THE TWENTY-FOURTHS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 December 1916, Page 5

THE TWENTY-FOURTHS.

fairly large shortage (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Dec. 27. Tho mobilisation' of the 2-tth Reinforcements, postponed from the present month, will be begun next week, and there are strong indications that a fairly hirgo shortage will have to be reported. In the light of this anticipation, there appears to be some ground for complaints that are being made regarding the leisurely methods of the Defence Department in bringing the compulsory clauses of the Military Service Act into operation. AH the machinery is running .very slowly. The Medical Boards are keeping fairly well abreast of their work, but the Military Servi.ce Boards are not jiearly finished with the appeals arising from the first ballot, and have not begun work in connection with the second ballot. .Some 7000 names have been drawn so far from the roll of the First Division, but apparently fewer than 100(1 of these men will get into camp with the 24th Reinforcements, although they are needed at once on the Defence Department's own showing. The' balloted men who have failed to answer 'the summons to appear before the Medical Hoards have not yet been brought to book.

The explanation of the Department's failure to push matters along' may possibly lie found ill the admitted fact that [ reinforcements have been going forward v,ather quicker than they are needed. No official statement lias been made on this point, and the policy of the Department is to maintain ample reserves ill the United Kingdom or elsewhere in the neighborhood of the war area, so that losses in the New Zealand Division may he covered quickly. But there are substantial accumulations of men, including recovered wounded, available at the present time, and it may be noted that the regular four-weekly despatch of reinforcements from New Zealand has not been maintained strictly of late. The men are ready, but apparently the transports arc not. If the need had been urgent, doubtless the necessary arrangements would have been made on time. It has been explained officially that the late mobilisation of the 2-ltlis will not affect the date of departure, but _ obviously if the men miss some training here they will require to pick it up elsewhere before they proceed to the front, so that late mobilisation puts them back, whatever the transport dates may he.