COMING BALLOT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20659, 9 January 1942, Page 5

COMING BALLOT

CALL ON MARRIED MEN ALL IN FIRST GROUP ESTIMATES OF CLASSES Doubt, seems tp exist whether the announcement by the Minister of National Service, the Hon. R. Semple, on Monday night, means that all married men without children and between 18 and 45 inclusive will be called up in the coming ballot. From estimates which have been made of the number of married men eligible for military service it is clear that a ballot, as announced, of 27,000 men in the childless group will virtually exhaust this class. This means that every man in the class can take it as practically certain that he will be among those whose names are gazetted on January 20. Young Married Group Official figures have never been given of the number of men in the various classes of the married men’s division, but it has been estimated that there are, probably about 30,000 without children. The main portion of the difference between the ballot figure of 27.000 arid this estimated total is probably accounted for by men of the affected class y)tib have already joined the Royal New. Zealand Navy, the Expeditionary Force, or the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Because of the lack of official figures of registrations made in the second division under the national service regulations, it is difficult to assess the number of men in another class included in the announcement published on Tuesday. It was stated that if and when, further men are required to complete the numbers necessary for the present stage of mobilisation, they will be drawn.from married men of the ages 18 to 24 inclusive, irrespective of the number of children.

There are probably between 8000 and 10,000 married men between these ages. Approximately one-thifcl of them are childless and will therefore be included ’among those going to the ballot about to be held. Thus there will be up to about 7000, with varying numbers of children, who can expect to fa'll in the next group to be called upon. Some of these men have four and more children.' Other Eligible Classes The fact that virtually all of trie married men without children are being drawn in one ballot probably means that married mCn over 24 witn children, can anticipate being calle'd upon more quickly than .would have been the case if New Zealand had not been forced tp mobilise her forces to meet the Japanese threat. It has been estimated that there are about 39,000 rririii between 18 and 45 inclusive who are married with one child, some 34,000 with, two children, and possibly 20,000 with three children. However, if the precedent of calling such men up by age groups, irrespective of the number of children, is followed for future mobilisations, then possibly the following estimated totals will approximate the number available:—2s to 30, 27,000 to 30,000; -30 to 35, 37,000 to 40,000; 35 to 40, 38,000 to 40,000; 40 to 46, 35,000.