BALLOT ON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 227, 24 September 1940, Page 3

BALLOT ON.

MEN FOR SERVICE. WITH TERRITORIAL UNITS. WELLINGTON, this day. This morning at 9 o'clock a start was made with the drawing of 10.000 men from the, Firet Division of the General Reserve to supply additional men for territorial service within New Zealand, and on Wednesday of next week the men will receive advice notices and their names will be published in a "Gazette."

The names are being drawn by officers of the National Service Department, under the supervision of Mr. W. F. Stilwell, S.M., but the drawing is arranged in such a way that those actually engaged do not know who has been drawn. One hundred and eighty cards are drawn at a time, and the first issue took about 30 minutes from the time the marbles were put in the barrel until notices to the men drawn had been typed. It is anticipated that the full l(i,000 names will be drawn in four days, an ambitious undertaking compared with the results obtained when drawing was first resorted to during the. last war. Before the drawing commenced the Minister oi National Service, the Hon. R. Semple, and the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, spoke briefly to those engaged in the work, arid congratulated them on the way in which they had prepared for the ballot. " Foolproof System." Mr. Semple. said he was satisfied that the system of drawing was foolproof and would be scrupulously fair. The ballot was a preliminary one to secure 6000 men for the Territorial Forces. There would be other ballots for overseas service.

Mr. Jones said the Defence Department now had to rely on men drawn for service to fill up any deficiencies in the forces, and he hoped the men drawn would accept the position in the very best of spirit. He believed the young men of New Zealand would accept the call to service and play their part along with their mates already in uniform. The drawing was commenced with the 2000 men required for the Northern Military District. The first marble was drawn by the Minister of National Service. Colonel Mead, Adjutant-General, was present for a time, and the Director of National Service, Mr. J. S. Hunter, and the Assistant Director, Mr. H. L. Bockett, took an active part in the drawing.— (Press Assn.)