WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1916, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE CALL FOR MEN. BIG DRAIN" OX CCriXK ::'S RESOURCES. (Special Correspondent.)' _ Wellington, August 21. The constitution of the Expeditionary force Reserve next month, under the compulsory clauses of the Military Service Act, will enable the Government to secure some fairly exact figures regarding tue remaining resources in men of milfrary age. A certain amount of informa tion was made available by Die Xationai "'"■ter, and in some districts the figures have been checked by the recruiting committees, which have undertaken the personal canvass desired by the Recruiting Board. But the formation of the Reserve will place matters on a definite teotmg, and the Government will be able then to review the whole position in the light of the possible future requirements of the training cainps. The oft expressed idea, that Kew Zealand still has "plenty of men" scarcely takes into account all the factors that govern the situation. . About 04,000 men have joined the Expeditionary Forces and -Reinforcements already, and it is estimated that <between and 30;000 other men have been rejected as being physically unfit, over age, etc. The Gov" eminent Statistician estimated a year ago that the total number of men of military age in Xew Zealand was approximately 230,0(10, and it is reasonable to assume that the proportion of unfit i among those who have not yet enlisted is substantially higher than it was among the men who have already volunteered. The probable position may bo stated in this way:— Total number of men |*3o.ofW> Enlisted or rejected ......90,000

Remaining —r.-ri.-sr 140.030 Including unfit (say) 4'ojflOO.. Balance , 93,000 This balance of 05,000 men, however, includes men engaged in exempted industries, men whose retention is essential to their particular industries, and the agricultural and pastoral workers. New Zealand cannot afford to send awiiy any more coal miners or woollen workers or tanners. It cannot spare many more men from the railway service, and the timo is approaching when the dairying districts must cease to he recruiting grounds. Just how far the list of exemptions must be extended is a question for the Government to consider aftsr reviewing all the facts. The maintenance of a full volume of exports in all the principal lines, since the Mother Country requires every pound of wool, meat, butter, cheese, tallow, etc., is essential, and that point is not going to be overlooked by the authorities, either here or in London. Obviously, then, the number of men actually available for military service is very much smaller than tiie table given (above would seem to indicate at lirst glance. It is a fact that another year of recruiting for the Reinforcements at the present rate, either voluntarily or under the Military Service Act, will render necessary a wide extension of the activities of women in this country. The scheme propounded some months ago by the Minister for Internal Affairs, for the enrolment of women in the National Register, from which workers could be drawn to relieve the men required in the trendies, does not apprar to have made very much -progress, possibly owing to a feeling on the part of the women that the call -was premature. But a certain amount of effort luw been made 011 the lines indicated by the Minister, and the replacement of men by women in many branches of official and commercial employment lias proceeded more rapidly than is generally understood to be the ease. The official statistics bearing upon this point are incomplete, but they are significant of a tendency that was inevitable under the circumstances. After the enrolment of the two divisions of the Expeditionary Force Reserve has been proclaimed next month, the Government will constitute the appeal boards authorised by the Military Service Act. It will be the duty of these boards to hear appeals made by the. men affected by the Act, first against their position in the general classification, and later against the summonses for service with the forces. The piospects of recruiting will become clearer then, since the Government will be required to lay down rules for tlie guidance of the boards, and to define the proper grounds for exemption. The British Government made the mistake, in the first instance, of leaving too much to the discretion of the boards, with the result, that many anomalies arose and the number of exemptions in scrne districts was far too great. The New Zealand Government ought to be able to avoid this error. But it will not be able to avoid cutting down very substantially the number of men apparently available for service with tlie Expeditionary Forces.