BALLOTED MEN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3041, 30 March 1917, Page 7

BALLOTED MEN

OPERATION OF COMPULSION

1 SATISFACTORY RESULTS',

■i',ys m * 6 compulsory clauses.'of Hie Aulitary Service Act were being. put ..;taw operation tho recruiting authori- ■/■ pes had to fraino an estimate of the / proportion of fit, eligible mc-iiv available for. servic'Oj to bo found in any fciven. number of reservists -selected by .... ,the chance of tho ballot. Thoy decided to begin work, upon an assunip■iJ'Pn.tnst; one-third' of the men drawn |in tho ballot would be found available |4or: moluslon . m-the .Expeditionary. _ - jU. orces, and at each successive drawingIthey .havq provided 'the margin by' .'calling -up three times..tho iiumbor of , .Men actually required as recruits,' Tho ■''•5f P^r S?. I J, h ? t - aro Becoming, available as : S°r M fr' £ervico Boards and' tho WUedical Boards proceed i with their work and the drafts of recruits enter Jssmp indicate that the basis, of calcu-t :«ation wus approximately correct. Just ; about ono-third of tho balloted men aro(finding their way into tho camps, the '.: ioalamjo bojng accounted for by medical la-ejections, exemptions, and other less . JSmjvortant causes.. ■. , i ,weak point in the schemo/ in its karly stages, was that sufficient "nl'Jowaßce had not been made for tho delays ;that would take place in get--1n!? g -' 110I 10 fit Dal l°ted men into camp. : dne shortago of recruits in training ~ 'would havo disappeared quickly if a ;W Wof.tliD men .drawn in each ballot had mobilised within, a month of the drawing. ' Tho proportion of reservists who actually became available for service in tho time originally fallowed was very much smaller, and }!? ven , now < wit ' l °xtra..military service (aoards, arid medical boards at work, pnd with an expanded recruiting or- : igpnisation.to direct affairß, delays are (unavoidable. But this .trouble is not icumulative.: Tho stream of recruits tends to reach normal dimensions,' as Melayed L men from the early - ballots Slnake their., appearance at the mobilis- . .ling centra. . Drafts are entering the .jcamps each week, : and though the, Ijhorwge has not yet been wiped out,, > itneprospects may be'regarded as . 'satisfactory. . '■ ' I,'j , T^ a; attitiido. of New' Zealand's bal■jlotedmen, generally' speaking, leaves ;■:■ 'iittle ground for reproach.-: The vast : majority of the men accept, the posijftion. with apparent equanimity. Many iof.them exerciso their privilege of.'appealing, and support:their appeals for exemption or suspension by-all the aiteuments at their .disposal, but they fappear ready enough to accept'the deof the' boards iri the Unti. Re>Beryißts r whose appeals have' been dismissed, are entering tbe camps and tak- ; ang up .their training' with' th<i other Jsecruits. There is a small residuo of jmen unaccounted for, in each ballot list; .-.jwit.it.is' impossible'to know yet what (.proportion of those, men are actual jfesisters or Bhirkers. Failure to answer jShe call may mean that;.the reservist 'Concerned has not received his notice, tio change of address; that there ; •jfflas:been a mistake with regard to his: liname, or. even that he is already in .'fthe Ejqieditionary Force. Arrests and . , toroseeutidns are authorised, as'evidence .S>ecome9 availablV ius'tifyirig' thernj but 'j *ho.' 'washing.out"'; of; the , small rem- i - parit of .actual- dbfaultors' may prove a !Blow business. ;;. : '

J. When j the compulsory, system -began '#§ operate,- the. rules;governing the .tmedical" examination of rccruitß wore Relaxed, to; t.heje>cteiit.of ..admitting; to ; .teainp balloted men : whose fitness, might (be .regarded as in': some degree "dpubtjfcil. It was felt by-the authorities that M a reservist hadbeen drawn in I .the ijaUot" he, should be 'put into training W.there^ appeared to be any chance at - i & '!';'M. n «. fflakirig.goo'd. .This; arranger Bnent.m practice has not proved 'profit- • Sable.- The training both in New Zealand- and in the bases nearer the firing :3ine is so severe that it ir certain to .discover weak points, and the medical v standard;;--.therefore, -haB L J beeh\ tigbt;..tened- again;;-. Experience has- shown,' it ■imay-be.mentioned, that the' balloted .;men;as a body are not trying to evade -.service ■ -by •- misleading- tho ■ medical coards... The statements of most of ithe taen can bo taken at face value. •