Applications For Entry Into Regular Army Increasing

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 63, 14 November 1949, Page 4

Applications For Entry Into Regular Army Increasing

In the last' three months 545 men and 61 women have applied for service with the Regular Force. More than 100 have applied to join the Regular Forces as cadets and applications are still coming in steadily. The actual number of acceptances is not yet known, but it is estimated that the Regular Force will have increased in strength by about 310 as the result of these applications. The present strength of the force is 2750. Before the referendum on military training, recruiting was a difficult task. Pay, opportunities, and conditions of service had all been improved to make, them very attractive by civilian standards. However, that p oved to be insufficient inducement for the thinking man who needed to know what the Army policy was to be. The referendum provided the answer, and the ne prospects attracted 160 applicants in a fortnight. For the six weeks that followed, applications averaged just below 40. With camps for 18-year-olds getting. nearer, a number of men and women were realising that their opportunities would be greatest if they enlisted now and took advantage of the whole period between now and next May for training. Applications were now coming in at the rate of nearly 50 a week.