'SURPLUS' OF RECRUITS'

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2483, 9 June 1915, Page 6

'SURPLUS' OF RECRUITS'

"PURE MISUNDERSTANDING" • ] VIEWS OP THE MINISTER i "From tho point of view of the Defence Department, wo don't know of any such tiling as a surplus of recruits." This ivas the reply given by tilo Defence Minister to an inquiry yesterday as to whether, in viow of the fact that there was a considerable surplus ot recruits in Wellington, it was intended to take any action. "What we want," he continued, "is the registration of as many men as there are m New Zealand who possibly can go oil active service from now onwards for the next twelve wouths. We want them registered, and a list available, so that we may call them up whenever we want tlieni. And we don't want them to leave their jobs. That is the whole object of our registration scheme 1 to . get . a long list of names of men ready to go on service when we want them. To speak of a surplus of recruits shows a pure misunderstanding of the situation. What I should like to have now is a sufficient number of names. registered net only for the Seventh Reinforcements, but for the eighth, ninth, tenth, and even up to the fifteenth or twentieth reinforcements. To register is the best service a young ,^ an , render to New Zealand ana tho Empire now, and to encourage young men to do this is the best sernce anybody else can render just now." Mr. Allen was asked whether lie proposed to amend the allocation of tlie quota for every district, in view of the fact that some districts had more men of service age than others. "I don't think the quota is quite fair, myself," he replied. "The Department lave been Tather inclined to stick to the same quota for all districts, bub my own personal opinion is that it is not a fair aiTangement, and it is under reconsideration now. From statistics I have had there seems to be no doubt that tnere aro not the same number, of young men_ -of military age in Otago as there are in Wellington or Auckland. I have been for 6ome time under the impression that the Otago quota, should not be_ as largo as tho others. What I think we might- do to get over tho difficulty is this: Wo may keep the quotas as they aro, but in future we shall look a t the registrations in each district, and if wo ttnd the registrations very much larger in one district than in another we shall draw the larger number of - men from that distriot for the force we requiro. In other words, we shall draw the men in proportion to the registrations. This is, of course, only a provisional idea." "You don't think this will Temove the stimulus of local responsibility?" the. Minister was asked. "I think this will rather stimulate local responsibility," he replied. "At any rate, I know that I should not like to belong to a district which was lag- ' giug in its duty."