New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 42, 24 May 1916, Page 8

New Zealand

NATIONAL SERVICE LEAGUE. The lion, organiser (31 f I*'- Norris), is tonring Taranaki, speaking at the various schools, and yesterday addressed the scholars at the High School. Mr Tv ter hriellv introduced the speaker, who spoke of the many men from this district who had answered the Empire’s call, itild asked the children to give our own h ave lads a good dap, which they heartily did, r l iie spe«kei then went (ni to show what the .miith Africans thought of the Non Zeal.on troops in the Boor War; l |( hi hignit the South Africans spoke of their huivory. a lid also of how the King Kid eulogised them ill tile present !V ( *’ 1 struggle. The Now Zealanders must ho brave men, or the world would del .ay so. Many would fall or get dis-

abled in this terrible war, and so he asked the children to salute every disabled man they meet in the.future and remember that he fought: their battles. He appealed to the children to make special playmates of any hoy or git! who had a brother or father fighting, and to do all the kind actions they could in the homes where the man is away, and especially not to forget the little ones, who love their fathers. Paying a!high tribute to the ladies, he stated that it used to he said ol them that they talked a lot before the war, but since then they have been working hard, making and sending comforts to Jie front, and the hoys at the front ip predated their work more than anyth hif else that has been clone for them. The League, stated Mr Norris, is nick-naming the schoolchildren, and calling them the Empire’s Little Watchdogs, and with their sharp little eyes ho wanted them to see that they did not buy any of the enemies goods for four years, and to induce their parents to do the same; also in yeais to come to help every disabled man, and to induce their parents now to give them preference in employment. Fighting men first is the slogan of the Lea--nie and preference for the Empire s Foods. He called for n real good clap For every man from all parts of the Em pire that had answered the Empire s 'yir Norris spoke at the Convent School in the afternoon in a similar strain, and will visit some of. the country schools in the course of the next low days.

THE 17th reinforcements.

Per Press Association. Wellington, May 23. The chairman of the Recruiting Board (Rt. 'Hon. W. F. Massey) has issued the;following statement: Recruiting for the 17th Reinforcements for the week ending the 19th May was quite satisfatcory and it is evident that this draft will go into camp next week at full strength. The official figures are as follows: Group 1 (Auckland City) plus 13.5; group 2 (Paeroa), shortage 28; group (Whangarci) shortage 7; group (Hamilton), ishortage 30. Total surplus for Auckland military district, fa-. Group 5 (Wellington City), shortage g. group 0 (Palmerston), shortage -.1,5 group 7 (Napier), shortage 61; group 7a (Masterton), shortage mls, group 8 (Hawent), plus 15. Total shortage for Wellington military district, 75. Group 9 (Christchurch City), shortage 51; group TO (Timaru), plus 20; group H (Kaiapoi), shortage IQ; group 11a (Greymouth), shortage 20j group 12 (Nelson), plus 1 lotal shortage for Canterbury military district, 09. . , P Group 13 (Dunedin City), pins fa, group U (Invercargill), shortage U, group 15 (Oamaru), shortage -9, mmp 10 (Milton), plus 7. lotal shoitage for Otago military district, The total Dominion shortage for the 17th Reinforcements is 109, as com pared "with a shortage <tf 102 on the corresponding day last week. j TI addition to the 353 men who luuc registered for the 17th Reinforcements in' the week, 35 men were sent into camp to make good the previous drafts, and 79 wont to DentLam lo nuiko Whhl ■*«*•*"• from “I- ,i t ' l ' shortage at date on I'riday, 19th mst., for the 17th and the p.cvmus reinforcements was 230, or less than half the number of men who were recruits m the preceding