OUR ANSWER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2337, 19 December 1914, Page 6

OUR ANSWER

TO THE EMPIRE'S CALL

EXCELLENT RESPONSE

THE COMMANDANT ON RECRUIT'

Reoruiting in New Zealand is proceeding quite satisfactorily, according to Colonel Robin, the Officer Commanding tho New Zealand Forces. In an interview ; with a Dominion representative yesterday, he mado it quite clear that, although men were still wanted for service at tho front, he was extremely pleased with the way everything at this end had gone off so far. Ho said that if anyone was under tho impression that sufficient men for tho Department's purposes had not offered their services, a wrong impression was abroad.. The fact is that, so far, all the men required have been obtained without difficulty—and, in a sense, moremen than are required. More yet are needed, of course, and no one neod despair simply because there .is no dearth of men! Any volunteer who sends along his name to tho proper quarter will soon find that (if he is suitable) his prospects of seeing active service are just about as good as they could be.

Recruiting here-is done very methodically and so quietly that the whole business might almost pass unobserved. Regarding the idoa that there is a shortage of men, figures talk best. We know that on a certain date one of the New Zealand forces completed its training, but the public will be surprised to know that immediately the twined force vaoated the camp the next lot (in absolutely full strength) marched in. "That lot is at present under canvas, ■ and te-day the Defence Offico could puts its hands on half the lot which is to follow. The scheme is to have all the men in a camp start training at the same time. If they drifted in in twenties and thirties, and so on, the camp would never progress past the goose-step. Tho names of volunteers are being received quietly all the while, and at a certain time before they are required tho men are notified to report on a given date. Then, from their various centres, the men are sont to Wellington, Hero they commence training'together, and they finish together. . • Colonel Robin mentioned that it had been suggested that New Zealand was not doing her share in the matter of providing soldiers.. Comparison had been made with Great Britain, and it had - been said that on a population basis we were doing far less than the Old Country. The Officer Commanding said that it is quite wrong to say that New Zealand was not doing' its share because the fact is that wo have done more than our share. The whole affair is run by the Imperial authorities. They stipulated New Zealand requirements. New Zealand has more than fulfilled them.

Figures cannot he published, but it may be mentioned here that Now Zealand comes out of the test splendidly if the population basis is applied in a general way.

•A peculiarity of the recruiting in this country is that, some districts provide many more men than other districts do. This is not regarded as necessarily something detrimental to the districts which have tho smaller numbers representing them. The reason .for the discrepancy is that there are causes operating in those districts which act as a hindrance. In a little while the hindrance will pass away automatically, and .the nen from those districts will then feel free to send along their.names. '. STATEMENT BY HON. J. ALLEN THE RESPONSE SATISFACTORY. The response being made to the call for recruits was tho subject of an inquiry of the Dofenco Minister (the Hon. J. Allen) by a Dominion reporter yesterday. , "Recruiting is going.on very satisfac-. tovily, and as many men are offering as we require," said Mr. Allen. "Wo have enough, or more than enough men, in camp already for our second draft of reinforcements. • It should be understood that we do not intend to send 3000 men with this. draft, as was at first proposed. Tho original request of tho Homo authorities was that we. should send every month 5 per cent, of tho original strength. . This demand was later increased to -25 per cent., but since then it has been much reduced— to a percentage which I do not think I should make public. But even if we required 3000 men now, I am sure we could have got them all right. There is no .urgent call for men now. In three-or four months' time there may be, although I do not think we shall have any difficulty in getting them. Just now we are recruiting a force of 500 men to relieve the Samoan Garrison, who iinust be given a chance to go to the front. Also, in view of the greater safety in the Pacific now, I intend to reduce the Samoan Garrison."

Mr. Allen went on to traverse the following remarks of Bishop Averill at Auckland: "England at last seems to he awakening to a sense of responsibility," said the Bishop, "but I doubt if New Zealand is. England is giving her best to this crusade, and if New Zealand gave in tho same proportion as England is doing of her sons, Now Zealand would havo to give 50,000." Mr. Allen said that the Bishop had stated the case very unfairly for New Zealand. The population of England was 45 millions, and of New Zealand one million. England had been called upon by Lord Kitchener to provide 2,000,000 men, but it was ■ not announced whether the 2,000,000 were all offering yet. Some of those must of necessity bo retained for homo defence. It was not to be expected that all the two millions would go to the front. New Zealand had already sent to the front 12,400 men, and had now under training for servico abroad 2000 Europeans and 500 Maoris— 14,900 in all. Every two months wo should bo sending away 2000 more, so that by the end of a year from the date of the dispatch of tho first forco wo should have in training in'thoTerriserve at the front. In addition to this wo shoul have in training in tho Territorial Force approximately 30,000 men, bringing our total quota of trained men under arms up to 53,000. . He added that New Zealand would go on doing her duty, and that she had been, doing more than she had been yet as'jed to do. Ho pointed out, also, that in computing New Zealand's quota he had taken no account of the Senior Cadets, of whom there were about 30,000.