OUR EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2629, 26 November 1915, Page 6

OUR EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

AUSTRALIA'S NEW EFFORT

NO REQUEST TO NEW ZEALAND

PRIME MINISTER'S STATEMENT

Some speculation was aroused yesterday by the cable messago that Australia proposed to raise 60,000 additional men for te'rvice at the front. It was suggested that possibly some similar communication had come to tho New Zealand Government. In a statement made to tho Press yesterday, tho Primo Minister denied this most emphatically.

"I have received no communication on the subject, either from the Imperial Government or the Government of the Commonwealth," Mr. Massey stated. "There,is no secrecy about the matter so far as the New Zealand Government is concerned. We have entered into a definite _ agreement with : the Imperial authorities with regard to the supply of troops from • this • country, and according to the figures available that arrangement has, 011. a population basis, kept this country well ahead of the other Dominions. For instance, Mr. Asquith, speaking on November 3, said Canada had contributed 96,000 officers and tiion, Australia. 92,000, and New Zealand _ 25,000. Since that date another reinforcements and two new battalions had gone from here, and probably also from Canada and Australia, but the proportion would most likely remain- tho Barao. We have sent to the' front 31,000 men; if that is a fair proportion for our population, then Australia's proportion would be 150,000, and Canada's over 200,000. According to the telegram iu yesterday morning's paper, Australia's - quota is 9500 men monthly. I may point- out that New Zealand's is 2500 per month. • At the same rate as New Zealand's, Australia's draft would have been 12,600 monthly. "I do not like these comparisons, and I am not finding fault with the other Dominions, beeauso I ani of opinion that our duty is not to be gauged by what we have done or what we propose, to do, but by our capacity to assist the Empire in the present crisis, and all the Dominions have done well. I desire, however, to meet the criticism of that section of the New Zealand Press which seems to take pleasure in 'belittling everything done in this Dominion. "What New Zealand' has done has given the most complete satisfaction to the Imperial authorities, who have the best of reasons 'for knowing that New Zealand will respond to every call that liiay be made. Just now we are waiting for the result of the war census, on which so much depends. In the meantime, I congratulate Australia on its ,most recent offer, and sincerely hope the Government of the' Commonwealth will bp successful in finding the men they are asking for." !