THE MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 6389, 30 August 1916, Page 3

THE MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

ENROLMENT OP THE RESERVE. The following message in connection with the enrolmenr of the Expeditionary Force Hcscrvo was received last night from the Hon. W. F. Massey, Chairman of the Recruiting Board As already announced the enrolment of the first and second divisions of the Expeditionary Force Reserve will be proclaimed on Friday, Ist September and Saturday, 2nd September respectively. A period of 14 days thereafter, namely until Saturday, the IGth September, is allowed by the Act to all men of military age who have lot registered under the National Registration Act to become enrolled.

Military age means not -ess than £0 years and under 46 years. This applies equally to men who have failed to register and to those who had no opportunity to do so through not being resident in the Dominion when the National Register was taken. The Act also directs every man who hereafter becomes a member of the Reserve, either by atta'ning the age of 20 years or by becoming a resident in New Zealand or in any other manner to make application for enrolment within fourteen days of becoming a member of the Reserve. All applications for enrolment must be sent through the post by registered letter to the Government Statistician who will thereupon make the necessary additions to the district rcgistor-i effected. Addressed and stamped envelopes will be obtainable at every Post Office for this purpose. On and after the -Ist September, a vigorous publicity campaign, by means !of advertisements, posters, placards, and lantorn slides, will be conducted during the enrolment period in order to bring home to the men concerned as well as to all employers of labour the obligations pressed on them by law. It has already been made abundantly clear that the Roll is the only instrument by which the compulsory provisions of the Act can be enforced, therefore every man of military ago must be on the Roll if that compulsion is to operate with justice and fairness t.) t.ll and particularly to those who have loyally done their duty by registering. It should nover be forgotton that the absence of overy man who should be in the j Reserve increases the chances of the ! enrolled men being called up for service whenever a ballot is taken. The legislature has made very complete | provision in the Act to ensure a comi plete Roll and thoso stringent measures, quito apart from the additional check resulting from the work of local recruiting committees, justify the prediction that no man will be able to escape his obligations to the State in the present great crisis. It can be stated, with equal certainty, that it will not pay any man to attompt to evade enrolment o; to ncglcet to notify any change of abode for the purpose of escaping service. Failure or refusal to comply .with the express direction of the Act entails serious consequences to the individual or individuals concerned and this important difference between the National Registration Act and the Military Service Act should be carefully considcted by anyone who has failed to register and imagines that because he has so far not been proceeded against he is and will be immune from prosecution under the Military Service Act. Whereas the National Registration Act threw the onus on the Government Statistician of proving that a mas did not register the Military Service Act fjeefleally tjginre on t]p individual tfeej

onus of proving that ho did register, or in cases where tho proceedings are taken againßt an employer for continuing to employ a man who is nht enrolled the onus is on tho employer of proving that ho or she had reasonable grounds for bolieving that his or ner employe was enrolled.

The Reserve consists of every male British subject of military age resident in New Zealand excepting members of the Expeditionary Force and soldiers who have been discharged from such force in consequonce of disablement or ill-health after serving beyond the seas in that force. For instance, members of the flrst Samoan Force or of the Main Expeditionary Force who have been discharged at their own request and members of Expeditionary Force discharged either in the Dominion or abroad because of their refusal to be innoeulnted or vaccinated must enrol in the Reserve. Every man who is required to enrol should therefore think well before he fails or refuses to comply with the precise and clear directions of the Act because, in addition to I the substantial penalties to which he thereby renders himself liable, he can on conviction for this offence bo called up forthwith for service in the Expeditionary Force without having any chance of the ballot. He will simply find himself enrolled as a member of the force without further option. The Government Statistician is prepuing a certificate of enrolment under the Military Service Act in order to provide every man of military age with a ready proof that he is in the service. This certificate will be issued only on application by each Reservist, Applications, addressed to the Government tStatistician will be obtainable at every Post Office in the Dominion and I lie certificates will be forwarded as soon as practicable thereafter to the postmaster for personal delivery to the Reservist, This certificate should be careful!)' preserved and should always be in the peisonal keeping of tho individual whose name it bears. For this important reason the Act empowers a conslrble to stop and question any man wlio may reasonably be supposed to he of military age as to any matter relevant to membership of the Reserve and the production of his certificate of enrolment will be a sufficient answer by ouTy man so questioned. Reference has already been made to the responsibility of the employers of labour with respect to enrolment. One «t' the most important provisions in the Act in this connection is the section which prevents any man of military age lecciving or continuing in employment in the Dominion unless he is able to juiive that he is enrolled in the Reserve. Here, again, the production of his certificate will be sufficient proof of enrolment. This section makes every employer of labour of any kind whatsoever who, after the enrolment of the Reserve has been proclaimed, engages in liio or her service or continues in His or he: employment for more than seven days a man who should be, but is not enrolled therein guilty of an offence punishable by summary conviction by a fine of not less than £l'o nor more than £IOO. The widest publicity will he giver t'. the grave responsibility of all employers and to the onus which is cast upon them of satisfying themselves by the production of the certificate of eniolment that every man they engage or employ is properly enrolled in the Reserve.

