REINFORCEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 September 1915, Page 2

REINFORCEMENTS.

DOMINION'S QUOTA KEPT UP. By Tc-ieyrajdi.—Special to Daily News. Wellington, Sept. 16. A cablegram from Melbourne atates that the Commonwealth defence authorities are despatching "double the usual number.of reinforcements, 10,500 leaving monthly until November." Thero appears to be some doubt about the accuracy of these figures, but if they are correct they do not prove that Australia is sending more men, in proportion to population, than New Zealand is doing. The dominion will call up some 5300 men next month for the Ninth Reinforcements and the two extra battalions, and the bi-monthly drafts after that will be in the neighborhood of 4000, or at the rate of nearly 2000 monthly. Australia's population is nearly five times as great a3 that of New Zealand, and the Commonwealth has not sent away as many! men in proportion to population as the dominion has done up to the present time. It does not appear, indeed, that the Federal defence authorities have kept up their reinforcements to the full number of 15 per cent, per month on the original force. The Defence. Minister (Hon. J. Allen) said this evening, when this matter was mentioned to him by a reporter, that ho did not know if the cabled figures were accurate, and ho had no desire, in any case, to draw comparisons, but he would say that New Zealand had no leeway to make up in connection with reinforcements. The full 15 per cent, per month on the main body for all branches had been sent forward, and the same rate of reinforcements was being provided for, as far as the new battalions were concerned. "I have no doubt at all that we will have enough men on the register to 1111 the Ninth Reinforcements, and the two new battalions when they arc called up next month," added Mr. Allen. "We had a sufficient total for this purpose in August, but some of the branches were over-provided, and there was a shortage of infantry enlistments. Probably the number of infantrymen has been made up by this time. Generally speaking, the men do not have to be transferred from one branch to another. Mounted men, artillerymen, and engineers all wish to stick to their own branches, and many men are applying for service with the. Army Service Corps.''