OUR RESOURCES IN MEN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2536, 10 August 1915, Page 6

OUR RESOURCES IN MEN

NATIONAL REGISTER

SCHEME IN PREPARATION

The Prime Minister has stated in the House of Representatives this session that before Parliament dispersed the question of national registration would he dealt with. This promise will probably be fulfilled soon after tho House meets.

The Prime Minister informed a reporter yesterday that he had given .instructions for the preparation of the necessary legislation, to bo submitted to Parliament, providing for tho taking of a national register of all the men in the country, with the object of discovering exactly what are our resources in moil for military service, and for industrial service. The proposals were that every man should bo required , to givo his name. and his age, to state whether he- is married, or single, or a widower, tho number of persons wholly dependent upon him, tho number partially dependent upon him, including particulars about the latter. A man would also bo required to say whether ho is an employer of labour, or an employee, what his occupation is, what is his income from all sources, and what those sources are. He would be required to say whether his health is good or otherwise, and whether or not he is free from any physical infirmity. This register, Mr. Massey thought, could be compiled in a month, and when compiled it would supply the Government with all possible information with regard to tho men available for the army, or for the industries of the country, which might have to be organised if tho war continued. Mr. Massey did not think it would bo a good plan to. have the usual five-yearly census, duo next April, taken earlier. The census was a very much bigger undertaking, involving moro work than the proposed national register.