THE POSTAL APPEAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2770, 13 May 1916, Page 7

THE POSTAL APPEAL

•-.'Wi AfGOOD RESPONSE, " \ •. , Tlie energy,.that-,is. being- put into tKs work, of ..gainio'g" recruits in Wellington. - has' had a salutary "effecfc on the-number. of enlistments'at the Town Hall;.' Priori ■ to the past week men,'have, been enrolled : • at-the rate of'aboiif ten r per day,: but; the .< recent activity ' oftlie local Recruiting Committee, coupled, no doubt, with "the. news that tlie Government intend at air • .early date to bring down a Bill-providing , for compulsory servioe (if not enforcing: it) has. wakened np-the man eligible'fear, service. Oil Saturday last 39 men were: enlisted at the,, Town Hall,, on/Monday, - 39, on Tuesday 32, oii Wednesday" 45, and yesterday (a cold/ wet day) about SO. The Rccruiting Committee lias finished ! ' its task of issuiug 13,000 recruiting- cards to those men in Wollington who are eligJ ible and' who liave already filled in tha •. National Register cards. Curiously, , enough, a number of men who have,re j ■ oeived these cards liaye replied by ecrawlw .- ing across, the - card, Bueh i lines as:''".All i particulars in National Register,".'2 or,

"See National Register card," showing that a great many, people were linger the impression that such, information' as they, gave the Government through the medium'; of the National Register cards . was. to be used by the authorities'when tfie.'matter of rounding; up recruits became, sin; urgent one, and not treated from,a-milk' tary point, of view.-as tial." To such people as are/resenting; the receipt of the card en which."'lb: 6et forth the same information as was ftiyen! to'-tho public a'few months ago,it ia pointed out that such information,:is being ■; treated as confidential, otherwise the committee would not go to the troubln. of 'issuing, cards. The :committee . want the information because it uec-ds recruits, and having the required information, will! Ik> able to push on.'with the:work they, have set their hands to.

A. considerable of the cards already returned (somo (\00) are those of! "physically unfits." This, however, does not dispose altogether of such men,/who later on will perhans be called upon to show, the. cause of their- unfitness'... s -v One person from the suburbs wrote two pagas of . answer, on the .typewriter, indignant tliot lie.should be approached when li!f had a wife and five children to support- All, the, arguments, used .by the writer were good mid sufficient, -but tho committee urge that lie should remember that whilst, in one sense the request for information is personal, in another it;,is impersonal and national, and that nothing ■unreasonable is expected from the man with heavy family, responsibilities. ■

. "I .liave'five good reasons for nof.en.' lining," wrote another, "a wife and.four children." .'

Another ' man replied tellimr the„;lscmuting Committee 'to ' "mind .business," .which'"is 'precisely what" it;ia cknnß in issuing these cards. i .Moro. Jliijn one wrote in lo- theVoonw miltee stating that lie was; -the sol*'support of his widowed mother, and ;did "not intend .to. enlist until she was gi.ve.nUbo separation allowance that a 'read's vrifa would get. ' .IXC*--,