CONSCRIPTION MEASURES.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1916, Page 7

CONSCRIPTION MEASURES.

THE NEW QUOTAS. TARANAIU'S INCREASED. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, October 28. The preparation of the roll of the Expeditionary Force Reserve has reached an advanced stage, and the Government Statistician is in a position now to state that there are 92,000 names in the list of members of the First .Division, consisting of the unmarried of military age, widowers without children and men inarrieil since May 1, 1915. Put this list, based upon the National Register, includes men who enlisted in the 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th and 22nd Reinforcements, as well as men who hare been attested since September 25. The checking on" of these names is proceeding, and it is estimated that when the work is completed the roll of the First Division will contain about 80,000 names. The quotas of men for future Reinforcements are to be based upon the proportions of reservists' of the First Division in the various recruiting districts. A district that has a large properson of these reservists will have a large quota, while a district that has few members of the First Division left will have its contribution, assessed accordingly. The quotas for the Novein-. ber Reinforcements have been worked out upon this system, and, as was anticipated, some important changes in the relative contributions of the districts have resulted . The general tendency has been to increase the North Island allotments and decrease tho South Island allotments, thus proving that the southern districts, which have had heavy shortages of late, have had smaller proportions of men available than' the northern districts. The effect of the new quotas is illustrated By the figures prepared in conlift ion with the 23rd Reinforcements, which will be mobilised next month. This draft will be called up on the new basis, and the number of men required from the Wellington Military District, for example, will 'be increased by over 130 in consequence of the change! while Canterbury's share will be reduced by 100.' The' following table shows the number of men that would have been required from each district for the 23rd Reinforcements if the old quotas had been maintained, and also the number of men that will be required now that the quotas are based upon the actual numbers of members of the First Division:— AUCKLAND DISTRICT. Croup Old quota. i\ow quota 1 "(Auckland City) ,», 31S 282 2 (Paeroa) »w 90 70 3 (Whangarei) ..,-.-.)* 64 77 4 (Hamilton) ~-....,.,.-, 61 . 135 17 (Kotorua); fc ....,..- 22 40 555 610 WELLINGTON DISTRICT. -5 (Wellington City) 155 217 0 (Paimerston N.) v? 121 109 7 (Napier) TO / <B 78 8 (liawera) '... ~.•.".->,; 103 134 18 (Mastcrton) w -.> : ,, 77 l!fi 19 (Gisborne) ......«, CD S2 20 (Wanganui) t . 104 ill 692 829 CANTERBURY DISTRICT. 9 (Christchurch) „. m 256 183 10 (Timaru) -.-, 128 1.13 11 (Rangiora) ....... S!> M 12 (Nelson) 101 SI 21 (Crevmouth) ... 108 Sil 682 582 OTAGO DISTRICT. 13 (Dunedin) 259 15S 1-1 (lnvereargill) ... 102 ICI 15 (Oamaru) 81 88 16 (Miitor) ~..;.... 4 ; t 49 • MS 454 Grand totals « 2475 2745

The reservists of the First Division at present on the list are distributed aa follows among the military districts; — Auckland, 23,510; Wellington, 31,70-1; Canterbury, 21,002; Otago, 10,043. This makes a total of 112,085. but that number, as already explained, ha? to be reduced by some 13,000 men who have already enlisted but whose names have not yet been checked. The groups forming the Wellington Military District contain the following number of reservists of the First Division:—Group 5 (Wellington City and Suburb?). 0102; Group 0 (Palmerston North), 4.110; Oiroup 7( Napier), 2">lS; Group S (Hcwc.a), 44(82; Group 1« (Maslerton), 3SS3; Group 13 (Risborne), SOU; Group i'O i.Wanganui), 3225. The conscript drafts that will le raited during the next few months will be taken entirely from among the members of the First Division, and the figures above show in the rough the Climbers of men who are liable to be drawn in the ballots. The number* of men actually available for service in the Expeditionary Force will be very much smaller, since the total includes the medically unfit and also all the men who wili be able to secure exemption in some form. The proportion of medically unfit is bound to be very high, since the reserve includes all the men who have already volunteered for scrice and have been rejected, as well as the men whose infirmities have been obvious enough to prevent their volunteering. But it is expected that the reside of fit and available men will exceed : 20,000. If this proves the case the First Division can provide the recruits required for the next nine or ten months at the present rate of reinforcement.