INFANTRY WANTED.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1915, Page 4

INFANTRY WANTED.

ITP.CEXT C'AIjTJ FOrt M.F.N. SURPLUS OK RKCGt'LTS. IN. BRANCHES (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Oct. 2V The general call for recruits for the Espeditionarry I'nreo id becoming a special call for infantrymen. Men ar« coming forward in considerable numbers, the. Wellington Military District leading the way, bat too liiiiiy of the re-ruit* are expressing a preference for service with the Mounted Rifles, Artillory, Army Service Corpsnnd Ambulance. Wellington has enough' prospective artillerymen, army service fovps men, and ambulance men jn hand ti> meet all requirements for many months to come. On the other hand there is a shortage of infantry recruits, and ihen. w&6 enlist no# tun get into camp almost at once. The present system of enlistment allows a reeruit to state what branch of the forces ifishes .to join, and the returns make it': ptain tliat there is a prejudice agijaei' lhe'lnfttritrj- in the mir.ds of a considerable proportion of the yanng men- They believe that tlio ot''er brandies offer them more interesting i'irdtk and possibly wider opportnnilii'«. The artillery has a natural fascination for the man of a mechanical turn of mind. Men who have been connected with transport'operations in civil life turn to the army service corps, and the work of the St. John Ambulance Brigade may i have something to do with the surplus of ambulance reeriut3. The appeal of llie mounted branch, according to one recruiting oflker, i(i to he found .largely in the uniform. The mounted man has a smarter appearance than the infantry, man. It Ls s- matter of spurs and riding breeches, •Tiiil Is'aw Zealand wants infJhtnmeu at the present time and wants them badly. Every reinforcement fomiiiim a niueli larger proportion, of,,infanto? than of any other arm. The infantryman and hi 4 rifle are ill the basis of an army and without them no victory is possible. The Defence nulhoiitir- urn making a special appeal /or infantry i>.--emits. The appeal is ; addre;»i>,| |

tioularly to the men who have noi already received spe;-i;>l in~t riictiuts m some other branch and who are actuated, therefore, by purely personal ninthes in selecting their arm of the -service.