DOMINION'S PART.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1916, Page 5

DOMINION'S PART.

PREPARING for conscription. defence staff kept busy. - RECRUITING FALLING OFF (By Telegraph.— Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. The Government Statistician is not able to fix the date for the completion of the rolls. The two divisions of the Expeditionary Force reserve forms are wining in thick and fast from all parts of the country, and at the. present tinitj the sta/1 cannot possiby keep pace with the rush of work. Certainly, a fortliiylit, possibly a month, will elapse before the last certificate of enrolment can be sent out, and it appears that in the meantime, no groat progress can be made by the Recruiting Board in anticipation of the coming conscription. The, Recruiting Board canr.ot begin to call up men till a full and accurate roll is available, and, apparently, it must allow some time for appeals after the Govern mnent Statistician lias completed his work. Just how soon conscription •will be required is a subject upon which the Defence authorities have, little to say at the present time. Your correspondent was told in one well informed quarter that monthly drafts could be provided by voluntary effort for at least three months to coine according to figures of present enlistments, but there is some ground to fear that the 21st Reinforcements will go into camp short of their full strength in the last week of this month, unless a special effort is made by volunteers, and reports from all parts of the Dominion indicate that the proclamation of the reserve has weakened the appeal of recruiting organisations by suggesting to the re maining able-bodied men that they may fairly wait until they are summoned. The first batch of conscripts will Le taken under Clause 35 of the Military Service Act dealing with familiies which have failed to contribute even one son out of several. It was suggested officially that some of these men might become available during October, but, apparently, this expectation will not be justified. Families concerned have not yet been notified, and, obviously, the Recruiting Board will have to allow time for appeal in these cases It is stated that the Board is already in possession of the names of over 1000 men who may be effected. MENINGITIS PATIENTS Wellington, Last Night. "At Trentham there are two cases of cerebrospinal meningitis on the serious list," said Surgeon-General Henderson (Director of General Medical Services), to-day. One patient, who has been in for some time, is very much the same to-day, and the man who came in last is not quite so well, otherwise there is nothing to note. At Feathcrston the' three pneumonia eases are all better, while there are six cerebro-spinal meningitis patients, three of whom are distinctly better, while two are much the same as yesterday. One is a fresh admission from the 20th Reinforcements, and his condition at present is serious. The measles epidemic is abating. v