WELLINGTON NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1915, Page 6

WELLINGTON NOTES.

!!!' NATIONAL REGISTER. DEFENCE MINISTER'S STATEMENT. (From Our Own Correspondent,) Wellington, Dec. 8. Cabinet has nol yet been called upon to consider the recruiting system in the li:;lit of the iuforniiitioii supplied liv the National Register, and the statement made liv die Minister for 'Defence (Eon. .)'. Alle.iil to-dav on the subject, has to he regarded as tentative. I'.u'f the avail- ! able information ".oes to show that the Minister lias sketched the main I'oalnrcs of the seh-nie that will b" adopted by the Hovcnimenl within Hie next lew weeks. The National Register does not provide one sine.lo recruit in its present form. Cut it tells the (.'uv.niuo.-ni (1> the number of men of military ate in the Dominion nuclei- the various classifications: (l'| the distribution of Ih< .-,- jiieu accordin;.: to districts; and (?,) where the individual-, are to ],e I'm,ml. Tin- Defence Mini-tor indicates tl.st the quotas required from the various districts for the *ucces-ive reinforcements- will be fixed accoidimr to flic number of men available, as shown in the Tic-sifter. The ]0(I,!J8M men who have expressed their willineness to join the expeditionary forces if they are required have been classified already into fi.e Sloops: Single inen and widowers without dependent*. .--iii.sle men with dependents, widowers with dependents, married men with wives as sole dependents, mjrricd men with wives and oilier dependents. These men will receive invitations to enlist in the order of this classification, the single men without dependents first, and so on. Presumably the Defence Department will use tin l post to a larjrc extent and issue its appeals class by ela-s. Exception* will be made in Hie ease of men who are required in industries connected directly or indirectly with the war.

Tn his statement r.prm the subject Mr. Allen is careful Io say again that there must be no slackening of effort as far as the existing recruiting system is concern! d. The new -'■heme, however ell'ecli\e if, may prove, cannot be brought into full operation onicklv enough to provide men for ill" Eleventh and Twelfth lloinl'orcempii!>. due to enier camp on December M and .January 111-12 respectively. It be remembered, too, that there \= no definite assurance vet (hat the new sehemo is Knine; to meet all expectations. The man'who has staled on hi**\V,>r Census form Unit, he is readv to join (he forces has still to translate his' words into action. Tie cannot be reckoned as a re-TitH until he has enli.-led and passed the' medical examination. In the meantime the reinforcement drafts must be filled regularly and promptly.

THE SELF-C'OXFESSET) SLACKERS. To-dar your correspondent tried to get "oni,i indication of the probable attitude of the Govornmenl towards the K3SIO single men without dependents who have slated that they are not willing to give any 'orviee at all. military or civil, and the :«!;■; single men without dependents who have indicated their willingness to undertake civil tasks, but not military duties. But the Ministers are not ready to speak on ibe point. The question ione of policy, to lie considered by Cabinet in connection with the general scheme of recruiting. The Defence authorities are disposed to believe, from their own experience, that a very hireo proportion of these men would be unfit" for .service in any ca-e. It may be as-.umod fairly safely that, in any case the men who have i hissed Ihem-clves among the "slackers" will be given an opportunity to reconsider the matter when the Defence Department's personal appeals are being distributed.

PROrCbSEO .Ml XI,ST Ell IAL VISIT TO ENGLAND.

A definite pronouncement may be expected shortly concerning the projected visit of the Prime Minister and Ihe Minister for Finance to London. The political gossips have had a good deal to say upon this subject lately. They hint, perhaps unkindly, that party considerations have been raised over this matter and that an arrangement satisfactory to everybody is hard to devise. There really is no need for more than one Minister to go to London at (his juncture. But if the Prime Minister goes alone, Sir Joseph Ward naturally would be acting Prime Minister. Hence we have loyal Reformers urging Mr. Massey not to leave lhe country, ll' Sir Joseph Ward goes Home alone, lhe susceptibilities of the party men will be offended in another wav. The New Zealand statesman who visits London just now will have a great reception. If Mr. Massoy and Sir Joseph Ward go together and share the kudos and hampiets, another .Minister has to be appointed acting Prime Minister. The appointment obviously belongs to the Defence Minister bv right of seniority ajid precedent, but there are dillieulties. One gathers an impression at tin- moment that the Minister for Finance wants to get away, since public business requires'his attention in London, while the Prime Minister is for delay. The Ministers must leave in January if they are to be back for the session of Parliament,