HOW MANY. MEN"?

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3100, 2 June 1917, Page 7

HOW MANY. MEN"?

KEW ZEALAND'S OBLIGATIONS. The Wellington Second Division League .'s asking the Government for information regarding, the commitments of New Zealand in. connection with the Expeditionary Force and the strength of the Reinforcement drafts. Much of the information is already available in official records, and ha 3 been published in the newspapers from time to time. Among the league's questions are the following: . What number of men has the Government promised the Imperial authorities on behalf of New Zealand? What is-the strength of the main bodies to be maintaincd t in all fields? • '■■■■ What is the number of men for ' each Reinforcement? ' Is any limit to be placed on the , total number of men to ho sent from New Zealand? • New Zealand's original undertaking was to maintain a main body of 7T61 men" for the duration of the war.. That Force. was offered and accepted at the beginning of the war, when the Imperial, recruiting authorities were talking in hundreds of thousands instead of in millions, ■ and long before the Empire at large had'Tealised the full magnitude of thd effort that would be required to secure victory. The Main Body was swelled by additions as circumstances demanded, and when the Gallipoli campaign closed, New Zealand was maintaining Reinforcements on a force of l£ooo men.

Subsequently the New Zealand Division was formed. The Division contains nearly 21,000 men, and in addition, there is the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade and some attached units, amounting to about 1800 men." Thus New Zealand has to maintain Boinforceraentis now on. a Force of ratliei' more than. 22,000 men. The percentage rate of Keinforcemont is ii'ot as "great as it was in the case of the original Main Body; and'the number of men required to "be sent away fromNew. Zealand: in each four-weekly period is in the neighbourhood of 2200. . ••-.-• The' Minister of Defence has stated moi-e- than onco that no limit has be.en ? laced on." the number of men to be sent rom Now Zealand. The Dominion.Government is no better able than the Imperial Government to say how long the war will last, imd how many men wTTI be required to complete the work the Empire, has .taken., in. hand. But the utterances, of the.'Ministers on tho point has'rnade it quite.clear that the . New Zealand .Government proposes ■ to keep the New. Zealand Expeditionary Force in the field until the close of the war. The obligation in that Tespect must be plain to everybody, and its discharge will necessitate. tb'e maintenance of Eeinforceraents. . ■