ONLY FIFTY-THREE SHORT.

Dominion, Issue 1337, 15 January 1912, Page 4

ONLY FIFTY-THREE SHORT.

MILITARY CENSUS RETURNS,

So far as tlio officers of tho Defence Department arc aware, only 53 of those liable for military training under tho compulsory provisions of the Defence AU; have refused to register. A general balancing up of statistics has just been completed in each of the four military districts, with the following result, set out in an official reprt from tlio General Officer Commanding the Forces (Ma orGenoral A. J. Godley, C.B), to Ins Mmistcrial head (Sir Joseph Ward):"Iu December, 1909, a return showing numbers of youths of each year of ago S™ supplied by the Government Stabstician, Wised by estimation on the, result of the previous census taken in JW. "On a«o figures the do ence scheme of 1910 was based-ns to rcgistration-toes-tablisli and maintain the dcience force of tlio Dominion, as follow:—

Total ... 35.C9S ToKil ... 2,,050 "With this presumably correct estimate con piled by the Government .Statistician from the 1911 census the position as rcSiJ, registration is that, up to December 1 1911, out of 35,098 senior cadets liable, :!0,:i13 have registered, and that out of 27,080 Territorials liable, 28,43 d na\o '''"KefSrinß to the Senior Cadets and the fact that 5385 have not registered, this due to the reason that about tha number of lads between the ages of 4 and 1G are still attending primary schools, and l-v tho Act arc deemed to bo Junior Cadets until date of leaving the Primary schools. Thus the youths of Senior Cadet are practically accounted for. °"lt nmst bo noted.that more the ages of 18 to 21 registered than aio shown by tlio census return of 1911 as liable for registration. . ,_ "The Defence Department so far is only aware that 53 persons have refused to register. There may probably bo more, but in new of tho statistics now available I here must be very few throughout tho Dominion who aro not registered and accounted for." . ~ , . It is worthy of note that, as indicated above, the lustrations of Tern k , a 9 are nearly 1100 more than the. number of those liable, and that there is no error in what might «om, at hist e>'» ic %. ° bo a discrepancy in the' figures Lha presumption is that theso HOO .have voluntarily registered, though that is nut vet Known for certain. If so, it is an indication of the feeling of the country which can only bo regarded as grat Hying.

Senior Cadets Territorial Force. M W Si «fft» 'MS 16 to 17 9,628 20 to 21 W* 17 to 18 M 28 . Total ...38,231 'Total '••• 30,600 "The result of census taken in April, ,9U ,U ilUv, the youtha of each vear of age to be as follow :- Senior Cadets. Territorial Force. X% Oils ' fe »<B8 8 73 10 to 20 9,197 iU° ?:::::: &» 20to21 8 ' 855 17 to 18 8,913,