THE RECRUITING SYSTEM.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 238, 29 June 1915, Page 3

THE RECRUITING SYSTEM.

ITOT FOR UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF; THE MEDICAL TEST DISCUSSED. WELLINGTON, .Tutu 27. Some comment on more recent compellants about the working of our recruiting system wore made by ih». Ilnri. James Alien (Minister for Dsfeace) yesterday. "There tiro men/' Mr. Allen said, "who complain that we will not takfi them in to- camp immcduitely after they enlist vylion they fire out of work, and who a-\y tint they have left their work to enlist. 1 am not sajing for a moment that there arc not cuse'.s f this kind, but I do Uio-v that 'here are cases of another kind. I have one before me now. This man was sent to me by a public man in an important position, who had been told by this man that he had left work in order to enlist. This is the true st;/: The man admits that he vegisterod because lie was out of work.

"The staff say—and I criite agree with them —that men of this kind should not be given preference to men who have registered their nanict' earlier. That is my view, and I grand by that.''

Mr. Allen also refor.ad t-> the agitation in some centres in favour '■):' relaxing or making a v.irntion of the Togu lations defining the standard of physical fitness required for the expeditionary force. "The evidence given to me," he said, "is that our medical, test is nt too high, but that, -of anything, it is too low. The proof of that is that men who have come into camp and undergone a part of their training are discovered, after the Government has had all the expense of bringing them into camp and feeding and training and paying them there, to be medically unfit. Some actually get through the camp, and are proved on the transports to be unfit. Itis a waste of time and money to take men like this into the camp and then find that they are not fit to send to the front. This happens even with our present medical test, so that it cannot be said to be too high. We want men who remain.efficient until they get to the front."