OUR NEXT FORCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2598, 21 October 1915, Page 6

OUR NEXT FORCE

DISTRICT QUOTAS

WELLINGTON'S BIG gHARE FALL IN AUCKLAND The district quota . percentages for tlio Tenth Reinforcements, who are to . so into' camp, next month, woro issued yesterday. Tho percentages, are reckoned on tho basis of the latest registra- ; tion rotuniSj and ore as folloWs:— . "" ■ i v'.Aiick. Wgtn. Oant/Otasro. ' Mounted Hifles... 13.54 . 50.20 . 21.11 ,15.15 . Infantry 16.52' 44.84, 24:96 ,'13.68 ; , Artillery 18.5 : 45.57 22.65 .': 12.07 Engineers 24.64 ' 45.34 . 22.03 '8.06 Signallers ....... 33.33 t 41.19 21.56 : 3.92 ■A.S.O. .....: 28.98 36.36 . 21.59 ,13.07 ■ 'Ambulance 29.53 27.46 ~ 24.87 18.14 . Tlio force is tP be about' 3000 strong —somewhat smaller than was original- I • ]y ■ intended—and the district percentage are a surprise for very many. It (had previously been reported that the North Island would be called on for • over 80 per cent, of tlio force and the .South' Island for under twenty J p er 'cent., and that Wellington Military District would provide forty per ccnt of' , the total, and Auckland Military Disxrictj just over' 40 per cent. However" reckoning from the infantry (who • will number' 2000) and • the mounted •men (700),"t1ie' positions of the two is- ■ lands are, approximately:— Per- Jfen on ceatage Quota, popu- . Men .ofpopu-' per- lation actually lation. centage. called. Ifortli Island 56.4 62 . (1524 ,1673 . , South.' Island 43.6 38 1175 1027 . The chief "surprise is in vxmneerion with the Auckland Military. Disfcr.ct. In Auckland it was annouiucd that tlio quota ; for t'ho northern fl'strict-was / to be slightly over 40 per cuit. of the total force. Actually, respecting . the two maiir branches of the force, Auckland is called upon for 15.74 per cent. Realisation of the Auckland expectav tions or, more' than a- forty' per cent. quota.'would have* drawn ,1100 inm of ■ the 2700 from that district.,. The fact ij' theyi have 'been asked for 425 of tbe 2/00._ "Wellington is the only military district which is, being asked for more than its share according to. population.. T e nercentages of population , held in' tho four milit-ary distriots are :— Auckland IT.D. 24.7 • Wellington M.D L... 31.7 - Canterbury J[.D. 24.9 ' , Otago M.D. 18.5 ! On that basis the districts would sup-. ply:— -:: : y ■■■y.-M Infantry. Mounted. Total. 1 Auckland ........... 494 173 \ 667 Wellington- 634 ' ■■ ■; 222 ' 856 '■ «•••' Canterbury 498 ".■■■' 174 672 Otago 370 .129 ' .- 499 What'the' districts have been tasked' • 'to do is :— . , Infantry. Mounted. Total „• Auckland ' 330 95 425 Wellington 897 . 351 ; V 1248 . , Canterbury 499. . 148 647 Otago 274 , ' ICS , 380 , ' In infantry the districts are, there- . fore, doing more or. less than their population share, according ■ (roughly) to the following table: — More. Less. • Auckland ...i — , 164 •,.••• Wellington . ...... 263 < . Canterbury . • ' Otago — 96 A similar table regarding themounted branch shows:— More. Less. Auckland ; — i 78 i Wellington - 129' , Canterbury — 26 .Otago ! — 23 = '•' Regarding the 2700 for both:: brail- ," plies, district' figures.show:—

. ■ More. XieSs. Auckland . —. 242 Wellington ... 392 — Canterbury — £5 . Otago ............ - 119 • For these two principal branches the position is:—; Population Actual Quote, quota. Auckland 1... 667 :425 Wellington ........... 856 ,1248 Canterbury 672 647 1 • . Otago' .c. '499 : 380 The Wellington district's percentage of mounted nien is higher on this occa-. sion tlian it has previously been, but its infantry' quota is not quite so high -as was its infantry quota for the Eighth Reinforcements. For the' Eighth thedistrict percentages for the 'two main, branches were:— Auck. Wetn. Cant. |Itounted Eifles... 18.62, 48.97 19.23 1313 Infantry 26.57 47.33 13.61 12.29 Tlie quotas for t'lie v Ninth_ Reinforcements and the extra battalions of the Ride Brigade were: — : ' Unit. Auck. Wetn. Cant. Otaqo. Mounted Eifles... 21.27 37.29 26.70 14 74 Infantry 28.60 36.57 ' 22.81 •• 11.82 It .is interesting to observe that out <of a little over 10,500 .men for the last tihree forces raised- (Btli Reinforcements, infantry for 9tli and extra battalions, and 10th infantry and mounted) the districts have been called on approximately as follow Ancklaud 2695 Welliriatoni ■ 4420 Canterbury ....... j()85 Otago 1330