RECRUITING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2922, 7 November 1916, Page 6

RECRUITING

PROGRESS OP .THE CAMPAIGN

OPERATION OF CLAUSE 35

Several hundreds of appeals from men who have received notices under Clause 35 of tho Military Service Act aro now in tho hands of tho Defence authorities. Tho appeals are coming to hand rapidly, and) it is clear that there is going to he plenty of work for tho Military Service Boards. Tho chief ground for appeal appears to be "undue hardship," though physical unfitness is alleged by a number of the men. Notices under Clause 35 are still being sent out, as the names of additional men believed' to fall within the scope of the clause are recorded by the Defence Department.

Dates for the sittings' of tho Military Service Boards have not vet been fixed. The Medical Boards constituted under the Military Service Act ere beginning their work this week. Sittings willbe held in Palmersten North and Christc'hurch to-day for tho hearing of applications for exemption on tho grounds of physical unfitness. Many men appear to bo under the impression still that if thoy can prove physical unfitness for service with tho Expeditionary Forces thoy will be relieved from further liability. That is not the case. The Act provides for service of any kind connected with tho war, and a man who has been summoned under the compulsory clauses of tho Act and who is found to be unfit in a military sense may still be required to undertako homo service if the Defenco Department has use for him.

■ Protests have been made in. somo quarters against tho decision of. tho Recruiting Board to close voluntary recruiting for the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Reinforcements on Saturday next, November 11. It has been urged that this deoision will prevent volunteers getting into camp at short notice at any time between November. 11 and the end of December, since men enlisting during that period will r.ot be eligible for a draft earlier than the Twenty-fifth Reinforcements, due {o mobiliso-in January. This difficulty has been considered by tho Defence authori-

ties, but the alternative of open enlistment appears to involve confusion. The object of closing voluntary recruiting for the Twenty-fourth Reinforcements When the Twenty-third Reinforcements are about to be mobilised is to allow a

full month for ascertaining the prospective shortage, taknig a ballot find notifying the selected members of the First Division. If volunteers worn accepted, for the Twenty-fourth Reinforcements during tSe latter' part of this month and the beginning of next month', ithe extent of the shortages would not be known until the draft entered camp, and then there would be several weeks'' delay in filling it. A possibility remains that a ballot will not be required this month. The shortago in the Twenty-second Reinforcements was reduced last week, and the number of men required next week for the Twenty-third Reinforcements and the. accumulated shortage will be 2385. Reports from the districts indicate that probably not fewer than 1100 recruits for the Twenty-third Reinforcements had been attested up to Saturday evening, leaving vacancies for over 1200 men. A vigorous recruiting campaign is being prosecuted in all the groups this week, and a certain number of men, possibly some hundreds, will become available' within the next week or so, owing to the operation 'of Clause 35.

_ "It is only fair, in view of the adoption of, conscription," writes a correspondent, "that the centres that are behind in the relative contributions of recruits should be made to make g< od their deficit in recruits before the other centres are called upon for further quotas under conscription." . The point raised by the correspondent is covered

to a large_ extent by the new arrangement, of district quotas. The prepara-

tion of the roll of the Expeditionary Force Reserve has shown how many men of ■military age are residing in each group. The quotas are based upon the numbers of reservists of the First Division. A group that has done less

than its share in the past will have a comparatively largo number of. these reservists remaining, and so will have a larger quota, in proportion to population, than the district which has alleady given very freely of its men. The contributions" of the various groups, under this system* will tend to adjust themselves on a fair basis. Wellington Enlistments. The recruiting campaign that is being conducted in Group 5 ("Wellington City and ' Suburbs) by non-commissioned officers of the permanent staff is making its effect felt at the Town Hall Recruiting Office, where some improvement in tho rate of enlistment is shown. The following additional recruits have been attested: — AV. P. AVest, carpenter, City. • V. Hobbs, cook, City. '' .T. C. Devlin, clerk, City.

T. S. Thompson, clerk, City. A. .T. Pirie, accountant, Citv. .). J. Randall, tailor, City. 15. C. B. Dickson, clerk, City. O. F. M. Anderson, litter, Petone. .1. Anketoll, farmer, City. Y. 0. P. Beck, warehouseman, Island Bay. AV. L. Brown, engineer. City. AV. M. Craig, clerk, City. •AV. Collard, farm hand, Paekakariki. R. Chew, engineer, AVaitara. E. Franklin, accountant, City. H. G. Hadlield, clerk, City. If. Hamilton, clerk, City. H. C. Hemus, chemist, City. R. Holland, compositor, Brooklyn. M. A. R. Inglis, farm hand, Lower Hutt.

T. Lewis, seaman. City. A. AV. Lewer, baker, City. AY. Reid, dairymau, City. V. 0. iDysart. surfaceman, City: 0. Strom, seaman, City. T. Turner, motorman, Island Bay. M. A. Tremewan, teacher, Shannon. ,T. Macdonald, labourer, Petone. J. Thorpe, miner, Petone. G. F./AVilliams, carpenter, City. T. AA'ilson,-storeman', City. R. AVatkins, clerk, City. E. V. A r incent, motor engineer, City.