THE NEXT DRAFT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2648, 20 December 1915, Page 6

THE NEXT DRAFT

FRESH QUOTA BASIS NATIONAL REGISTER USED ' DISTRICT SHARES - - ' £ Still another new quota basis las ? been'introduced by the military, and it c has already been put into operation.' for a the calling up of the 12th Reinforcojnents, who go into oamp in the middle of January. For the new basis the Na- j tional Register has been used. The districts have been called upon to supply the percentage of the total draft which agrees with their percentage of mon of I military age who filled in national registration cards. The percentages of ( men of military age in -the military districts according to the compilers of the I register are: — Auckland Military District 27 i Wellington Military District ....... 38.8 Canterbury Military District- 23.2 1 Otago Military District 16; Those are the percentages of the 12th 5 Roinforcements which the districts have bean requested to forward. They I are considered fairer than population t percentages, and they are reckoned, to 'be reliable, because the Statistician es- i timates that very few men of military t age "have failed to return a card. t It is understood that the 12th will be 1 about 2220 strong, and that the districts will supply men in the following i numbers: — 1 Auckland 599 J Wellington .... 761 • 1 Canterbury . 615 1 Otago 355 Dominion total 2,220 Tho present position of the Wellington Military District is remarkable. There are now enough men on the recruits' registers in the district_ to fill the district quota of the 12th Reinforcements, who are to go, into camp in . the middle of January. Yet the district , has not found its quota for.the 11th draft, which was due in camp last week. Moreover, the 10th Reinforcement is not full, and Wellington has not sent all the men asked of it for that draft. Wellington, of course, sent more than its quota for. the 10th, but has not made up all the shortages it was asked to..' . The state' of the district's books at tho end of last week was: Total fit".. 1,403 Not yet examined 368 -. Total registrations 1,771 Of the 1403 fit, 1119 are availablefor tho 12tli Reinforcements, who go into camp in the middle of January, and 284 are available for the 13th Reinforcements. . 1 The men registered for the various arms number as follow: Avail- Week's able N.G.O.'s reTotal for Not wa.it- jeeiflt.. Jan. examd.ing. tions. Mounted 233 173 79 38 6 ArtiUery ...... 263 222 25 35 4 Engineers 119 I 103 6 27 — Signallers ...... -29 26 1 11 — Infantry ....... 452 345 ■ 221 91 36 A.b!o, 11l 94 17 '15 - 2 Ambulance ... 122 91 • 8 11 1 HcspitalsMp... 25 24 1.2 — Veterinary ... 19 15 1 1 I Skilled ' tunnellers ... 11. 10 4 — Unskilled . ' ■ tunnellers ... • 2 2 4 — — Pay Corps ...... J 'J ~ Maoris ......... 12. 12 2 Samoa Belief... 1 1 — . Total .' 14C3 1119 , 368 . 232 51 The men registered in the five groups as fit and available for the n«xt force a/re 5 6 ,7 7a 8 T'l. Mounted. 27 .39 38 49 20 . 173 Artillery 152' 15 23 22 10 222 Engineers ....... ,61. 16. .8 6 12., 103 Signallers .... 12 •; -9 - ''-J ' 8 — 26 •Infantry 39 97 72 74 63 345 A.S.O. 38 .25 15 .7 .9 94 : Ambulance ...... 50 19 11 8 3 91 Group 5 is Wellington Oity and Suburbs, Group 6 ■ Manawatu.. and Wanganjn, 7 ILawke's Bay and Poverty Bay, 7a Waira- , rapa, and 8 Taranaki. The quotas, which the groups ore to supply for the Twelfth Eeinforoements are:— . • \ 5 6 1 7a 8 T'l. Mounted . ....... » 26 25 19 26 132 'Artillery 15 11 10 8 11 55 Engineers 8 1 f J' J » Sieuallera •«••• 2/2 1 2i. 1- 8 lSiy|. 134 101 » 67 101 493 A.S.O. .' | \. ■ \ f. .» Ambulance 5 3 i i t » . Total 204 153 138 104 152 751 A comparison of the numbers of infantry required, with the numbers scoured, shows ■ the groups In. the following light:— Ecauired. Secured. Short. Orer. City 134. ;39 95 - 'Jlanawatu ... 101. 97 4 Hawke's Bay... 90 ' ■ MB ~ 5 ° Wairarapa °! 'J • . Taranaki 101 . 208 ■ 107 Total 493 . '566 .99 '172 . Net shortage,. 73; It will be observed that- these figures . show the City to be in the, weakest position, and -Taranaki and Hawke s Bay to be in very good, positions.