Progress of Recruiting Campaign

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 303, 23 December 1939, Page 7

Progress of Recruiting Campaign

6000 Enlistments In Central District 726 WAITING TO ENTER CAMP Per Tress Association. WELLINGTON, Dec. 2Z. Since recruiting opened on SepUmber 12, 5911 men In the Central Military District, which embraces Wellington, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, have volunteered to serve with tho Special Force. Of those already medically examined, 3526 have been classed as lit, 952 as temporarily unfit, 796 as permanently unfit, 391 come under reserved occupations, 2481 have gone into camp, and there is a balance of 726 awaiting posting to camp. It is 11 weeks since recruiting began. The proportion of reserved occupations in a district which is, with the exception of Wellington, largely primary producting, is approximately onefifteenth of the total enlistments. FM men comprise approximately 60 per cent, and temporarily unfit less than a sixth. These men can be brought to fitness, mostly with dental treatment requiring six hours or more attention, so that when they are attended to the proportion of fit men will be near 75 pci cent, of the total enlistments. The following table gives the position and in it No. 5 area represents Wellington district and the Hutt Valley; No. 6 area, Wanganui and Palmerston North: No. 7 area. Hawke's Bay and the Wairarapa; and No. S area, Taranaki. Temp. Perm

Central District Quota POSTERS DISTRIBUTED WELLINGTON, Dec. 22. The Central Military District’s allocation of the total number of fit men immediately wanted under the new recruiting campaign is 1744, but to allow for rejection of unfit men and men engaged in reserved occupations tho total enlistments will require to be considerably in excess of that figure. The district’s quota is divided between the four areas as follows:—No. 5 Area (Wellington and Hutt Valley), 839; No. G Area (Wanganui-Palmerston North), 335; No. 7 Area (Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Gisborne), 315; No. 8 Area (Taranaki), 255. Meanwhile active steps are being taken to prosecute the campaign throughout the country. To day large consignments of the striking coloured posters that have been prepared for the campaign and which are to be displayed in public places have been despatched from Wellington to all parts of the Dominion.

The central executive of the Wellington Recruiting Committee met yesterday afternoon, with Mr. M. F. Luckie in the chair. A sub-committee was appointed to handle the posters in Wellington and suburbs, and another committee was formed to undertake ail work in connection with local newspaper publicity and local radio broadcasts.

Fit. unfit. unfit 5 ... . 2295 1391 448 318 . 1054 672 112 93 7 .... . 1617 908 306 280 8 . ... 945 555 86 105 Sent occpns ;. camp. Balance ft ... 93 1125 220 60 444 169 159 488 261 8 ... 79 424 76 Maori Battalion. Temp. Perm Fit. unfit, unfit 57 27 20 4 55 12 15 436 143 69 60 33 10 11 5 Sent occpns. camp. Balance 3 16 0 3 25 29 92 8 ... 0 2 7