THE TENTH BALLOT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3144, 24 July 1917, Page 6

THE TENTH BALLOT

POSTPONED A MONTH

URGENT BUSINESS DELAYS STATISTICIAN

The drawing of the tenth ballot has been, postponed a month, arid the tenth and eleventh ballots are to bo drawn together. The Government. Statistician lias repor'cd to the Minister of Defence that owing to the extraordinary pressure of urgent business in his branch, duo to: (a) Police action under Section U <f the Act, (b) the Order-in-C'ouncil requiring reservists of the Second Division to rotif.y him of, any change in the number of their children, and (c) preparations necessitated by the,several Proclamations extending the provisions of the Military Service Act to Natives, it will be practically impossible, for him to take the ballot at the usual date, or, indeed, for tho next two or three weeks. The postponement, it is stated, will not interfere in any way with the mobilisation or regular dispatch of reinforcements from 'the Dominion. During the week (stated the Government Statistician) upwards of 10,000 notices had been received for certificates of enrolment or making inquiries in connection with same, and these wore still coming in at the rate of 2000 daily. In addition, over 12,000 notices hud been forwarded by Second Division reservists during the past week, certifying to change of condition, and the flow was still unchecked. Thus 'there were over 22,000' notices during the week, all connected, with urgent business, and his staff was doing its best to cone with the work. In addition his staff had the ordinary work of the office to deal with, such as notifications, changes of address, etc.