MORE MEN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 177, 16 April 1918, Page 7

MORE MEN

■ GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS EXTRA TROOPS FOR FIVE MONTHS 10,000 B MEN TO BE DRAWN TO-DAY. "A reply has come from the Imperial Government with regard to the increase of reinforcements," said the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) in the House of Representatives yesterday. "As the percentage of reinforcements supplied during the last fow months has not boon disclosed, at tho express wish of the .Imperial Government, I', do not think it desirable to say exactly what tho increase is. It is a moro or less material increase, but it is asked for only five months. I hope that at the end of the five months no further reinforcements will be required. If -there are, presumably the percentage will be reduced'again to that existing during the last- few months. ' •

■ "The Prime- Minister has told the House that in accordance with the request of the Imperial authorities the New Zealand' Government has decided to create one new unit, that is, a tank battalion. That is the only now unit that will bo created at present, and I do not expect that'any other new unit will 1)0 created in the future! I think that the • House and • the pebplo of this' country would wish tho Govbrnment to follow the practice wo havo followed throughout the war of supplying the number of men stated to bo required by the Army Council. Wβ have accepted advice from the Array Council as to the number of men required to keep tho New Zealand Division at full strength. This increase is intended to keep tho division at full strength during the timo when we may expect more or less severe casualties, owing to the present vigorous fighting. 'Our'ability .to send these reinforcements depends entirely upon shipping, and I want , to givo somp indication— though I am not giving direct figures— .what the possibilities are, as far as wo can foresee,/for the next four or five months. During tho months of April, May, and Juue we expect to be able .to 5 increase the reinforcements by about 1700 men. The increase asked for is only with respect to' infantry, and-all iho extra men will be infantrymen. The percentage wo have been sending in other runits is to remain unaltered. The.shipping -wo-can foresee will provide for the extra 1700 men during , April, May, and June. Then during July, August, and September I think that we can continue io send a somewhat considerable numiber moro men than ivn have been sending under the lower percentage. ■ "In order to enable this number of Jiicn to bo , provided we will utilise all the troops at present in camp.' We can expect an immediate transfer from the Cl Camp of nearly 400 men, with another '300 after a fairly short time. . It will be necessary for us to bring drafts into camp at a rather earlier date than would otherwise have been ;the case. I have already said that tho Forty-first, draft will eorno in earlier, and so will tho I'orty-second and Forty-third. With these three drafts coining'in earlier, and iwith the accretions we expect from the Erst Division (which will also bo accelerated), -with the men that I hope the Minister of Eailways will be able to give Me from the Railway Department at a Tather earlier period than was expected, jmd with men from tho Cl Camp and iwith volunteers, the men required will be iprovided. .

"The first ballot in B Class of the Second Division takes .place op Tuesday. I think that it will bo advisable now to open to volnnteering C Class and D .Class of the Second Division (married Men with two children and three • children). Ido not know if we will get a .very iarge number of men; but if men (wish to volunteer it seems advisable to allow , them to do so."

A member: AVhy not open it for ail telass'.'s?

Sir James Allen: "I think that C and ■D Classes will be sufficient at present. It certainly will be sufficient as far as pur shipping is concerned. "With regard to'-Class B, wo proposo (to,ballot to-morrow for 10,000 men. Tho class contains between 18,000 and '19,000 men, and we proposo ft> draw more than Jialf of them at this, ballot. Wo expect to procuie enough mon by this means to fill all tlie (shipping wo know of up to August or September. It may bo possible to secure some further shipping. Of that we have no certainty. If we sepuro more ships wo may bo ablo to send p. few more men away. "If more men are required it may be Secessary to consider the sine die cases still further. (Hear, hear.) These cases Jinve been under review recently, and some 810 of them havo been ordered into camp. (There are between GOUO and 7000.sine dio eases. Most of the men are engaged in ■essential industries. They include coalminers, slaughtermen, seamen, marine officers, and enginoers, a certain number of farmers, and all the hardship cases. 1 propose to bring before Cabinet the question of the. reconsideration of the sine die.cases, and ask what is their wish' jegnrdiDg combing out. "We propose to review the cases of reBerviste who havo been granted leave fnr certain periods. There are some men jwho, after the reduction of the percentage of reinforcements, were granted Jonger periods of leave than they otherwise would have obtained, because we did not want them then. . We do want

them now. f Iμvn inslnuiod tlin D'efenco Department to communicate with the military service board*, mid ask them lo review Hio.se luavo cases.

11 r. \V. 11. Ji'ield: Is there to bo any re-examination of rejected men? Sir James Allen: Most of tho First Division C 2 mon have been re-examined. I do not think that it is advisable to reexamine any of those who have been further rejected by Iho special medical board. A great many of the C 2 men have been sent into tho CI Camp. Jn tho case of the Second Division men the medical examination is stricter, and .1 hopo that it will not be necessary to review any of tho CZ cases of the Second Division.