ARMY SERVICE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 254, 24 September 1940, Page 8

ARMY SERVICE

BALLOTING BEGINS

FAIRNESS STRESSED

Per Press Association

WELLINGTON, Sept, 24. This morning, at 9 o’clock a start was made with drawing the 16,000 men from the first division of the General Reserve to supply an additional 6000 men for Territorial service within New Zealand, and on Wednesday of next week the men selected will receive their advice notices and their names will be published in a Gazette.

' The names are being drawn by ] officers of the National Service Depart-i inent under the supervision of Mr W-| F. Stilwell, S:M., but the drawing is, arranged ,in such a way that those actually engaged do not know who has been drawn. One hundred and eighty cards are drawn at a time, and the first issue took just about thirty minutes! from the time the marbles werej put in the barrel until the notices to; the men drawn had been typed. | It is anticipated that the full 16,000 will be dfawn in four days—an ambitious undertaking compared with the results obtained when the drawing was first resorted to during the last war. Before the drawing commenced the Ministers of National Service and Defence, Hons. R. Semple and F. spoke briefly to those engaged in the work and congratulated them on the way in which they had prepared for the ballot. ~ „ ; ~ Mr Semple said he was satisfied the system ol drawing was foolproof and would be scrupulously fair. The ballot was a preliminary one to secure 6000 men for the Territorial Forces. There would be other ballots for overseas service. . s , Mr Jones said the Defence Department now had to rely on the men drawn for service to fill up any deficiencies in the Forces, and he hoped the men drawn would accept the tion in the-,; very best of spirit. He believed the '■young men of New Zealand would accept the call to service and play their part along with their mates already in uniform. The drawing commenced with the 2000 men required for the Northern Military District. The first marble was drawn 'by the Minister of National Service. Colonel Mead (AdjutantGeneral) was present for a time, and tho Director of National Service (Air J S Hunter) and the assistantdirector (Mr H. L. Bockett) took an active part in the drawing.