THE NEED FOR MEN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 189, 19 January 1915, Page 7

THE NEED FOR MEN.

(H'K I.nSSKS KSTWATKI). Lord Newton, speaking at a rceruitinir meeting at Salfoid recently, said ho diil not know tliiit the country grasped even vet the gravity of tlie situation, hut, having recently had an opportunity of visiting tin- French and Knglish lines, he felt that ho did grasp it. Along a 330 miles front he did not suppose the British position could he more, than *'.o mile*. There the task was very severe. The Prime Minister, who would lie the last man to deceive the country, said there were "iT.OOo casualties, but at present there were more like 80,000. Rome battalions had lost all their ofiicers. One crack battalion wa- commanded the other day by a quartermaster, and two divisions', representing roughly H 7.000 men, had been reduced to 5300. lie did not fee the wisdom of niding these facts; h e did see the wisdom of urgently impressing upon the nation that reinforcements were urgently required, (('hcers.) Threats of a Gorman invasion were

spread bv Germany in the hope tha 1 Ihev would induce us to keep our soldiers at home, but the device was transparent, and would not succeed. (Cheers.) \ captain wrote: Oh! if we only hud im*H no*. They will have to send Territorials at once' I think. 1 doubt whether people at home really realise the wa slime We as a battalion have be-n luckv' but we have now lost in hi'h'd mid 'wounded 11 officers and just on IiOO men: the sick rai<c the numbers -.tin more, so every man is wanted, and a law I should forbid a football bene.' kicked. !-,•„,„ a staff officer at the front.I Ti„, ri . is verv bar,] fighting going on. I iust about the hardest there has Ir.'eM -, .. <l„. war b.-an. T onlv hope that ;',',,' ~au-.,lty li-'is yon a'- ill rending

will bring home to tho people of England that this is no picnic, and that no waiting for the Russian advance will suffice.. Men arc what are wanted, and plentv of them, for with quick-firing artillcrv of large calibre and high explosive shells and machine Rims there must continuously be very large losses. We are getting men. but we want more badly, also officers; so preach everywhere what I have wrilten and impress on all that the longer the delay in sending men the longer the war will last.