COMPULSORY SERVICE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXX, Issue 14579, 1 June 1916, Page 6

COMPULSORY SERVICE.

RECRUITING BOARD'S APPEAL,

Wo have received from the chairman of the Recruiting Board (the Hon. W. F. Massey) the following telegram in regard to the compulsory service proposals and the national recruiting scheme: —

Now that the Government proposals Avith regard to compulsory service have been announced, the Recruiting Board desires to impress upon local bodies and the public* of New Zealand that the necessary amount of energy is not being put into the national .recruiting scheme in some districts. The position to-day is that only a part of the task set the country three months ago has been accomplished. In February last, iv order to facilitate recruiting, and at the same time provide a sound basis for the readjustment of district quotas and the introduction of compulsion, should that become necessary, citizens were asked to undertake the personal canvass Avith a view to seeing that a report card aa.is sent iv Avith respect to every man of military age in each district*. This involved a big work, the sending in of over 200,000 cards uivided amongst. 312 local districts, but the Board regrets to have to announce that although more than suflieient time lias elapsed in which to complete the undertaking, the results so far as they concern the checking and completing of the rolls have been extremely disappointing. To date only 30,000 cards have been received at the Board's ollice, and no more than 5000 are in transit, making a. total ot 35,000 out of a total of over 200,000. It is a remarkable fact, too. that many of the local bodies which have been most insistent in urging compulsory measures have so far made no effort to do the prelimiuary work mat is essential to the equitable enforcement of the principles they advocate. One of the'main purposes of the National Register was to provide a _round. ork for the compilation of complete and accurate rolls. It could not be complete itself because (a) it ayus natural to expect that numbers of men Avould evade the Act by not filling in the registration forms or by giving false information, such as Avrong addresses, etc: (b) many men have arrived in and departed from New Zealand since the taking of the register, and (c) many men havo changed their places of residence, with the result that their addresses given in the National Register arc noAv incorrect. Tho National Resistor rolls for the purpose of ro.-.Hot-ting district quotas or of applying i'oinjiulsion are thus more or less incomplete. Cvery etl'oi-t has been made in the Military' Service Bill to ensure a complete register, but the Board feels that unless it has the assistance of the people Avith the local knowledge in each district many loopholes of escape as.ll still remain for the man Avho intends if -possible to .evade his responsibility. The only way to secure reasonably perfect rolls is in- th<> systematic personal canvass urged by the Board three months ago,' ami the Board submits that those who should carry it out are the citi-'.eus over the military age. Avorking iv conjunction with the local authority in each district. The reasons why the local authorities and 10-al residents are raiie.! upon to do this -work are mainly that (It the hands of the Government and the Defence .Department are full: [■_; local bodies and local residents, 1 .- cause of their local knowledge, are the only ones who know Avho should and wlili should noi- 1. on the roll. If they do their duty in seeing that every eligible man is enrolled no man can escape his obligations. Likewise, it lies wilhihn their power to keep the rolls up in date by promptly reporting every reaiova! from and arrival in their district, it must be recognised that no act of compulsion Aviil be fair or equitable unless every man of military age is on the roll. The reasons are obvious. The roll is the only instriniu nt under which men can be •■-.■._.. up. aud as eoin!.!]..j,lll ; ninsf apply to a.ll men of military age alike it is wholly unfair that suae 1 >iiouhi be compelled to go because they arc on the roll and others e-cape because they are not. The completion of the rolls is necessary not only to apply rompiil.-ion generally, but in order to levy the quotas fairly as between district and district. Tin" more men there are on the rolls the less ch..anco is there of any man being called on before his turn. If citizens over the military age are not to be charged with Inciting in patriot ism then they must display more energy than tiy\v are manifesting at present. The work is as urgent a< it is necessary, if New Zealand is to fullil its military obligations and injustice is not to be done. With

throe months .one there is yet a laruv proportion i . Hie work left to do. Several districts, iliou..!- laic, are now „>».

tia.'j under way, bat others have done little or nothing ar all. J f is to those latter districts that, the K<: .ruitine; Hoard earnestly appeals, and in doin»' so would point out that wherever the personal canvass has been tried few if any difficulties have been experienced and no insults have been received.