THE SECOND BALLOT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2953, 13 December 1916, Page 4

THE SECOND BALLOT

NAMES TO BE PUBLISHED THIS WEEK.. The second ballot under the Military] Service Act was completed yesterday, the drawing proceeding more rapidly than had been expected. The firsV marble was drawn by the presiding Magistrate, Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, as few minutes after 9 a.m, and the lastf. was drawn by tha Mayor of Wellington, Mr. J. P. Luke, shortly before 6 p.m. During the intervening period; some 3000 cards had been lifted by tha processes of the ballot, and the names on. these cards will be published later) in the week as an indication to the/ men concerned that they are required for service _ with the Expeditionary: Forces. This number is far in excess of the number of recruits actually re-* quired for tho Twenty-fifth Reinforcements, but a big margin has to be al4 lowed! for exemptions and medical re-> jectiona.

Eighteen Tecruiting districts werw concerned in the ballot, three districts t namely, No. 1 (Auckland City and SuV urbs), No. 12 (Nelson), and No. 171 (Bay of Plenty), having provided theirj full quotas by voluntary enlistment.No. 19 (Gisborne) required only a few) men to complete its quota, and fell ouK of -the ballot early in the morning; No. 8 (Hawera) was the next district) to be reported full. The ballot proceeded much, more rapidly than it badf done when the machinery devised by] the Government Statistician was being; used for the first time. The draws foR lowed one another in rapid succession, and most of them were lucky in th* sense of producing a substantial num-r her of "live" cards. At 5.30 p.m. 3l! additional names were required, seven for No. 2 district (Paeroa) and 24 fort No. 16 (Milton). Several draws were* required to complete the operation. It is expected that the names of the} men drawn for service will be available for publication on Friday or Saturday of this week. They hav* still to he checked by the Magistrate and the Government Statistician, but this parti of the work will proceed' rapidly.