THE DEFAULTERS' LIST.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 151033, 26 July 1919, Page 2

THE DEFAULTERS' LIST.

CARELESSNESS AND COINCIDENCES. In the original list of military defaulters, who arc being disfrancmsed for ten years, there were ii,373 names. Its publication was followed by a number ot protests against the wrongful inclusion of individuals, and all these cases are being investigated by a small committee set up by the Minister of Defence. The first month's investigation resulted in eighteen names being removed from the list, and three being added. Another amending list will shortly be issued showing alterations to about the same extent. The inquiries into complaints of wrongful inclusion m the defaulters' list show that there has been a remarkable degree of carelessness on the part of many relatives of nTen whose names were gczetted as having been called up in the ballot, under the Military. Service Act, when they had voluntarily enlisted either in our own or some other portion of His Majesty's Forces. Quite 75 per cent of the annoyance which has been caused would have been avoided had the relatives of men who were serving in the forces at the time they were gazetted by the Government Statistician as being called up for military service, indicated this fact to the authorities then instead of waiting until-the appearance of the Defaulters' Lists. Not only were . the names gazetted, and copies of the official publication displayed in post offices, but the newspaper* always published the local lists of ballot men, and each one was notified by registered letter to parade for medical examination. Cases have come before the investigating committee in which the official letter was sent to tho local post office (being the address gn-en by the individual when the National Register was compiled) and it was returned marked ''Gone, no address," or "Unclaimed," although the relative:? of the man concerned were and are still living in the district. The man bad gone awdy from home, and omitted to notify the Government Statistician of his change of address, while Ms relatives either did not see the name in the ballot list, or did not trouble about the consequences of failing to report. In one appeal against inclusion in the defaulters' list, the individual has again given as his address the one which failed to locate him when the ballot notices wero issued. Coincidences of the most remarkable kind account for other errors in the defaulters' list. There are cases of doubles in surname and initials, and even occupations. The only differ«3 £ , factor in one instance of a double" was that "Sydney" in one case appeared on closer investigation to be spelled with "i" instead of r'v " Unfortunately this was npt noticed' by the stan and the wrong man was posted as a defaulter. The, error has now been eorrecteta. No amount of official carefulness could have, got over the difficulties into which another individual landed as a result of going under an assumed hh^!i° r tW6n> yc.ars > but registering «+ +•I- ?orrectly with the Government t^iw 1 '1^; *? a PPeared in the defaulters list, and then appealed, using; known. 1 here is another case of ai young man who has done good service: in the forces but was posted as a de- : Faulter with the address of a well known I pSS attached- When the National! Register was compiled, .he was ai student. By the time the Military Ser- i vice Act was in operation he had gone upon a farm, and, designated as a far--: mer with full Christian name and a* country address, he appeared in the reSJWf 11* • Notifications under the Military Service Act addressed to* his college—for no change of address' was indicated to the Government Stab's- L tician as the law required—were not for- ! warded to him. Nor was any explanation given to the Government Statis-1 cician, though the College authorities ' now resent the appearance of their in-' stitution m the defaulters' list. A little' trouble on their part when the ballot list! appeared would have saved the student as well as themselves, the present-an-noyance. There are cases in which the parents of an enlisted man have accepted the notices connected with the ballot, without informing the authorities that their son was already serving The ballot lists were always checked with the reinforcement rolls, and thousands of eliminations were thus effected, but' there were many errors (arising mainly out of'different initials and Christian names given by men when registering and attesting).'which" could have been avoided had there been more , co-operation on the part of the men's relatives as soon as the ballot lists were gazetted: