Further calls are to be made upon the civil service. I do not think it
is realized how much the civil service has done already. On one hand, it
has had to release a large number of men for the army, and, on the
other, it has to meet and is meeting the increased strain of work. But
even at the risk of some dislocation we must call upon it to do more,
and a clean cut of young, fit men must be made.
It is proposed that no fit men below the age of 25 should be retained.
That is the clean-out. We comb out beyond that. I shall explain it
later. It is proposed that it should be applied to other industries as
well.
When we are adding to the age and when we are extending the military
age, it should not be said that there are fit young men of 25 who are
employed in the various industries of the country. This will bring the
civil service into line, and on a general level, so far as a clean-out
is concerned, with the munitions industries.
Under an act passed in January of this year, we are issuing orders
canceling all occupational exemptions by age blocks in specified
occupations. That is the clean-out. The first of these orders is being
laid on the table in the House today and other orders of the same power
will follow.
I know that the House will appreciate that it is not merely necessary to
have men, but to have them quickly. It is no use raising them unless
they are raised in time to take part in the struggle this year, when we
shall be short of drafts, if the battle is a prolonged one.
The Government, therefore, has shortened the length of the calling up
notice from fourteen days to seven and have authorized the sending of
notice by whatever method is the most expeditious and convenient. It may
be necessary even to curtail the rights of appeal on medical grounds,
but for the moment it is not proposed to do so. We have had a good many
frivolous appeals, which have wasted a good deal of time, and if that
goes on, it will be absolutely necessary, in the interest of the
security of the country, that the rights of appeal should be curtailed
in this respect.