SPECIAL FORCE

Evening Star, Issue 23375, 19 September 1939, Page 7

SPECIAL FORCE

•. DOMINION TOTAL MOUNTING MAJORITY OF REJECTS ONLY TEMPORARILY UNFIT pPis United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, September 18. The medical examination of Auckland recruits for the special military force was begun in earnest at the Drill Hall to-day, when approximately 430 men were put through in 12 hours. The officers had been dealt with on Saturday, and those examined to-day were in the main potential non-commissioned officers. . „ , , . The summoning of men by postal notice, naming the day and the hour, worked very well, and waiting in queues was reduced to a minimum. Only about a half-dozen of those notified failed to put in an appearance. Six medical boards worked simultaneously. The day was broken np into three shifts, and) 36 doctors in all were engaged. , , .. , The ratio of rejections for the day was somewhere near 25 per cent., but the great majority of those turned down were classified as temporarily unfit. The principal cause of this was defective teeth. It is expected that about two more days’ work will suffice for examining . the recruits in the Auckland metropolitan area. A further 249 men registered for the special force in the Northern Military District to-day, bringing the total up to 4,473. The area figures to-night were: — Auckland ... ... Paeroa 868 - Whangarei ... ... ... 601 Hamilton ... ... ••• 1,032 CENTRAL DIStRICT RETURNS [Pbk United Press Association., WELLINGTON, September 18. The enlistments to date_ in the Central Military District, which embraces Wellington, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Napier, Gisborne, New Plymouth, and Hawera, total 4,104. Of the 3,237 medically examined, 1,753 have oeen classed as fit, 1,003 temporarily unfit, and 481 permanently unfit. Those temporarily unfit require mainly dental attention. Wellington enlistments up to to-night total 1,583. CANTERBURY ENROLMENTS [Pee United Press Association.] / CHRISTCHURCH, September 18. Ony 51 of the 802 men so far medically examined in Canterbury have been rejected as permanently unfit. To-day’s enrolments totalled 101.