SLACK RECRUITING.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2584, 5 October 1915, Page 8

SLACK RECRUITING.

■' ("To the Editor.) v. ' Sir,—Your endeavours to improve recriiiting 'and shame ; tlie slackers and 'wasters ilito doing their'duty to Kins, country, and their' follow New Zealand- ■! ers iat the;, frontgare ■ .worthy, of - all praise. But muolt of the public apathy - is" due to tho neglect of the Government and the leading patriotic bodies to consistently maintain martial ardour fiudfenthusiasm in tho public generally. 'As Kipling has pointed out in tho Old Country, there is, nothing bo helpful to recruiting as' the ;■ frequent)/ parading through the streets of military bands playing martial airs,: and whero pos- . B ible the marching behind them of military, semi-military, or trained bodies of men. ' What ;is being done here in • Wellington of tliis: land. Absolutely * jiotliinf. A military band is never lieav<l i? esc6pt -when- the reinforcements ■ : are leaving these, shores. ,1 would sugi pest that steps be at once taken to ' havo at least two of these derramsfcra-i : tions' alluded to ovcry.week,. the route to bo through tho principal, thorough-f-res of-the city, and the same well advertised in the newspapers , One week the sth Regiment (Territorials) ■nii"ht be callcd out for the purpose, and also,' for another evening of that week a subdivision or ;two of the lNar tional Reserve, or. the Riflemen's Cfcrps; next week ' other, subdivisions of _ tho 1 National Reserve,-and.so en. I .believe . a great inij)etu§ to

thus be given, and I have no. doubt the various city baJids would willingly parade to help the frreat cause—l am, etc. RESERVIST

■ ["Our correspondent's suggestion is a valuable ono. • As he says, military, bands arid parades have been ail important factor in stimulating recruiting in the Mother Country, not merely iu their direct • influence on the young men, ■ but because of their cffcct in stirring/, the military, ardour of the whole community.]