AUSTRALIA’S UNFITS.

Taihape Daily Times, 8 March 1918, Page 4

AUSTRALIA’S UNFITS.

With reference to the recent announcement that 10,000 Australian soldiers had been returned to the Commonwealth without seeing the firing line, a correspondent forwards the following sentences extracted from a letter written by a New Zealand medical officer stationed on Salisbury Plain with reference to the New Zealand drafts: “A* great percentage of unfits among the older members. , . Men over 35 years of age are, as a general rule, unable to stand the training and campaigning unless previously engaged in open-air occupations and of athletic tendency. . . As the age reaches the 40’s the percentage of final passes drops considerably—so much so that the latter are certainly not worth the expense of training, equipping, etc. • . . The great detracting feature is that these men occupy the attention of donors, hospital spacer, transport,, etc., and, instead of being an asset in the balance of power are a decided liability.” “Is this” asks the correspondent,” what some of our mUh are breaking up their homes for?”