RECRUITING.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1916, Page 7

RECRUITING.

[ 12th REINFORCEMENTS. COMPLETING THE DRAFT. (Fiow Our Own Correspondent.) The shortage reported from the camps in coniißction with tlir 12th Reinforecments is confined to the infantry. Tlie Wellington district was the onlv one of four miilitary districts to send'forward lis full quota. The total amount of the shortage, however, is small, and the military authorities expect ito complete the 12th Reinforcements and (ill the remaining gap? in the I ltli Reinforcements this week. Small drafts, including eighteen men from M'ellington, will go into camp during the next day or two.

The preference shown by many rcI emits for the special branches, as against the infantry, lias been embarrassing to the authori'tics for many months past, and the suggestion has been made that the present system of allowing each man to choose his own branch of service should be abolished. The Defence Minister and bis ciftieers are unwilling to make a drastic, change at this stage, but it is important'that the men themselves should remember the position the infantry occupy in the armies of to-day. The majority of the members of every reinrorcement must be infantrymen. Infantry recruits can bo taken into camp speedily, because they are always required, whereas there are long waiting lists for some of the other branches. The man. who is inspired by patriotic motives in enlisting can assure himself that an infantryman in the hand is, from the point of view of the Defence Department, wortli two artillerymen on the end of a list that contains a year's supply of artillery recruits.

THE iUDC.fi;?. The proposal of the Recruiting Board for issuing badges to returned soldiers, men who are waiting' to be called up, and men who have been rejected as medically unfit has not yet taken .definite form. The details of the. arrangement present some difficulties, but an announcement is likely to be made in the near future. The British recruiting authorities have adopted a khaki armlet to distinguish the enlisted men from those who have not offered themselves, but the scheme has not been entirely successful. The wearing of the armlets cannot well be made compulsory, and many men object to distinguishing themselves by a device 'that, to their minds, savors of "swank." Men who have been rejected as medically unfit may be diffident about announcing the fact publicly

NEW RECRUITING oCJiUfIIE. The alphabetical lists of men of military ape for use in connection wit.li the new recruiting scheme will be ready within the next day or two. The (!oveminent Statistician and a large stall' have been preparing these lists as rapidly as possible, and it is expected that before the end of this week the Recruiting Board will be able to set aborn, the organisation of the district recruiting committees. Some of the local bodies have taken the initial steps already, but they cannot, begin active work until they have received the lists of eligible men in their own districts and the special instructions that will be forwarded to them by the board.