NEW ZEALAND'S DUTY.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 April 1918, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND'S DUTY.

MATERIAL INCREASE IN REINFORCEMENTS.

IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY DEFENCE MINISTER.

Wellington, April 15. The Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) made the following statement in the House of Representatives to-day:— A reply has come from the j Imperial Government with regard to the increase of our reinforcements. As the percentage of reinforcements supplied during the last few months has not been disclosed, at the express wish of the Imperial Government, I do not think it desirable to say exactly what the increase is. It is a more or less material increase, but it is asked for only for five months.. I hope that at the end of the five months no further reinforcements will be required. If they are not required, presumably the percentage will be reduced again to that existing during the last few months. The Prime Minister has told the House that in accordance with the request of the Imperial authorities, the New Zealand Government has decided to create one new unit, that is a tank battalion. That is the only new unit that will be created at present, and I do not expect that any other new unit will : be created in the future. ■ I think that the House and the people of this country would wish the Governmerit to follow the practice we have followed through the war, ofsupplyj ing the number of men stated to be j required by the Army Council. We | have accepted advice from the Army j Council as to the number ot men j required to keep the New Zealand Division at full strength. This increase is ihtended to keep the division at full strength during the time when we may expect more or less severe casualties, owing to the present vigorous fighting. Our ability to send these reinforcements depends entirely upon shipping, and I want to give some indication—though I am not giving direct figures—what the possibilities are as for as we can foresee for the next four or five months. During the months of April,'*May and June we expect to be able to increase the reinforcements.by about 1,700 men. The increase asked for is only with respect to-infautry, and all the extra men will be infantrymen. The percentage we‘have been sending in

other units is to remain unaltered. The shipping we can foresee will provide for the extra 1,700 men during April, ; Ma v and June. Then during July, August and September I think that we can continue to send somewhat cons derably more men than we have been sending- under the lower percentage. In order to enable this number of men to be provided we will utilise all the troops at -.present in camp. We can expect an immediate transfer from the Cx camp oi near ly 400 men, with auother 300 after a fairU' short tune. It wili.be necessary for us to bring drafts .into camp at a rather earlier date than would otherwise have been the-case. I have already said that the 41st draft will come in earlier, and so will the 42nd and 43rd. With these three drafts coming in earlier, and with the accretions we expect from the Ist Division (which will also be accelerated), with the men that I hope the Minister of .'Railways will be able to give me from the Riilway Dcpattment at a rather earlier period than was expected, with the men from the Ci camp, and with volunteers, the men required will be provided. The first ballot in B Class of the Second Division takes place tomorrow.

I think that, it will be advisable now to open to volunteering C Class and D Class of the Second Division (married 'men with two children and three children). I do not know if we will get a very large number of men, but if men wish to volunteer it seems advisable to allow them to do so.

A member : Why not open it for all classes ? Sir James Allen : I think that C and'D classes will be sufficient as far as our snipping is concerned. With regard to Class B we propose to ballot to-morrow for 10,000 men. The class contains between 18,000 and 19,000 men, and we propose to draw more than half of them at this ballot. We expect to procure enough men by this means to fill all the shipping we know of up to August or September. It may be possible to secure some further shipping, but of that we have no certainty. It we secure more ships, we may be able to send, a few more men away. ,

If more men are required, it may be necessary to consider the sine die class still further. (Hear, hear.) These cases have been under review recently, and some S4O of them have been ordered into camp. There are between 6000 and 7000 sine die cases. .Most ot the men are engaged in essential industries They include coalminers, slaughtermen, seamed, marine officers and engineers, a certain number of farmers, and all the hardship cases. I propose to bring before Cabinet the question of the reconsideration ot the sine die cases, and ask what

is their wish regardingcombingout. We propose to review the cases of who have been granted leave for certain periods. There are some men who, alter the reduction of the percentage ot reinforcements, were granted longer periods of leave than they otherwise would have obtained, because we did not want them then. We do want them now. I have instructed the Defence Department to communicate with the Military Service Boards and ask them to review these leave cases.

Mr W. H. Field : Is there to be any further re-examination of rejected men? Sir James Allen: Most of the First Division C2 men have been re-examined. Ido not think that it is advisable to re-examine any of those who have been further rejected by the Special Medical Board. A great many of the C2 men have been sent into the Cx camp. In the case of the 2ncKDivision men the medical examination is stricter; and I hope that it will not be necessary to review any of the C2 cases 'ot the Second Division."