THE URGENT CALL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2578, 28 September 1915, Page 6

THE URGENT CALL

THIS CITY'S DUTY , NUMBER Qg MEN NEEDED " , AND WHEN ? Th<rurgenoy* of .the pros'enb-. call for ' men as applied to New Zealand !aud to ; : ! the Wellington- Military District has ' ' -been analysed in articles in.THB,DoMis- ■ ( lon in order that t-hfe jmmediate require- . -anents of tho:country may bo realised bv ■> tlioso who have to fulfil them.-'- It will > >l)e interesting now to examine the position of .Wellington City. I : The military lare now calling up about i ' rSBOO - men, who will form tho Ninth .'Reinforcements/ tho extra battalions for ] ■ the Treutliain Regiment! and tho. lion- | .'commissioned officers ior. the. Tenth I i ['Reinforcements. -.The quotas foi this | - f-5800 Jiavo been allotted, and the men i ■are to go into camp in the middle.of i '-> irext month. . '.The last of ; them: should' - ,bo at their training grounds by Octo- - - ■■her 23. Throe weeks .later, 4000. more ' Vmen are =to, be sent into camp. .. When | . ' . the 5800-makocamp'the books of . the : recruiting offices wall be practically do:.v! vpleted of men, so. tho: country has: to:i - . 'face the task of raising the November. | '' '4000.in.three weeks..S What share in; that undertaking belongs to [Wellington city- and suburbs | area? ... : , - ■■■■..' ■, . vl On a- population basis, Wellington i inav bo considered to be under an,obligation to provide 9 per cent, of the 'force- That is somewhat an over-esti-mate,- but Wellington will. prefer a ; slight "over-estimate to any under-esti-mato. >.. For,, the force.'of « 4000 1 fit men, ■ the country will require about 5500 recruits, because rejections, for unfitness, absentees, 'and others I rmu'st "'.be. provided" •: Against: Therefore, Wellington's re- • cruiting requirements are -some .portion -of 5500,'-not. some portion of. 4000.'50, ' duty should he to I'ftise:— '. ' Total Nett recruits. . fit men. 500 380 However, Wellington City has had to 'do more than its share on other occa- ■ sions, and,, as ,the present call is .very urgent, should aim at'nothing less than . ' 12 per ..cent., in case there are again f;: shortages in other parts of the country. : : 'If- that is the aim, the ■ following will • be the requirements in plain figures:-* ::- S ■ . . v Total; - ': Nett .' v'.' recruits. fit men. 660 480

'Assuming that the.big October forceß fcleau off- the whole of tho Wellington • waiting list, the time:available for the gathering 1 of the -November force, .will be; the. three .weeks separating i-''. tho dates on which theso bodies will go ■ into camp. Therefore, the recruits tlio Wellington City and Suburbs area urgently wants number.: • • In three weeks" 660 - <••«••• Perweek 220 .< Per day . 37 . The ..fit. men 1 we must' secure number; • In three weeks 480 ; Per week , ,160 Per day .;... 27. ; These figures show clearly that.-re-?:'i.' "sruiting will, have to be brisk .in the' . City--brisker than .it has teen in'ordin- . ary times. Wo can best grasp tho. size r.;' .. of the demand, when we • see that 220 men per week are wanted to enrol. However, Wellington.has beaten 220 in the • past, and'can do so again', Recruiting . on the present occasion will benefit y . : :' JJrom the fact that there is small chance of irien being kept on the. waiting-list. '■ v. . Those who are keen to 1 get away quickly, will experience very'little, delay. At tho beginning of the war Wellington had about 10,000 single men of mili- • t.iry age. About 6000 single men have ; enlisted, so that 4000 remain from whom « - to draw the 660. . / .... ...\ : A' summary of the requirements of. New Zealand; of the Wellington Military District, ; and ; of: Wellington: City ana h-1 ; , Suburbs, together with the approximate ~numbers of men'ivho.have not ,yet en-, . listed, shows: Urgently Not yet f ;/. Wanted. Enlisted, Zealand ...y,. . i ,5,500 "... 72,000 !-■: '.Wellington iMilitary.-; , j .iV : District. - 2;200 - 20,000 Wellington City: and • l: ; V Suburbs 660 '4,000 LATEST ENLISTMENTS. 1 The following:,have, enlisted in -Wellmgton:— Georßeginald Edwards, postal clerk; City.. - ■ Walter- Kydd, , labourer, ■ Pet-one." John Mullany, Civil Servant, Lower r . • Hut-t. ■ f ■ Ernest Lucas, engine-driver, City. ■ : Percy Pantry, butcher, City. Rupert Curtis, warehouseman, Petone. Benjamin Thos. Knight, driver. City. IWilfred Patterson, labourer, Johnsiini E<Jward Lipponer; ■seaman;-City:""'*" Owen Jones, clerk, City.