"TURNED DOWN."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11511, 6 October 1915, Page 6

"TURNED DOWN."

A RECRUIT'S GRIEVANCE.

A volunteor who presented himself for medical examination last night and was rejected on acco\mt of defective eyesight, called at the "Star" Office to-day to state that ho had a grievance against the methods adopted. He was first tried on the eyesight test, ho_ says, and after passing it, in his opinion, successfully, ho was passed on to the other doctors, and after undressing, awaited his turn. This process occupied nearly two hours, and at the end of that time, after ho had been thoroughly examined, he was told thai, he war* rejected on account of his eyesight. JrJis grievance is that he was not told at the beginning that his eyesight was defective, and ho considers that the subsequent proceedings were a wa.ste of time. This recruit is aged thirty-eight, and served through the Boer war, besides which lie is a.n old Navy man. lie demonstrated by reading print in the "Star" Grace that his eyesight was about normal, but apart from the question of whether it is or not, ho says that this fact was discovered "at the fall of the flag," and there was no need to keep him waiting. "T. am still young,'' lie said. : 'J can go to Lyttelton and hop off to Australia, or go in the .Marine (Service."