THE PROGRESS OF RECRUITING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3042, 31 March 1917, Page 10

THE PROGRESS OF RECRUITING

, News artioles dealing with .• the recruiting position in the, Dominion which we havepublished during the lasfc. fow dav3 make very pleasant reading.- The state -of : affairs disclosed not only-falsifies whatever gloomy predictions were advanced by opponents of the Military Servco Act whcn ; that measure was introduced, but is oven better than the most optimistic I : supporters, of Sbo Act could have ventured to anticipate; Perhaps.' the. .best feature of all is that although .the ballot system is now-working smoothly and well, a considerable proportion of the recruits, required for the periodical drafts are still being obtained' by voluntary enlistment. Figures lately published _make it very clear that the ballot is far from having killed voluntary enlistment. For instance, enough volunteers have been attested for the Thirtieth draft to .cpvbr nearly. oncrhalf of its total strength,' and the. list is not yetclosed. Evon if it is assumed that many of the men now volunteering are doing so in preference to awaiting, their turn in the ballot, the existing state of affairs is iu the

' highest degree creditable and satisfactory, and vindicates tho conteu- . tion that the Military Service Act in working operation is not so much a measure of compulsion as one of regulation. Another pleasing feature of the situation is the state of efficiency to which the recruiting, sys-. tern has now been raised, and the spirit in which the men on whom the lot of service falls are ing to the call. When the compulsory provisions, of the Military Service Act were first enforced,, a cor-, tain amount of '- confusion ' arose, which was perhaps excusable on account of the novelty of the system and the complex'prohlems of administration which it raised. "Delays' occurred in sending recruits into camp which laid the recruiting' authorities in some respects open to criticism; and. for-a time it 'was feared that..tho problem of the.-de-faulter might assume serious proportions. In the event this apprehension has proved to be unfounded,* a/nd the recruiting system has now .been v tuned up to a. state of efficiency for which' du6 credit -must be' paid to the authorities concerned. There, is still a shortage to be overtaken in order that reinforcement may be maintained on the scale laid down, but it is. not a shortage of serious dimensions, and no doubt it will be speedily wiped out. '■ The shortage, at all events, is.no longe,r cumulative. Recruits are nb'w entering camp punctually' in the numbers required to maintain successive drafts. '

The problem .of the defaulter, though it exists, and has some difficult features, has proved in. working experience to be of negligible proportions. The residue of men unaccounted for in each ballot list is small, and. it is a,' point to be kept in mind that this residue cannot be taken . to. coincide .with • the number of actual fesisters* or shirkers. Confusion of names, as : whoii a-man'on one occasion-uses his middle name and on ; another leaves ..it out,, .and failure, to notify' changes of address,', account'in some 'cases''.'.for 7 failure' to locate men drawn in' the ballot. -A factor of which•• account must be taken is that.Bome of the mon who fail to respond.to the ballot call'have the good and sufficient excuse.'that they are already in camp -ori.at the front. In the circumstances the. recruiting authorities are under the necessity.of winnowing out the actual defaulters by careful investigation, arid the number of these men-is,, and seems likely to be, very small. That a few men attempt to evade service is after all tho least conspicuous feature of the recruiting scheme whioh is now working so well, .arid, it is quite overshadowed by the fact that the great-majority of the balloted men aocept the position readily and cheerfully'. It would be most unfair to draw, distinctions between these men and those who enlist voluntarily. The actual distinction in very many cases is not one of individual spirit or patriotism, but solely one of material circumstances and responsibilities. As a whole the position disclosed in this third and possibly decisive year of tho war is/that the Dominion is still doing its part, so.far as fecruiting is concerned, "(freely, spontaneously, and in a' manner which is creditable to its manhood and to tho mothers, and wives who yield 'their sons and husbands to defend the'; State. While there can,be no-thought of instituting invidious comparisons between'Volunteors'.and the-balloted, men 1 -who Avait 'their-turn, 7 -as- theya're perfectly entitled" to ■ 'continuedbuoyfLricy": ofvoluntary ire-, cruitmg is a signal proof that the people of New Zealand are determined to do their part in the war without faltering until victory-' is won. '