OUR WAR CONTINGENT,

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2315, 24 November 1914, Page 7

OUR WAR CONTINGENT,

STATEMENT BY THE DEFENCE MINISTER. Li conversation ivitb a Dominion reporter, the Hon. 'Mr. Allen, Minister of Defence, iv'lio arrived' back from the south on Sunday, said ho had been going very carefully into the question of reinforcements for our Expeditionary Force, in view of cablegrams that had come from the Imperial authorities, intimating with regard to New Zealand's agreement to dispatch the equivalent of five per ccnt, of tlio main force monthly for reinforcements, that they would like that number increased. "We have dono"' said the Minister, "a. very great deal more than we agreed or bargained to do about the Expeditionary Force. We bargained to send U»o four-gun batteries, and instead wo sent an artillery brigado of 'two six-guu batteries. Theri we are going to send a. howitzer battery with the roinforcemeuts, which is also additional to wliat we bargained for. We are also sending 600 Maoris and a. veterinary corps of 160 men, neither of which were originally bargained for. Wo want not only to keep the Expeditionary Force up to its present strength, but to gradually make it stronger. Accordingly, instead of sending five per cent, reinforoements, we shall send something more. What we propose to do is for the first three months to sead 7o per cent. Wo have already sent ton per- cent, with the Force. Twenty por cent, are in camp mow, and when they are gone we will have another -3000 men in, camp, and on their dispatch they will be succeeded by the enrolment of a further 3000, which I*4ll make up the 75 per cent.

"I . want the people to understand that there is no object in our sending another expeditionary force. What is required of us is to keep our Force up to strength and make it stronger, because it fits in with the Imperial organisation. What the Home authorities want us to do is to keep our Expeditionary Force up ■to strength and stiffen it. It is not a. new force .that is wanted, but the reinforcement of the main Force. TARDY ENLISTMENTS IN THE SOUTH. ' . . Dunedln, November 21. 'A deputation waited on the Mayor to-day, urging him to call. apublic meeting, or take some other measures, to encourage enlistment for active service. One speaker said that the Defence -people had evidently done their 1 best, and had been unsuccessful in Otago. They had been compelled to get men from the North Island to make up the quota, which was a slur on Otago, and Dunedin in particular. He was satisfied that a large number of young men were' shirking, and tho seriousness of the position must be brought home to them. In the Boer War. no difficulty was experienced in getting men: The Mayor pointed out that during the Boer War the citizens had the organisation of the companies. This time it wa-s absolutely in the hands of the Defence Department; He thought that the Government should state what it was prepared, to do for the dependents of those who might be killed or crippled. Many men were disgusted at the treatment they received ,at the hands of the Defence Department. If the Government would say that by every steamer leaving for England it would send so many men, and paid their passage money, there would soon bo sufficient recruits. If the Government had adopted the plan he had suggested they would now have 5000 men in Britain, and the troops would have been equipped at Home, according to the Imperial ideas, and at less expese. ' Ho did not think the Government had done all it should have done to encourage enlistment.

Mr. J. A. Park said that there had been no proper patriotic meetings/ and this was due to the lack of organisation. • Someone was wanted to take the lead.

It was resolved that the executives of the National Reserve and Patriotio Committees meet the deputation on Monday afternoon to further discuss the .position.