New Zealand.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 87, 12 August 1915, Page 5

New Zealand.

,| 'I /’, j 1 r‘,« 1,. ; | G'., NEW ZEALAND’S QUOTA. j ! —rrr -r . ' 5 22,000 WANTED; BY JUNE, - ... , , (' .1 ■ . • t* (Per Press Association. , i . / I! Wellington- August 11,., i I This moruiiig Hou. da.s.l Allen, .Minister Of Defence, received the following telegram from the Governor, who is at Christchurch“ Army Council gratefully accepts the offer of Government of New Zealand to send two additional infantry battalions, and heartily, .agree that.they should be trained in Dominion nntit February. * o-a itivmv.-.t lutt QtM ofiei *v d c fiu ite 1 \ ...ytd, cepted.” said Mr Allen to-day, “we will provide at Featherston for anothlr 10*10 ? men. We had prodded ofiginally for 2500. but we will now take ;1500 men there. In hamfrk’ "Featherston * - and Trentham permanent camps, we'shall take 7500. The new battalions will go into cfmp when the Trenthams k»ve\ which will ''; be about the middle of October;-” “Will fresh recruiting efforts bi ;|.j necessary *” the Minister was asked. “We shall see.” he replied. “The

üblic may as well know that between ow and December 14 next we shall ant to have in camp, in addition to hat we have now, close on 12,000.

We shall require that many actually to pass the medical test. By June of next year tve shall want over 22,000 to pass the medical officers, so you see

we shall have our work cut out, especially as I have given my positive assurance both to General Birdwood and General Godley that New Zealand

will keep up its regular reinforcements to the main body, and for these separate battalions, the “Trents,* and those we have just agreed to send

away. All we want now is a steady registration of men. without any undue excitement, to supply these added responsibilities, hut we don’t want men who register to leave their work until asked by the Defence authorities to do so. That is the New Zealand policy, and it hat proved its value. We are making this appeal especially to young unmarried men who have not already registered to get on to the register as soon as they ran, and remain at their employment until we ask them to come out. The Eighth are ready to come into camp, and a certain number have registered forthe Ninth. I do want to call attention to what General Godley has written to me. that the authorities " are not so anxious about additional units as that the regular supply of reinforcements should be kept up. They want to feel that whatever may happen the main body shall have all blanks tilled.’’