THE REINFORCEMENTS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 260, 22 July 1918, Page 6

THE REINFORCEMENTS

DECEMBER DRAFT MAY BE DROPPED | CAMP DATES TO STAND AS ORDERED "The men who have been culled into camp must go in 011 the dates fixed," said Sir James Allen to a Dominion reporter on Saturday. Somo time ago tho Minister announced that there would bo a reversion to tho rate of dispatch ot reinforcements which had been the rule before tho big German offensive made it necessary for this country to send mora men. When ho mado the statement tho Minister said that tho question of tho postponement of the mobilisation dates of drafts soon to go into camp was under consideration. His statement on Saturday was in reply to a question as to what tho decision of tho authorities had been. "Tho draft to assemble* in August," continued the Minister, "is not <1 very large one, and the September draft is not a particularly large one, and wo shall need all the men in these two drafts. There would have been a shortage in tho camps if wo had gone 011 with the dispatch of reinforcements at the accelerated rate, but if we bring in these men as ordered this shortage may bo avoided. Indeed, wo shall pretty certainly bo in a position,-if we do as suggested, to drop the draft to come in in December, and this will bo much more convenient to. the moil themselves and to tho public generally than to cut down now and to bring in a draft during the Christmas month. Whether we shall bo able to drop any more than the December draft I am unable to say at the present moment. That will depend on circumstances, and it will also depend on whether, when the time comes, the Imperial Government tells 11.1 to le-establish the increased rato again."

Tho Minister throws out a hint tJiat it may be possible to drop more than tho December draft, but tor tho best of reasons he makes no promises. It may Ijo said, howover, that there is a ijood chance that tho January draft also will bo dropped. Tho question may be,raised as to why the Government have not reduced tho drafts to come into camp instead of dropping later drafts altogether. Thero are grave difficulties and somo good objections to this other procedure. Tho difficulty is how to maty; a selection from among the men ordered to parade. There is 110 method prescribed by law for making such a selection, and if it has to be done it usually means letting out tho men who a-slc most persistently for it. This involves allowing the unwilling men to'e?capa 011 their own' excuses and taking <ill tho willing men, and this the authorities are quite properly not anxious to do.

SECOND DIVISION MEN

EFFECT OF THE CHANGE. Sir James Allen's announcement that tlie December draft of recruits will be dropped means probably that not more than 500 or 600 additional Second Division men will receive orders to mobilise this year. The July draft entered camp last week. The August and September draffs are full, each containing nearly 1-100 men. The October draft is closed as far as iSecond Division men not yet medically examined are concerned, sinco there is. not time enough now for twelve weeks' leavo before the October mobilisation dates. Home married men who have been medically examined, but not yet posted may ]» available for this draft. Second Division men who are examined and passed fit before August 13-17 (according to their districts) will be available for the November draft. But this draft is to be based on the reduced reinforcement quota, and it will include a proportion of First Division men, comprising nineteen-year-old and twenty-year-old youths and men transferred from the CI Camp. Probably most of (he Class C men drawn in the last ballot can be examined before the middle of next month, The fit men among them will then be available for the November draft, but it is fairly clear that they will not all bo required then. The October draft is to mobilise in the period October 8-12, and the November draft in the period November 5-9.