TWO MORE BALLOTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 94, 17 October 1940, Page 12

TWO MORE BALLOTS

HOME AND OVERSEAS

MANY APPEALS

Two more ballots to select men for home and overseas service are to be held before Christmas, the Minister of National Service (the Hon. R. Semple) announced today. The first will commence on Monday when 34,000 men will be drawn for Territorial service, and a ballot for men for the Sixth Reinforcements will be held as soon as possible afterwards. This ballot will include the men already drawn for Territorial service between the ages of 21 and 40. The Minister also announced that appeals had been received in respect of 7000 men of the 16,000 drawn iri.'the first ballot.

"Men drawn in. the first ballot," said the Minister, "were required to build up to war establishment those Territorial units which are due to complete their intensive training before the end of December.

"A second ballot is necessary to complete the units which are to commence training early in January, 1941. The total number of men to be drawn in this ballot is 34,000, and to provide the number of men required by the Army authorities in each of the military areas, the following district quotas have been fixed-.' —

"It is estimated that, after allowing for rejections on medical grounds, the allowance of appeals, and the transfer of men to the overseas forces (if they should subsequently be drawn in an overseas ballot), approximately 10,000 men will become available for training during the period January-March, 1941." The Minister stated that nearly 9000 appeals, in respect of a little over 7000 men, had been received from, or on i behalf of, the 16,000 men called up in the last ballot. "In many cases," said :Mr. Semple, "two or more appeals have been received in respect of one man, arid the figures generally reveal that many must have been made where ! no real justification could have existed. The men, their employers, and others concerned must realise that it is useless to lodge an appeal where the temporary absence of the reservist will cause no. more than slight, or even moderate, inconvenience—the present circumstances call for sacrifice on the part of everyone." MEN FOR OVERSEAS. The Minister went on to say that, as soon as possible after the Terri- [ torial ballot, a ballot for overseas service will be held for the purpose of | selecting men for the Sixth Reinforcements. The object of holding this ballot before Christmas is to give, the men who are drawn the longest possible notice so that they will have the opportunity to make what business or domestic arrangements are. necessary, thus obviating a number of appeals, for postponement of training which might otherwise be made.

Mr. Semple explained that those men who are drawn in Territorial ballots are still members of the General Reserve, and the cards (temporarily withdrawn), of those who are between the ages of 21 and 40 years (inclusive) will be restored to the Register prior to the holding of an overseas ballot. Men drawn in next week's Territorial ballot and subsequently drawn again in the overseas ballot will not be required to commence training as Territorials, as they will be held back to commence their training with the Sixth Reinforcements for overseas.

Area No. 1—-Auckland .' 8300 Area No. 2—Paeroa 2000 Area No. '3 —Whangarei 2000 Area No. 4—Hamilton 2300 Area No. 5— Wellington '.. 5600 Area No. 6—Wanganui 1600 Area No. 7— Napier 2900 Area No. 8—New Plymouth 400 Area No. 9—Nelson _400 Area No. 10 —Christchurch o800 Area No. 11—Dunedin. 1700 Area No. 12—Invercargill 1000 Total : 34,000