WEWANTMOREMEN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2575, 24 September 1915, Page 6

WEWANTMOREMEN

OUR ARMY ANALYSED VOLUNTEERING MUST SPEED lIP TO MEET THE FUTURE FIGURES THAT SHOW THE POSITION. . : It' ; seems 'dleaT tli'iit New Zealand' will have to speed up its recruiting if it is to 'meettne demands;of .the immediate future/ iidrmeet them in .the, time appointed ' jiioro clearly - than , words do, and tho jipcessaryY figures follow.,' There are five •groups of -figures ./which need consideration (I) The men dispatched; (2) the !men now training; (3) the men oalledup for training; :(4j[ our immediate requirements, acrid (o) onr resources. ' Tho'men-we have dispatched are:— Sa'moajv Expedition 1,419 , Main Body . •••• 7,761-. First Reinforcements ......... <38.--". Second Reinforcements 1,974 Third Reinforcements 1,712 1 Fourth Reinforcements 2,261 Fifth Reinforcements ......... 2,389 - 'Sixth Reinforcements 2,440 Samoan. Relief Force GOO ' Maori Contingent .......; 518 Maori Reinforcements 330 ' Total 22,142 111 training tvs now .hair© about 8000 1 men, as follow: — Seventh Reinforcements 2200 'Eighth Reinforcements 3500 Two Trentham Battalions ... 2300 ' Total 8000 Wo are calling up for Octobcr nearly 6ooo:-- ■; '7''i Ninth Reinforcements and : new Trenthams 5,300 Tenth's N.0.0.'s (say). .. 500 : Total 5,800 Our immediate requirements arc By about . November 8 .(the . . Tenth) 4,000 . N.C.O.'s for the Eleventh ... .400 By' early; 'January (the Eleventh) '. 4,000 . - 8,400* A rough' analysis of our resources ;hows:— ' r : Single "men of military ag© • »' wlien war began ............ 128,000 ' Allowance for unfitness ... ■ 38,000 Not total of fit inen :90,000 Total; men. called up 36,000

■ Fit single men. yet available 54,000 Therefore we have reached tiis position: — •. We urgently want 8100 men ouu ■ ' of 54,000 to volunteer. • . If only one man in'every five of the 54,000 comes forward at- once the ieed will be supplied. But 110 one must w;aifc for the otlierifour- to answer the .call. Figures throw some 1 light on our prospects of raising the forces in time. . Tllo ;< ; : mpst difficultiorce to secure will be the Tenth; Reinforcements'. • The present ' state .of affairs is. that all the: moil, of the 5303 to go into camp next' month ( have not yet been, obtained. Presuming they are all secured by October 19 (the date when the last of the October forces ' are to enter camp) the authorities have then to start with -comparatively empty : books to secure the-men for the Tenth. Reinforcements by about November 8. That simply means that '4000 men have to be raised in three weeks. What are our prospects in. theiigbt of experi- ' eiice? In the first twelve months of war New Zealand's, enlistments of fit nien were at the, rate of about 600 per week. A continuance of that rate would yield only. 1800 men in three weeks, and leave us 2200. short.,-; Also, at, that rate - wo' would'need nearly-.seven: weelcs. of : time in which to • raise the necessary : :-.4000.V .Clearly recruiting must be ae- : celerated. We want, not 600 per week, "but 1340 per week. ■ No one will doubt that New Zealand . - will rise to the occasion if the need is clearly made apparent. ' Eecriiiting has always been' stimulated 'by the presentation of-opportunity, and has usually .7 fallen away;when absence of opportunity has. been detected by- # the public. There is no lack of opportunity now, for with cortain exceptions the sheet is Among; the exceptions to the clear . - sheet are. the men who have volunteer,ed for branches of the servico other 'than infantry. It is infantry we are a ' little short of just now, and there are mon to-spare for some of the minor branches. No doubt when many of tlis ' . men who have volunteered ~ for tlie smaller branches -realise that they are being retained on the waiting list, and that there are diances of; getting- away with the infantry, they'will ask to be . transferred,' and thus some of the gaps will be closed up. As to those who .do . not seek such ' a transfer, a' word' '.' their patriotism would, no-doubt, be tsufficient if a shortage of infantry con-

' • But, apart" from these possi-j 'bilities of transfer, the chances of getting away with little delay i are oxcellent. " Some ■ months ago the head of our '••training system stated' to a Dominion, >'representative that tho bantams would get their chance before the end of the year. Maybe that chance is now at 'hand. There are scores of good men •slightly under 5 feot 4'inches in height - who are anxious to serve tlheir country. '. Jlany have volunteered, and hut for a ;;defect.in our registration system would now be "available for ready requisition. 'Tho men who have failed to reach 5 feet 4 inches in height or 36 inches inchest measurement liave been turned away as "unfit." If they passed 'the medical ■' examination in other respects " they • should not have been rejected. They should have been registered as fit, and i classified.. 1 For' instance,' there could ' have been a "roll of fit men who stand i' 5 feet 3 inches, another of 5 feet 2 ' inches, and others for various sizes of chest. If «i register of that kind wero • . available, it might be useful to-day, and if not to-day the time may come. However, the sum total of it all is We want many more volunteers ' ; at once. We expect to get them. " We can only be certain of realising ; that expectation by every mail doing the duty that is expected of • him.