OTAGO'S SHARE

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 226, 12 June 1915, Page 2

OTAGO'S SHARE

THE DEFENCE MINISTER'S PROPOSALS. The proposal of the Minister for Defence to reduce the Otago quota ot ioinforcements in proportion to the number of men hitherto registered for service has occasioned a good deal of comment. In making inquiries as to what is thought of the suggestion, an Auckland reporter learned that, generally speaking, it is not considered fair to depart from estimating on the basis of population fo a system which does not take into account the number of males who are of military age. Mr. Arthur M. Myers, M.P.. said he thought the proposal of the Minister for Defence, to make the quota for each military district dependent upon registrations, wii3 somewhat unjustifiable. There was something i?i the contention of the Minister that the proportion of men of military age in Otago was not so great as in other districts. Tho last census disclosed that the percentage of males to the total population in the four military districts was as follows:! —Auckland, 53.5: Wellingon, 52.9; Canterbury, 52.4; Otago, 51.6. The proportion of eligible males would. therefore, no doubt be greater in the North than in the South Island, but the true basis to go upon would be to ask for quotas to be furnished by each military district in proportion to the eligible male population. The proposal that the districts showing the largest registrations should be asked to provide the largest quotas was not tapping those sections of the community who wer failing to recognise their responsibilities. Major Lusk, of the Farmers 7 Union executive, thought that the Minister's desiro to protect Otago might be all very well if it did not do ?o at the expense of districts where the response to the Empire's call had been'greater. Otherwise it would mean overworking the willing horse, so to speak. It was gratifying to know that the Auckland province had so far done best hit tho matter of recruiting, notwithstanding tho Defence Minister's recent suggestion to the contrary. This wag doubtless clue to the military spirit which had been handed down by the preceding generation from the days of the Northern wars, and also to the spirit of pioneering, which went hand in hand. He thought that the fairest way to estimate the quotas would be by taking tho number of males in each cent re who were of military age.