New Zealand.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 276, 1 May 1915, Page 5

New Zealand.

RECRUITING. SPEECH,BY DEFENCE MINISTER. 'ACCOMPLISHMENTS A\*D REQUIREMENTS. THE MEDICAL REJECTS, By Telegraph.—Press Association, Dunedin, Last-Night. ' At a recruiting meeting in the Garrison Hall to-night the Minister of Defence made a stirring speech, urgine- the young men to enlist. In the course ol 'lis remarks lie gave some interesting figures in regard to recruiting and the ! number of men that would be required in the future. Considering the magni- : tude of the operations that were developing, the Government had considered it its duty to offer to the-Mother Country, an additional number of men, ana had offered another battery of artillery and another brigade of mounted men or two battalions of infantry. The battery and battalions of infantry liad been accepted. On the previous night ho bad (referred to thd fact that New Zealand had already sent 15,000 men to the front and over 1400 men to occupy Samoa; in addition to which 250 New Zealanders in London had enlisted and joined the 'main body, and 02 nurses had gone away, 50 to the order of the' Army Coun'cil to proceed wherever they were told, and 12 who had joined the Australian I nursing contingent, which was going, to the front. He wished to say something about the requirements for the future. Before December 12 the authorities would require 10,(100 men and approximately :i7OO horses. This was in accordance with our engagement with the War Office. Then, between December 30 and April of next year 5300 men and approximately 1500 horses would be required. That was to say that between now land April, 1910, the authorities in-New Zealand would require close on IU,OOO men and nearly 5200 horses. Under the new .scheme of registration for enlistment, wliieh came into force on February 15th 1915, the following num'bers have been registered: In the Auckland district 3054, in the Wellington district 1072, in the Canterbury district 2POO, and in the Otago district 844, or a total of 7900. He did not wish to make any adverse comment on the figures relating to Gtago, but he belonged to the place and it was generally the case that i iingo was not lett behind in any movement of great moment. As he had said, 10,000 men were required before loth December, but registration ought to be I considerably in excess of this number, as they had to allow for about 40 per cent. of medical rejects. In future this country would have to make provision so that there would never he 40 per cent, unfitted tor enrolment again, should the necessity occur. It was our duty to make provision among the children to remove some of | the defects and an effort was being made to do this, now. As the figures he had given showed, between the present time and December 30th each of the four districts ought to find, inclusive of 40 per cent, for medical rejects, about 4350 men, or a total of 17,400 men. It had been suggested that the Government should provide a badge for those who bad registered and had been turned down by the doctors, in order that tliese might not have their loyalty or courage aspersed, but 'he did not know if the Government could adopt such a badge, He wished that he could devise a scheme by which one might know those who were serving and those who could servo and were not doing so. Mr. Allen also wished to refer to some other figures of interest by way of reply to a criticism which had appeared in the Manchester Guardian, In England, to the effect, as he understood it, that the men who were enlisting in Now Zealand were not New Zea-

landers, but Britishers who had come out and settled in New Zealand. In reply to that he had to say that of the main body that went away a strength of 8417, no less than C 241 were actually born in New Zealand, while the others hrere boru in the British Isles or other jiarts of the Empire, but how long they had been in New Zealand he was not able to say. Those figures, however, were a complete answer to the Manchester Guardian. He thought it was unfair of a British paper to have set itself to work to discredit New Zealand without having takfcn the trouble to communicate with the authorities in New Zealand on the subject. THE KING'S MESSAGE OF THANKS. REPLY OF THE GOVERNOR. AVellington, April 30. His Excellency the Governor received the following message from his Majesty the King: "I heartily congratulate you upon the splendid conduct and bravery displayed by the New Zealand troons in the operations at the Dardanelles, who have proved themselves worthy sons of the Empire." His Excellency replied as follows: "On behalf of myself, the Government, and people' of New Zealand, I desire especially to thank your Majesty for the most gracious message. We are all proud of the manner in which the New Zealand troops acquitted themselves and eagerly looking forward to hearing further details of the operations at the Dardanelles."

DEATH OF A TROOPER. Wellington, April 30. The Defence authorities have been advised of the death of Private Eugene Tangney, 88th Southland Company, Otago Infantry Batfalion, main body of the expeditionary force, on April 20, from pneumonia. His next-of-kin is Miss Mary Tangney, of Good Shepherd Convent, Mt. Mardelfa, Hallswell, Christchurch. He was 25 years of age. OOWVAiaSOENT HOMES AVAILABLE. Dunedm, April 30. Mr .Rhodes informed' a reporter today that there would- he no difficulty in'the matter of providing adequate accommodation for convalescent troopers. who may return from the front in the near future, the Government having received- several offers of private mbl dences.