Fraser said, all releases would, in the first instance, be handled by district manpower officers instead of by armed forces appeal boards. This applied to releases initiated, following the recent survey of manpower with the Army, by the Nation Service Department and to individual applications on the ground of public interest or hardship made by employers for the release of a particular soldier, or by a soldier himself, or some relative or interested person. Applications for release by soldiers under 20 constituted an exception and were required to be made direct to unit commanders.

NEEDS OF IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES

In accordance with the decision to release from the Army selected men wh’o were required for important industries a complete survey of men in the Army had been made in order to determine the number available and suitable for employment in those industries. A preliminary selection was being made by the National Service Department from survey cards and particulars would then be sent to dis-? trict manpower officers who would investigate the circumstances and, if necessary, interview the proposed employer and soldier to determine the needs of the industry or business and the suitability of the soldier. They would also ascertain from the soldier’s unit commander, if this was not already known, whether the soldier could reasonably be released from military service. It was decided that a soldier should be released he would be given a direction order directing him to report, to a manpower officer or particular employer, the Prime Minister continued. Every man released to industry would be given a reasonable choice of employment and, of course, had the right of appeal to a manpower appeal committee. INDIVIDUAL APPLICATIONS Where a man’s release was sought by an employer or by the man himself, or some other person on his behalf, it would now be necessary for application to be made to the local manpower officer. If after investigation it was decided the release should be made the manpower officer would take the necessary action.

In the case of a man under 20, Mr Fraser said, it would be necessary for him to complete a special application form from the unit orderly room. His release would be made without the intervention of the manpower officer, but he would be required to report within seven days after his release, either personally or in writing, to the local manpower officer in order that control might be exercised to prevent the youth engaging in an unimportant or blind alley occupation. The War Cabinet had decided that a soldier’s army pay and dependants’ and other allowances would continue for 14 days after his release and he would be given a free travelling warrant to his home or place where he was required to report. MEN OF OVERSEAS CLASS The object was to ensure that consistent with the fulfilment of obligations to furnish the required reinforce•ments for overseas service and to maintain essential home defence establishments as many men as possible were released for employment in industry, said Mr Fraser. It followed that men eligible for overseas service and members of the Navy and Air Force would be released only in very exceptional circumstances and also that every effort would be made to release from industry for the armed forces the maximum number of men belonging to the overseas class. The armed forces appeal boards would continue to perform important functions in connection with release, Mr Fraser concluded. In the first place, they would be required to review the postponement of military service of all men in the overseas class so as to ensure that no man was held on postponement who could be spared from industry. The boards would also have to deal with those cases which would be referred to them by manpower officers in which the release of a man in the overseas.class from Navy or Air Force was sought by the man himself or some interested person.