THE N.Z. RECRUIT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2459, 12 May 1915, Page 7

THE N.Z. RECRUIT

6 j BATTLING HIS WAY A VERY PERSISTENT PERSON SCENES AT THE BARRACKS RECENT INCREASES IN REGISTRATIONS Recent events have stimulated recruiting in New Zealand. In Wellington City a while ago the daily list of men who registered for active service usually numbered somewhere about half-a-dozen. Now tlie average is about thirty per day. On. Monday over fifty pJaced their names on the book®. The extra contingent probably acted as a stimulus, for prior to the Prime Minister's announcement that the additional force would be sent, men" realised that some considerable time must elapse between theu- rfcf;.ttii.tion and the time at which tkoy v/oul.l be ordered into camp. "When can. I go into camp?" intending recruits would ask the recruiting officer. ''Not before 6uch and such a month." '"Why, that means waiting several months!" the recruit would exclaim. "Uan't help it, old chap," the sergeantmajor would reply sympathetically, "but all the Reinforcements are full up till t-nen. 'l'Jie only thing you can do is get your name on the books, and we will let you know as soon as we want you." "Too long to wait. Oan't you get me into camp now?" "Sorry 1 can't: but the sooner you , get your name down, the sooner you will be called. The time won't be long passing." "Bight; put me down."Such dialogues as this occurred at the Buckle Street office daily. There were more men than vacancies. Most young men were aware of that fact, and many ethers inquired into the probable length of their "wait." Some of those who inquired eventually enrolled before quitting the office; others hung off in the i hope of seeing some other means of get- 1 ting into the tiring line without so much < delay as appeared to bo in store for tliem. ] Immediately after the announcement that an l extra fores was to be dispatch- ] cd, the daily registrations went up numerically, and since the New Zealanders have been in action at the Dardanelles there has been a further swell E in the numbers. The Irishman and the Doctor. The New Zealand recruits are an in- 1 teresting collection of men. They embrace all ages within reasonable limits '■ of lighting years, but most of them are on the young side of thirty. With the ! exception of a small percentage they ' are of excellent physique. They are of all sorts, of occupations—farmer, labourer, artisan, lawyer, journalist, clerk, and so on. • They are a study in 1 human nature, and a few days in the Buckle Street office would be. an edu- ■ cation to many who have a fancy for studying thoir own kind. Even ' the ' recruiting officer, who has long known something of the game of life, and those ' who play it, has found his store of Knowledge of humanity largely augmented since he interested himself m ' the good work of * enrolling New Zealand soldiers. New Zealanders lave various ways of announcing the fact that they desire to enrol. Many go about it in the ordinary quiet way most of us would employ.. Others don't, li The other day the door of the recruiting i office was darkened by a big man with f, a decidedly Irish narno. r "I'm going to the wax, sergeant- ft major," he called out to the Recruit- o ing Officer. g "You wish to enrol?" asked the scr-geant-major. "I'm going to the front, and I don't g want any waiting before Igo into camp. c I'm going into camp right away." t "Oh, you'll have to pass the doctor r first." I Reoruit: Pass the doctor? Easy. £ Sergeant-Major: Fill up that card. c The card was filled up. • • p Sergeant-Major: Now, you go along ¥ to Dr. . \ Recruit: I'll go now. t Sergeant-Major: You can go along between 9 and 10 to-morrow morning. Recruit: I'm gohg now. o Sergeant-Major: No! No! You must go in the morning. Dr. is not there now. Recruit: I can't wait till to-morrow. A quiet-looking man sitting in. tho room broke in upon the argumont. "You come along in the morning," he 1 said pleasantly. Recruit: You're tho doctor? ' "Yes." Becruit: Well, we'll have it now. The Recruiting Officer: Dr. can't' 1< fix you up just now. IS Recruit: It won't take him long. It Will you put me through, doctor? n Doctor: "All right." t: The recruit undressed in a- twinkling, and very shortly afterwards ho had been u passed, and was instructing the Ser- T geailt-Major to get him into camp quick t] and lively. The doctor was hot through (1 with his unexpected examining. Other t< intending recruits were*, in the room, k and they followed up the success of the n one who would not be delayed. o si Men Who Overcome Big Difficulties. t] One of the most difficult of tasks is to shake off a reci uit who for some rea- s ' son has been denied admission to 8: Trentham If bad teeth throw him n out, he will turn up shortly afterwards ® with everything put right. Some re- a turn with complete new sets of teeth. £ There is a story of one recruit who had 0 a very defectivo eye—it was, in fact, s practically sightless, but the other eyo was good. M'hcn one is put through the sight test they are told, to cover one eye, and read cortain lettering from a given distance. Then they cover the other eye and read it. The man with tho bad eyo had a friend who s ] wrote out the text chart for him. Ho n memorised it, aiid, with the good oye p, covered up and the bad eye turned to- T ward the card, passed tho test with « great eas». ii The proud father of several sons tells " his friends how one of his boys got away p to the ivar. _ Tho boy was just recovering from injuries received in an accident when the call for men was made. a Ho knew he would soon be fit, but at ci that time passing the doctor was out of the question. Difficulties, however, n did not damp his enthusiasm or pre- E vent him from getting away. One of his brothers resembled him, so he got that member of tho family to pass the B1 test, but when the transport sailed it fj took awa<? tho m\n who had met with the accident. 0]