EXEMPTION CASE. (Hansard, 5 July 1917)

§ 36. Sir GEORGE GREENWOOD

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the case of Mr. Walter Williamson, of Peterborough, who was, early in this year, granted by the local tribunal an exemption from military service to the 31st of March last, with leave to apply for a further extension, which decision was reversed by the Northamptonshire Appeal Tribunal on 19th April last upon the appeal of the military representative, on which occasion final exemption was granted to 1st July only, and leave to appeal to the Central Tribunal was refused; whether he is aware of the following facts in connection with this case, namely, that Mr. Williamson is in his forty-second year, that he has a wife and five children, all under twelve years of age, that he is under legal liability to pay his mother an annuity of £250, that he is the sole proprietor of the business of Williamson and Company, manufacturing confectioners, and wholesale agents, carried on at Peterborough, established by his father thirty-five years ago, and conducted by him for the last seventeen years, that this business extends into eleven counties, and is the distributing centre for hundreds of small traders in the eastern counties, that of Mr. Williamson's pre-war staff of seventeen men twelve have been taken for military service, while four have gone into other employments, that his present staff consists of fourteen girls and one carman, aged seventy, that the business is entirely a one-man business, and is absolutely dependent on himself, that there is no other person by whom it could be carried on, nor could it be disposed of, but would have to be closed down if Mr. Williamson is taken for military service, and that it could not be revived by him without difficulty, if at all, on his return from such service; whether, in view of the fact that this case is a similar one to the recent case decided by the Central Appeal Tribunal, and known as Streets' case, being case No. 80 of the printed cases issued by the Local Government Board in this connection, he will consider whether a sufficient reason has been shown under the 1275 terms of Regulation 85, Part III. (2) of the Military Service Regulations (Amendment) Order, 1916, for a re-hearing of the case, or for leave to be granted for an appeal to the Central Tribunal; and whether he will indicate to the Northamptonshire Appeal Tribunal the opinion of the Local Government Board to that effect, or take such other steps as may be necessary to secure that justice shall be done?