START MADE ON BALLOT

Southland Times, Issue 24240, 25 September 1940, Page 6

START MADE ON BALLOT

TERRITORIAL FORCE RECRUITS MEN TO GET NOTICES NEXT WEEK (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 24. This morning at 9 o’clock a start was made with drawing 16,000 men from the First Division of the General Reserve to supply an additional 6000 men for territorial service within New Zealand. On Wednesday next week the men selected will receive advice notices and their names will be published in a Gazette.

The names are being drawn by officers of the National Service Department under the supervision of Mr F. W. 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 30 minutes from the time the marbles were put in the barrel until the notices to the men drawn had been typed. It is expected that the full 16,000 will be drawn in four days—an ambitious undertaking compared with the results obtained when drawing was first resorted to during the last war. Before the drawing began the Minister of National Service (the Hon. R. Semple) and the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) 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 that the system of drawing was fool-proof ’and scrupulously fair. The ballot was a preliminary one to secure 6000 men for the territorial forces. There would be other ballots for overseas service. Mr Jones said that the Defence Department now had to rely on men drawn for service to fill up any deficiencies in the forces, and he hoped ’the men drawn would accept the position in the very best 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 began with the 2000 men required for the Northern Military’ District. The first marble was drawn by, the Minister of National Service. Colonel O. H. Mead, Adjutant-General, was present for a time, and the Director of National Service, Mr J. S. Hunter, and the Assistant-Director, Mr H. L. Bockett, took an active part in the drawing; ============== I