As the preparation of between 200,000 ['.lid 300,000 certificates is involved it will be some liitU' time before they can 11 be forward-'!] to Reservists, but due notice will be given through the l'ress to all employers s-o soon as these certificates are ready for issue and thereafter any employer who engages or employs a Reservist without satisfying himself that such Reservist. is enrolled will do so at the risk of the heavy penalties provided ia the Act. Severe penalties (including i term of in.yrisonmi'nt not exceeding three mouths) will -ilso be imposed on any person who employs or retains in his or her service a man who has deserted r.r is absent without leave from the Expeditionary Force. Here again the onus is 011 the employer to prove that he ir she did not know that the man so employed or retained in service w.is a deseiter or absent without leave, but, in addition to the foregoing provisions dealing with enrolment, the Act has det'nito instructions with respect to changes of address after enrolment. Xew Zealand is noted for the migratory character of its people and, needless to say, therefore, the number of men who arc affected by this Eection of the Act constitute quite an army in themselves. It is the duty of every man who has changed his abode since furnishing his persona'. schedule under the National Registration Act or who changes his abode after enrolment in the Reserve, to himself notify the Government Statistician of such'change of address by Registered letter. A registered letter form, fully addressed and stamped, will be available on and after Ist Sepinetber at every Post Office in the Dominion for this purpose. This notification must be sent before .Saturday, the Kith September, in the first case or within fourteen days of changing his abode in the second instance. Liability to a fine not exceeding £2O for failure to do so is the direct penalty imposed by the Act, but neglect of this duty may and in many cases will entail much more serious consequences.

As has already been stated, the district registers will be finally closed fourteen days after the Gazetting of the enrolment (if the Reserve, namely on Saturday, the IGth September. Every man will remain on the district register in which his name appears at that date, no matter how often or to what other district he may remove. If, tor instance, a man is registered for the North Auckland district and subsequently removes to the Bluff without notifying his change of address, as directed by the Statute, the lot may fall on him in any ballot that is take'.t to make good a shortage occurring in rlie quota for the North Auckland district. His name will thereupon be Gazetted as one of the men in that particular district on whom the lot has fallen and a registered letter will be addressed to his last known place of abode advising him of the fact. If ho then fails to present himself fur service at the time and place notified the excuse that he had changed his place of r(>s ; denco and was not aware that the lot had fallen on him in the district in which he formerly lived will bo of no avail and he miy bo called upon to st: l d his trial on a charge of desertion Thich is an offence punishable on indictment before a court by imprisonnunt for a term notexceeding fivo years. As an alterjiitive, it may be dealt with as a military offence by court-martial. Finally the enrolment mesh is drawn still tighter by tli; provision which renders any peso i liable on summary conviction to a flue not exceoding £3O- who having in his or her possession any information relative to the circumstances of a man who is or may reasonably be supposed to be of military age or which may lie of use in onabliug any such man to be found, refuses to discloso such information on a request from the Government Statistician or a constable or a Defence Officer.

It ia in the intercuts of every man of military age, and particularly of the married men, to furnish the fullest particulars with respect to himself and his family because the Act specifically directs tho Government Statistician if in doubt as to whether a man is si Bcsorvist or is to cmol hiin in tho Koscrvc and if in doubt as to whether a man belongs to the First or Second Division of the B:;!>er\e to tfnrol him in tho First Division thereof.

' A further statement, will be prepared explaining exactly in what manner tho compulsory provisions of the Military Service Act will be brought into action whenever and wherever tho necessity arises, for it must always be rememborcd that tly; decision as to whether tho voluntary system is to continue or is to be superceded or eupplimented by compulsion is left entirely to the men of military age in the several recrgifcifl district! of t&e Domiaieii,