THE URGENT CALL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2592, 14 October 1915, Page 6

THE URGENT CALL

LARGER DRAFTS

HOW LONG OUR SUPPLY

WILL LAST

15,000 MEN IN TRAINING

NOW EQUALLING ENGLAND'S

PROPORTION

The Defence Minister announced in ?he House. on Tuesday, night 'that the Now Zealand Government had/undertaken- to send: still, more ;men to- the front. What t'his new! call will require of New Zealand was elicited by inquiries yesterday.

First of all it means that we have to send into camp between now and tho end of the year nearly 12,000 men. Tho -mobilisation of nearly 6000 new recruits lis now in progress, and, apart from these, 6000 other new men are needed before the year 1915 closes. •

If ire get these men, the dawn of 1916 will (according to -Defence Headquarters) find 15,000 troops training for active service in our military camps. •• The members in training, callcd up, and to be callcd up.this year, are:— Now training 3500

: . Bcinsc mobilised ................ 5800 i .To be called in November ... 3500 To be called in December ... 2500 \ .

PPC Total 15,300. Already we have dispatched 27,000 ir.eii to the front, so that bv tho end PC .of the year tho call on tlie country will ' have amounted "to 42,000 men, shown as follows:— !■■■■■ Gone'to the front , 27,000 For immediate training'..'.. 15,000

Total men raised ....... 42,000 In a recent analysis of New Zealand's !; —military .requirements, The Dominion assosstxl t'he country's net total of fit, (■/: single men at 90,000. Working; from tliafc basis, our now altered position may i bo re-examined.'- Tho examination injPv':.dicat«s. that our supply, of singlo men Pp \ is sufficient to last us till 'the middle P of ."tho year 1917. These are tho fig- • 'ures:— , Net total single men; ....... 90,000 Wen raised by end of 1915 42,000 Single men for future ... . 48,000 Wo are to send away 2500 men per . .. month from January onwards, so that . . our future efforts may be mapped out . • as follows :— January to end of 1916 ... 30,000 January, 1917, to July, 1917 17,500 " .47,500 ■'Add men raised to end 1915 42,000 ; . Men raised by July, 1917... 89,500 'The estimated number of fit, singlo .. men, therefore, seems Sufficient' to last p; till, and including July, 1917. • . So much for . the future.For the present the need' is as many men as i . can be obtained., The calling up of the ■October forces will about' deplete the p, CP registers of' recruits—and , 3500 men i 'C must go into: camp in November, and p.p2500 in December, and 2500; in every p'P following months These -urgent/ xe- •, quirements must be fulfilled, and the Defence authorities are perfectly confi- ! dent {bat.tho men will.be.secured..

It. is reckoned t'hat New "Zealand will now be doing as much as England. Here we aro asked for 2500 monthly; in England 30,000 weekly are required. In proportion to population these calls are about equal. li, , .

. Now Zealand has been the last part of the Empire to. lower its, standards.. In Australia, England, and Canada smaller men havo been accepted for, some time. The reduction of the standard height to_ sft. 2in., and the increaso of age limit from forty years to forty-five years, should considerably accelerate recruiting. While tho Defence authorities aro confident of getting t'he men, they know that the urgency of the need of men must be made quite clear, and it is understood that a great recruiting campaign will be undertaken very shortly.

The reserve!of men which New Zealand is to raise will number 1000, and it will be called up as part of the November force. 'Afterwards the reserve .■will sorvo to absorb men' who through :illness, etc., have missed considerable itrainiug, and to fill blanks caused by such men being delayed through being put into the Reserve.