THE CALL FOR MEN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2888, 28 September 1916, Page 6

THE CALL FOR MEN

SHORTAGE EXCEEDS 500 COMPULSION WILL BE ■ NECESSARY EVERY DISTRICT HAS FAILED The shortage in the recruits for the •Twenty-first Reinforcements now stands at 509 men. Supplementary drafts' from the various districts went into camp on Tuesday, as directed, by Defence Headquarters, but tlioy totalled fewer than 150 men, as against tho shortage previously reported of about 640 men. Each of the military districts failed to provide a full quota, and only three of tho groups succeeded in finding the number of men required of •thorn. The rejection of 31 recruits on medical grounds after their arrival in camp swelled the shortage. The position of tho various districts is shown in the following table, issued by Defence Headquarters yesterday:— AUCKLAND DISTRICT. Sent ExGroup. (Juofca. .in. cess. Short. City 273, 287 14 ' — Paeroa 109 64 — 45 AVhangarei ... 101 82 — 19 Hamilton 154 94 — 60 Totals 637 527- 14 124 WELLINGTON DISTRICT. City 248 211 — 37 Palmerston N. 173 125 — 48 Napier 152 148 . — 4 Masterton .... 113 67 — -46 Hawera 167 93 — 74 Totals ...:., 853 644 — 209 CANTERBURY DISTRICT. City 184 195 11 — Timaru 119 87 — 32 Kaiapoi 90 *89 — 1 Greymoutli ... 85 34 — 51 Nelson 81 77 — 4 Totals '559 482 11 S8 OTAGO DISTRICT. Dunedui 132 116 ■— ~ 16 Invercargill, ... 117 ' 82 — 35 Oamaru ?.... 87 47 — 40 Milton 67 76 9 — Totals ...... 403 ' 321 9 91 Grand totals 2452 1974, 34 512 These figures give a Dominion shortage of 475, which was increased to 509 by tho medical rejections.

Enlistments for tho Twenty-first Reinforcements ceased in the. groups on Tuesday, tho announcement, being made that belated men could not he accepted for tho draft. Tt "-was stated yesterday, however, that Headquarters would allow men to proceed to camp for the Twenty-first Reinforcements during tho present week. The groups will bo ready to receive the registrations of men who aro ready to proceed to camp at once, and probably tho shortage will bo reduced to some extent by this moans. But the completion of the draft by voluntary enlistment appears to bo impossible, owing to the lack of response to the appeals already made by tho Recruiting Board, and other stops are to bo taken as quickly as possible. \ , Compulsion Necessary. Clause 35 of tho Military Service Act will be put into operation to secure tho first draft of conscripts for tho Now Zealand Expeditionary Force. • Tho clause reads as follows: — "If tho Minister of Defence is satisfied with respect to any family that it consists of or includes two or moro brothers \\vbo belong to tho First Division of tho Reserve, and arc not permanently unlit for military service, he may give or cause to bo given notice to all or any of thoso brothers to show cause before a Military .Service Board why they should not bo called up for service with tho Expeditionary Force." A man who is called up under this section is allowed ten days in which to place an appeal before tho Military Board. If ho docs not appeal, or if, on appeal, he does not prove to tho satisfaction of tho board that ho should be exempted, ho becomes a member of tho Expeditionary Forco at once, and will bo taken into camp for training. Notices under this clause of tho Military Service Act aro to be sent out as quickly as possible to somo hundreds of men whose names havo been noted already by the Defence authorities. The Military Boards are now in existence, arid it may be possible to get some men into camp under tho clause within a fortnight or so. , The Defence authorities Jiopo to bo in a position by tho end of next month to tako tho first ballots among tho members of tho First Division of the Expeditionary Forco Reserve, if there should then bo a shortage of recruits. Present indications are that voluntary onlistments will not complete the 22nd Reinforcements next month, though conditions

will bo improved materially by tho new system of attestation, ensuring that men who hav.o registered will bo actually available when their draft mobilises. Wellington Recruits. The now recruiting office in the Town Hall dealt with a number of additional recruits yesterday under the now system. All tho men who registered for the. first time' were handed warrants for one day's pay at" Expeditionary Forco rates (55.), and those who were passed as fit by tho medical officers were formally attested at once. The pay warrants can be converted into cash at any post office. The men who havo been accepted for service under the new system in Group 5 (Wellington City and Suburbs) include the following:— S. Carkeek, farrier,' City. J. Chance, labourer, Newtown. L. P. Davics, dental surgeon, City. C. P. Eteveneaux, motorman, City. 35. D. IT. Heaton, clerk, Lower Hutt. L. M. Hyams, draughtsman, City. J. Murphy, labourer, City. A. C. Palmer, motorman, City. P. J. P>oss, seaman, Eastbourne. C. It. Chapman, clerk, City. C. L. Collins, clerk, City. P. C. Davics, labourer, City. K Mnekinnon. sailor, City. P. Marshall, clerk, City. — D. G.- Stirratt, warehouseman, Hataitai.

1 ; —" The local Hugby season, will bo wound up on Saturday next, when a special match will be played ut Athletic Park between a 'Wellington representative tonm and -a 'team from' FeatherBton Camp, representing tho Specialist Company in the camp, a team vcliioh. to date has played some eighteen matches without oncu being defeated. Tho Wellington team, which consists throughout of players under the ago of twenty, is as follows: M'Arthur (Poneke),, O'Sullivan (Varsity), Caulton (Old Boys), Coles (Petono), Pratt (Oriental), Smith (Selwyu), Green (Athletic), Parker (Petone), Scott (Old Uoys), Baker (Poneke), M'Kenna (Varsity), Dillon (Wellington), Spencer (Athletic), Poulter (Oriental), Shearer (Selwyn); emergencies, Haigh (Wellington) Iloaro (Selwyn), Jackson (Varsity), Thomas (Petone). Tho full team as above is asked to attend the Athletic Gymnasium at 8 o'clock tonight. Some additional interest will be lent to tho gamo by the appearance as referee of Chaplain-Captain Mullineux, who will bo remembered as captain of one of the finest English teams wihich ever visited Australasia and who is at present doing duty at the Featherston Camp,