RECRUITING.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1916, Page 2

RECRUITING.

T'Pi NEW SYSTEM. EV'iKY MAN TO TAKE TIIE OATH. (From Our Own Correspondent). 'Yc'!li'i«ton, September 28. 1 lit? now .°yslr;t) of recruiting, requiring i very mar. registering for service to tuke the oath of allegiance, came into operation yostor.lo v. The change is intended to net- the. serious difficulty caused by the failure of registered men to report on <he day of mobilisation. Th'j I) :fenee Department in the past has had to held ou-r a man until he was actually in carrp and the "wastage" between the time of registration and the arrival of drafts at Trc-ntham or Fealliorston lias been substantial. In t.lie future- the reerr.it will become, a soldier, subject to military discipline, at the time of rojiistiatnn, and will lie merely on leave until he is called up for training.; All men .who are already registered and pa-sod as fil for service are to be required to take the oath of allegiance. These anisette.! men will be called together in batches by the group officers during the next few weeks .and formally attested. The attesting officers are being specially appo : nted and all hold comniis.ii.)ii3 in tbe Now Zealand Forces. The regulations provide that registered men who were prssoil as fit moro than three months ago mint undergo a further mddical examination before tlicv are attested.

When a recruit takes the oat]' under tlxi? new system lie will receive one day's pay as a memler of the Expeditionary Forces, amounting to sa. The rules laid down in iliis connection are as fol'

(1; Men who are already registered and ve medically fit will be calico mi for attestation and given pay. (2) Those men on the books who, have not yet been medically examined vill be notified that they must re-enlist. (3) Men who are obviously unfit are not k )j" medically examined and wili ii'.t receive pay. 14) Men who have previously registered' fr.r service and have been reiccttd a? medically unfit will only lie giien pay if they are passed as medically fit foi service abroad. (5) Every man who registers for the fist time, and those who previously registered and did not undergo jiic'lic;il examination, will be given l ay whether they pass as fit for mime or active service, or are elaisad as unfit.

Tli': minumin sum payable to a man under ilii-se conditions will be one day's p:ty 'of), Lut provision is made for the payment of additional days' pay, as well as* Iravelliii? expenses, in the cases of men who are fo cod to bo away from hott.c fcr mt re than a single day. Only those men who are of military age, who 1.-.'ive been passed as fit, and who, if mair.ed have not more than three children, are to be attested. After a man lias registered, taken the ntuh and received his pay warrant he will'be handed a leave pass in the ordinary form. His status until the day of mobilisation will be that of a soldier on leave w.thout pay. The man will state which draft lie wishes to join, hi* choice being limited to the three drafts succeeding clie date of his enlistments and •'hen l-t if called up he must appear on penalty if being treated as a deserter. A in a n who has been selected as a protiEitioiary non-commissioned officer mid who do"? not appear on the day of mobilisation will be sent into camp at once as a pm?te unless lie can show •.■cod r.T.son for his failure. The new conditions will make it neccwiuy foe the Defence .Departmnt to sutiimen men in o:cc-ss of actual requirement.s when a draft is being mobilised. The whole of li'.e men called up may be expected to appear, and the authorities have ■ decided, therefore, that the list of recruits for each draft shall be closed as soon as it is full.