ARMY RAISING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2478, 3 June 1915, Page 6

ARMY RAISING

DISTRICT RESPONSES

WELLINGTON IN THE LEAD

SUPPLY SOURCES EXAMINED

REMOVING A SLUR ON OTAGO

"AVellington district is doing by far tho best in New Zealand." That was all the information. It was ' very meagre, but it was as much as the Chief of the General Staff deemed it prudent to say. However, there is nothing Wellington can be more proud of than its position at the head of the recruiting campaign. The Wellington city and suburbs area stands well in the matter—the second best recruiting area in the Wellington military district. Hawera is running first. Wellington second, and Manawatu tnird.

_ Forty-fivft. men registered at the Wellington Recruiting Offico yesterday, including some men for the Maori Reinforcements. The city's total registration is now 4125. Yesterday's recruits averaged 25 years of age. One celebrated his twentieth birthday by enrolling. . It was the first day on which ho was entitled to join the ranks.

New Zealand has supplied every fighting force she has been called on to provide. and has sent the men. for every force into the training camp promptly on the date stipulated. In this respect recruiting is generally regarded as satisfactory. But statements have been made from time to time to the effect that while recruiting is satisfactory over the whole Dominion, it is not satisfactory in the South Island, particularly in Otago, and the North Island's surplus of recruits has had to make up southern deficiencies. In fairness to the South Island, and in order that wo should thoroughly understand our position with regard to our sources of supply, Now Zealand as a recruiting area needs analysing.

Figures which would show what every district in New Zealand has been called upon to do, and has done, are not available to the Press, but the Chief of the General Staff states that every military district is asked to provide the same number of men for any forcc which is called for. .New Zealand is.divided into four military districts:— Auckland, which consists of the Auckland province, except a small ■ strip of land near Gisborne. Wellington, which consists of tlio Wellington Province, Taranaki, Hawke s Bay, and tfle Gisborne district. Canterbury, which consists of tho Province of Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland. Otago, which consists of Otago and Southland. So, if a force of 2000 men were wanted, • the quota for the military districts would be: Auckland military district/ 500; Wellington military, district, 500; Canterbury military district, 500; Otago military district, 500; total, 2000. The experience of tiie past ten months of recruiting in New Zealand is that the Auckland and Wellington military districts have secured more than sufficient recruits out of bich to provide their quotas, but, except for the Sixth Reinforcements, Otago has always failed I to send forward the men asked of it. It may not be possible to justify Otago's failures, but it can be made clear that Otago should not ho asked to keep pace in recruiting with Wellington. Much of the Otago district is sparsely settled, but the Wellington boundaries embrace three comparatively populous provinces. The great differences in the quantity of population held by the military districts are shown by the following figures: — ... , , Males Estimated ; (all ages) males in 1911. in 1913. Auckland Military DistrictAuckland Prov. ... 141,699 143,745 Less Gisborne dis- ! trict, say 10,000 10,500 Total 131,699 133,245 j Wellington Military District— 1911. 1913. Taranaki Prov 27.735 28,221 Hawke's Bay Prov. 25,769 26,216 Wellington Prov.... 104,946 106,603 Gisborne district, say 10,000 10,500 168,500 171,540 Canterbury Military District— 1911. 1913. Marlborough Prov. 8.745 8,883 Nelson Prov 26,958 27,264 Westland Prov 8,719 8,809 Canterbury Prov.... 88,391 89,699 132,814 134,655 Otago Military District— 1911. 1913. Otago 66,995 — Southland 31,835 — 98,730 100,122 Total Males in N.Z.1911. 1913. North Island 300,201 304,787 South Island 231,719 234,942 531,910 539,729 The percentage of males in tho various military districts to the total of males in New Zealand, taking the 1911 census is:—Auckland, 24.7; Wellington, 31.7; Canterbury, 24.9; Otago, 18.5. On a percentage basis, the Otag® military district would liava to provide only a little .over half the number of men Wellington would be asked for. Taking the aforementioned suppositious force oi 2000 men, the following would be the quotas of the military districts according to population, and alongside the percentage quota is set the quota actually palled for in order that the present inequality of things may be readily grasped:— Per- Quota ' centage ReQuota. quested Auckland Military District 194 500 Wellington Military District 634 500 Canterbury Military District ••• 498 500 Otago Military District 370 500 On percentage of male population, Otago more than furnished its quota for tho big extra force which went into Trentham Camp this week, though it fell 50 short of the quota asked for it. The above percentages are based on tl» 1911 census, but the position of Otago may bo worse now, as the rate of progress in the South is much slower than in the North. Of the provinces, Auckland stands first for rate of progress, and the latest returns showed an increase of 25.22 per cent, tliere in five years. In the other provinces the progress made in the same period was: Taranaki, 18.83 per cent-.; Hawke's Bay, 14.92 per cent.; Nelson, 13.99 per emit.: Marlborough, 11.25 per cent.; Wellington, 10.C9 per cent.; Canterbury, 8.85 per cent.; and Otago, 5.61 per cent. The figures showing the distribution of tho population according to age groups emphasise the point that tho Soil til Island should not be required to contribute equally with the North Island. Taking the groups which include the men'of military age, these are the lign res: — 20 to 35 35 to 50 years. vears. North Island ]65,117 11)11,1<H) South Island 121,951 7(i,030 These figures include mules and females, but UkintriM.n tlio point. .. The statistics of the ago groups in-

dicate also that young men migrated from the South Island to the Aorth Island. This deduction can bo arrived at bv comparing the figures of group '5 to 20 years with group 20 to 35 years. Of all the groups that in which the North Island shows the heaviest population is group 20 to 35 years. The South Island's most popular group is the one covering people of tlie ages 5 to 20 years. This practically proves that much of the South Island's young manhood coins North. .Hero are the figures:— 5 to 20 20 to 35 years. years. North Island l! ; 0,015 165,117 South Island 125,793 124,951