RECRUITING'

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2925, 10 November 1916, Page 6

RECRUITING'

THE MAYOR ON TUB SITUATION. Discussing the recruiting campaign in Wellington yesterday, the Mayor (Mr. J.'P. Luko) said that people wero apt, when considering the present position, and when shortages were mentioned to overlook the splendid response that had been made in the past. He wished to express his very great appreciation of the way in which the young men .of the community had come forward. They had made the record of the ctiy a highly creditable one, and had shown -that their patriotic sentiment was not mero sentiment, but the kind of feeling which expressed itself in sacrifice. The City Council, for its part, had encouraged recruiting to the full'extent, and had where, possiblo given tho assistance which would enable young men to offer their services. For tho local bodies of Wellington aiid the surrounding district tho Mayor felt ho could say that they were as anxiouß to heir) now as thoy had' been in the past if a way wero open to them. They had ceascd their activties in tho way of public meetings only when it became evident that such gatherings would no longer accomplish the purpose for which .they Wero intended. The appeal now to ,be mad? was not to groups,of men, but to individuals. Yet he, in common with other public men, never let slip an opportunity of emphasising tlie urgency of tho call to service'.

Even now, the Mayor _ continued, numbers of men were coming forward, feeling that the, time had arrived when they should fulfil their obligations. This showed that there was still a dosire to carry on tho voluntary recruiting, apart altogether from the fact that tho Military Service Act was on the Statute Book, and would, according o the Government announcement, be put into operation shortly. Quite a number of these men, the Mayor knew, were married, and had hitherto been of the opinion that until the single men had been fully drawn upon there was up real claim upon their services. In numerous cases he had had t6 point out to men with family obligations that their home duties were paramount for the present, since, if •, they enlisted, they ■ would leave behind a considerable number of dependents. "So far as I can judge the position," the Mayor stated, "there is, as I have said before, this factor which, cannot bo overlooked. The Military Service Act is on the Statute Book, and the Government has stated it will be put into operation very shortly. There are numbers of cligiblo men quite willing to serve, and merely waiting for the call to come to them in a definite and unmistakable way through the machinery of the Act. Make the path clear for thorn, and they, will tread it." 'J'be Mayor stated that.his attention had been directed to the time taken in connection with the attestation of men at tho recruiting office. He had communicated with Major Corrlgan on the subject, and urged him fo strengthen his staff if necessary to- expedite the work. The fact that men were paid for the day did not compensate some of them for loss of time. They were volunteering for patriotic reasons, not for the money they received, and it was nnl.v fair to them that .they should be dealt with as quicklv as possible.. so that loss of time would not cause them inconvenience in their business. He acknowledged that the attestation form was one which required some time to complete, but in order to have the work dispatched quickly it would be better to strengthen the office staff with returned soldiers, if the regular officers had to be taken awav for other duties.