THE NEW RECRUITING SCHEME.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 March 1916, Page 8

THE NEW RECRUITING SCHEME.

COMPULSION COMING. UNLESS DISTRICTS WAKE UP. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Feb. ■ 28. The Prime Minister ' stated to-night tlmt fully 150 favorable replies had been received from local bodies and members of the Legislature who were approached in connection with the new recruiting scheme. ,The number is not large enough to make the matter secure. The Dominion has been divided into some 312 recruiting districts for the purposes of the Recruiting Board, and even when allowance is made for the eases where distiiets have combined (a city replying for itself arid its suburbs), it is obvious that the new recruiting scheme is not coming into operation over the whole country as quie r kly.as the Government wishes. The Recruiting Board assumed responsibility for finding the 14th Reinforcements, due to go into camp within the next ten or twelve, days, and the indications are that there will be a shortage. Both the Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence have said that if the voluntary system fails under tl;e test applied to it by the new recruiting sy6tem, some means of compulsion will be inevitable. Xew Zealand has undertaken to bear its part in the war, and it cannot fail to meet its obligations. How. long a period of trial can the Government afford to give the new scheme? That is a pregnant question at the present time.' The shortages in the recent Reinforcement drafts were made up by means of the Reserve, the vacancies in the Reserve in turn being' filled by special efforts after the Reinforcement* had" been brought up to strength. But the Minister for Defence was careful to explain the other day that the Reserve was a special force,, raised at the request of the Imperial authorities and intended to be available for service if required. The Recruiting Board has got to find the full number of men required for each Reinforcement at- the proper date. If that is not done then the new system will have failed. The decision seems to rest With the districts themselves. The Recruiting Board has provided the machinery for local organisation, and has invited local people to undertake the task of finding the required quotas of men. If the local organisations are half-hearted or idle, the scheme will not be effective. If that happens, then Parliament will have to be summoned to face the situation