WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 January 1917, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

dealing with defaulters. Wellington, Jan. 4. Defence Headquarters stater, Lhat bailoted men who have disregarded the orders given them will bo ileni; with definitely directly the mobilisation of the 24th and 2.5 th Reinforcement Is complete. Som< )f ihe reservists drawn by ballot have failed to ;re.\en; UicmM'lves for medical examination: other.; are disobeying tin mobilisation .'alls. The defaulters, as far a.- ea:. uc gathered, do not form a larg.- pnjportien (if the total number o: compul'.orily »enlisted men, but tbe r.utiiorit.e;, are not prepared to give exact tlgurer the present stage. The position appear,- to be that every balloted man is being give.i wide latitude in the initial stages of the .chemr. The authorities do not wis). ;o be .uirsh in any case, and they wish to avoid mistakes due to inaccuracies in the roll and other causes. No penalties oi my kind have been enforced up to the. present tlint again-t reservist*, who have not lomplieil with order:,. „Ik! an impression may have been created in some quarteis that the lav. ~iav be defied with impunity. Your -correspondent was assured to-day. on bigb authority, that the final period of grace would be hehl tu have expired when the mobilisation of the 23th Reinforcements was completed at the cr.d of next week, and that every defaulter who could be reachec would then be brought ;.i book as promptly : possible

Voluntary recruiting foi tlio ifith Reinforcements will close on Saturday next, and tin ballot required tu provide rc.-ruitf for the completion of the draft will be taken during tlie following week Probably not fewer than 3000 nanus will have to b*. drawn In the meantime the medical examination of the reservist-- drawn ill the second ballot is proending, and preliminary reports indicate that the percentage of fit men is proving reasonably high.