OLDER MEN ACCEPTED

Evening Star, Issue 23380, 25 September 1939, Page 6

OLDER MEN ACCEPTED

SPECIAL MILITARY FORCE LIMIT HOW FORTY YEARS DATES OF DEPARTURE A deficiency of more than 200 men still exists in this military district in the special military force which is being raised.' Pour days ago an additional 918 men were required to make up the fetal of 2,200 officers and other ranks, and in area 11 (Otago) a marked shortage is still apparent. Tho announcement that the maximum age of recruits has been raised by five years would appear to indicate that this state of affairs is general, at least in the Southern District. The age limits now are between 21 and 40 instead of between 21 and 85. The age limit of officers has also been increased by five years in each rank—to 35 for subalterns, 40 for captains, 45 for majors, and 50 for lieutenant-colonels. At the conclusion of the examinations carried out by the medical boards on Saturday it was disclosed, with only a few minor returns to come, 652 men had been examined, of whom 345 had been passed- as fit. There were 185 classed as temporarily unfit, mostly on account of dental troubles, and 122 were permanently unfit. A number of boards sat in the countiy districts on Saturday, and the examinations generally are now well up to date. In order that men who registered within the next day or so might be examined, the area staff officer (Major A. Bongard, M.C., N.Z.S.C.) said that an endeavour would be made to arrange boards almost immediately. DATES OF DEPARTURE. Minor delays in transport organisation and in the preparation of camp facilities have necessitated a slight rearrangement jn the dates of departure of the members of the first draft. It is hoped that all notices will be out today or to-morrow, and it was fairly definite that the different units would leave for camp on the days between October 3 and 7. Some artillery officers and non-commissioned officers left this morning, and ( a few details will leave to-morrow. Officers and non-commis-sioned officers of the rifle and machinegun battalions will leave on Wednesday. The main bodies will entrain between October 3 and 7, those selected for the machine-gun battalion going on the former date. Definite advice of the dates is awaited from Army headquarters, however. It is expected that the artillery main body will be the first to leave. Their camp will be _ the Waikato one at Ngaruawahia, and it is probable that they will leave by the first train on October 3. . _ Those who' are notified of their selection for the first draft should take with them shaving, toilet, and boot-cleaning gear, a strong pair of boots, change of underclothing and socks, and a woollen jumper or cardigan. If they are already serving in the Territorial Army they will travel to camp in uniform and return to their unit'the arms and equipment on issus to them.

13.078 ENROLMENTS ,

[Pee United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, September 25

All the 6,600 officers and, men comprising the special military force for service iu New Zealand or overseas will, in accordance with the present arrangements, be in camp by October 6. Officers and n.c.o.s. have already received notices, and a selection of other ranks is being made, and the men will receive notices this week instructing them when they are to enter camp. The various units will proceed to the various camps in the Dominion from October 3 to October 6. Up to Saturday night total enrolments were 13,078, of, whom 10,015 had been medically examined. Of this total 5,968 were declared fit, 2,758 temporarily unfit, and 1,289 permanently unfit. * Many of the temporarily unfit men have since been classed as fit_ after dental treatment. It is anticipated that at least three-quarters of the temporarily unfit recruits will eventually qualify for the fit class for a similar reason.

NO DEGISi&N TO SEND MEN ABROAD [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, September 25. No decision has been made by the New Zealand Government to send military forces overseas. This was made clear by the Acting Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, this morning, when his attention was called to the announcement made over the Daventry Empire station to the following effect: —“It has been announced that New Zealand has offered a fully-equipped division for service in any part of the world. The message reads; ‘We stand or fall together in war or peace, defeat or victory. The Chief of the General Staff in New Zealand has ordered a simultaneous mobilisation in New Zealand and in London fpr this office.” “ Nothing more than a week old and belated condensation of my remarks in the House,” said Mr Fraser. “It is simply a condensation of that statement that all our resources are at the disposal of the United Kingdom. The position has not changed since I made that statement to Parliament.”