OUR REINFORCEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 October 1916, Page 6

OUR REINFORCEMENTS.

SHOULD WE INCREASE OUR DRAFTS? (From Our Own Correspondent,) Wellington, Tuesday. The extent of New Zealand's contribuion to the Empire's armies is a question f policy, with which the. Government, nd not the military authorities, must ] •eal. 'Defence 'Headquarters lias nothing s 0 say concerning a suggestion that the j ate of reinforcement should be increas- , d. But it states that if the object in j iew is simply the maintenance of the f few Zealand Division ami other units at heir proper strength, then the present , ate of reinforcement, based upon care- ] ul calculation of probable wastage , nder war conditions, may be regarded or the as adequate. The losses 1 killed and wounded during the Somme ffensive ■umlcu'iitedily exceeded, ovei a ertain period, the rate of reinforcement, tat reinforcements have accumulated and ! len previously wounded or sick are gating back into the firing line, while uner normal circumstances the New 7.e&indors will not be kept in the thick of he fight for a prolonged period. It is sual to allow a battle-worn division ime for recuperation and re-organisa-ion. Regarding the broader question of the ate of mobilisation New Zealand is at resent sending forward reinforcements t the rate of approximately 2250 every 3ur weeks. /If there are 15,000 fit men l the First, Division of the Expeditionry Force Reserve, counting fit the men ho could easily and quickly be made t, New Zealand will not complete the lobilisation of this Division for six lontlis yet, and the last reinforcement rawn from that Division will not reach te front until this time next year, lie question is whether or not it would e advisable to hasten the rate of mobiliition with the object of placing a larger roportion of the men in the field for le campaign of the next European jring and summer.