THE TWELFTHS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 April 1916, Page 3

THE TWELFTHS.

SHORTAGE OF INFANTRY. . LEAKAGE OF ATTESTEDS. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, April 19. The Twelfth Infantry Reinforcements, v. hose period of training has almost been completed, were inspected by the Governor yesterday. They are to make their formal parade through the streets of Wellington on Saturday week. The draft is a good one, with some characteristics of its own. The proportion of men over thirty years of age appears to be substantially greater than in the cases cf previous reinforcements, and the training staff reports that the standard of intelligence and initiative is more then usually high. The men, on the other hand, do not look quite as smart on parade as one or two drafts that preceded them have done. The officers are of an excellent type. The present system of training officers through the ranks of the n.c.o.'s is producing firstrate results, and the training staff has no anxiety as to the supply. Competition among the n.c.o.'s is keen, and a man has to prove his worth before he can win a commission.

A parade of the 12th Infantry draws pointed attention to the result of the lucent re-organisation of the New Zealand Forces at the front. The infantry constitutes over eighty per cent, of the total Reinforcement, and this proportion has to be maintained for all future drafts. The Defence authorities have announced already that they are going to "purge the rolls" of many men who have enlisted, for overcrowded branches, such as Artillery and Ambulance, where they will not be wanted within the next six months. Wellington has more than a year's supply of Artillery recruits in hand, and yet cannot get meH for the Infantry. A similar anomaly exists in some other centres. The figures for the whole Dominion show that there are enough men on the waiting lists for Artillery, Ambulance, Army Service Corps, Engineers and Mounted to provide two complete Reinforcements if the men would get into the places where thty are wanted instead of waiting for admission to the branch of their owb choice.

This matter lias been receiving the attention of the Recruiting Board lately. V hen a man registers for service in New Zealand he is allowed to choose his own branch (some branches are at present closed in certain districts), and he makes no formal attestation. He need not respond when he is summoned to enter camp, and some men, having made a parade of their patriotism by registering, are missing when their draft begins its training. The British system is different. When a man presents' himself nt a recruiting office in the United Kingdom and passes the medical examination, he is attested formally, that is, he takes the oath. Then he is given a day's pay and directed to repert in camp when the official notice reaches h:m. He is a soldier at once, and if he does not report when summoned he may 1-e fetched. This applies to men who enlist under the group system. Another class of recruits consists of those who are ready to begin their training immediately and who are taken into camp without delay. The Defence authorities arc collecting figures showing what the Actual leakage is through the failure of New Zealand men to enter camp when summoned after registration. The total must be fairly large by this time.