In reply to Grant M's question in Salient: Why get rid of the National Military Service Act? Firstly, as far as the administration of the Act goes, not everybody whose head holds more than half a thought' knows that he can get out of military training by registering as a C.O. It is all right for students where conscientous objection is well-known, but the person who lives in the country-town only sees the poster "When you turn 19 it is illegal not to register for military training." However, as far as OHMS is concerned, improving the administration of the Act so people know of their rights is only a side-issue.

When you look at the N.N.S. Act you realise what a 'fascist' bit of legislation it is. The potential is there, depending upon the whims of the government at the time, to turn our system into a military police state. For instance under sections 50 and 51 of the Act, the police have the powers amounting to a 19 year old 'pass law'. Or under section 53 of the Act, where employers are not allowed to employ persons who have failed to register and so on.

In Australia it is easier to become a conscientious objector now that Australia is no longer sending conscripts to Vietnam. At the present time in Australia, there are thousands of draft resisters so the equivalent Australian Act has become unenforceable (Note the recent event at Sydney University) [Which event? Ed.]

Which comes to the point: Why let young men of N.Z. be 'forced' to go into the Army to be brainwashed and trained for foreign Wars? For no reason what [unclear: so-ever] OHMS is not proposing to have the NMS Act abolished at the expense of a few martyrs. I admit that where people out of their own conscience refuse to comply with the Act there is a possibility of becoming a martyr. But the more people who take this stand the less likely this will happen, because the Act will become unenforceable like the Australian situation. The Government does not want a confrontation, especially in election year. In fact the Labour Department is doing its best to avoid it. (Dave Kent who walked out of the C.O. committee hearing after reading his submission was exempted from service by an irrelevant 1968 Amendment). Sure as Grant M. says there are a lot of fucked laws, but why wait until it is too late to get rid of an obnoxious piece of legislation? It is up to us to get rid of the NMS Act now so its potential cannot be used when the situation arises.

Ken Howell.