THE FIRST DIVISION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2914, 28 October 1916, Page 10

THE FIRST DIVISION

80,000 MEN FOR THE BALLOT

ADJUSTING THE QUOTAS

The preparation of the roll of the Expeditionary Force Reserve has reaohed an advanced stage, and • the Government Statistician is in* a position now to state that thcro are 92,000 jiames in the list of members of' tho Piret Division, consisting of the unmarried men of military age, widowers without children, and men married since May 1, 1916.' But this list, based upon the National Register, includes men who enlisted in tho Twelfth. Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Sixteenth, and Twenty-second Reinforcements, as well ob men who have been attested since September 25. The checking off of these names is proceeding, and it is estimated that whon tho work is Qleted tho roll of the First Division will contain about 80,000 names. Tho quotas of men for future Reinforcements aro to be based upon tho proportions of reservists of tho First Division in the various recruiting districts, A district that has a largo proportion of . these reservists will have a, large quota, while a district that has few members of tho First Division loft will have its contribution assessed accordingly. The quotas for the November Reinforcements have been worked.out upon, this system, and as was anticipated somo important changes in the relative contributions or tho districts have resulted._ Tho goneral tendency has been to increase the North Island allotments and decrease the South Island allotments, thus proving that the southern districts, which havo had heavy shortages of late, have had smaller proportions of men available than the'northern districts. Tho effect of tho new quotas is illnstated by tho figures prepared in connection with the Twenty-third Reinforcements, which will be mobilised next month. This draft will be called up on the new basis, and the ii"n> ber of men required from tho Wellington Military District, for example, will bo increased by over 130 in consequence of the change, while Canterbury's share will'bo reduced by 100. The following table shows the number of men that would haro been required from each district for tho Twenty-third Reinforcements if the old quotas had been maintained, and also the number of men that will be required now that the quotas are based unon the actual numbers of members of tho First Division: —

DISTRICT. , ! OH Now Group. ' quota, quota. 1 (Auckland City) .... 318 282 2 (Paeroa)' 90 76 8 (Whamtarei) 64 77 4 (Hamilton) 61 130 17 (Rotorua) •• 22 4 0 1 555 610

WELLINGTON DISTRICT. 5 (Wellington City) 155 217 6 (Palmerston N.) : 121. 109 7 (Napier) • 63 78 8 (Hawera) , 103 134 18 (Masterton) 77 138 19 (Gisbome) .; .>..). 69 92 20 (Wanganui) ,104 61 ~.,., 692 829 CANTERBURY DISTRICT. 9 (Christchurch) 256 : 183 10 (Timaru) . 128 133 11 (Rangiora) 89 99 12 (Nelson) ;...;... 101 81 21 (Greymouth) ....108 86 ' 682 582 OTAGO DISTRICT. 13 (Dunedin) 259 158 14 (Inveroargill). ........... 162 161 15 (Oamaru) 81 86 16 (Milton) .-..., 44 49 . 546 454

Grand totals 2475 2475 Tho reservists of the First Division at present on the list are distributed as follows among tie military districts: -Auckland, 23,516; Wellington, 31,764; Canterbury, .21,662; Otago, 16,043. This makes a.total of 92,985, but that number, as already explained, has to be reduced by some 13,000 men who,have already enlisted,-but whose names have not yet been checked. The groups forming the Wellington military district contains the following number of reservistg of the First Division:— Group 5 (Wellington City and Suburbs), 9102; Group (Palmerston North), 4510; Group 7 (Napier), 3518; Group 8 (Hawera), 4482; Group 18 (Masterton), 3883; Group 19 T(Gisbome), 3044; Group 20 (Wanganui), 3225. The conscript drafts that will bo raised during the next few months will be taken entirely .from among tho members of the First Division, and the figures above show in the rough the mrmbers of men who are ■ liable to' bo -drawn in tho ballots, : The numbers of men actually available for service in the Expeditionary Force will be very much smaller, since'the total includes tho medically unfit and also all fc'i'o men who. will be. able to secure exemption in some form. The proportion of medically unfit is bound to be very high, since the Reserve includes all the men who have already volunteered for service and have been rejected, as well as the men whose infirmities have been obvious enough to prevent their volunteering. But it is expected that the residue of fit and available men will exceed 20,444. _ . If this proves the case, tho First Division can provide the recruits required for tho next nine or ten months at the present Tate of reinforcement!