30th REINFORCEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 March 1917, Page 5

30th REINFORCEMENTS.

HALF VOLUNTEERS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, March 2S. Voluntary recruiting for the 30th Reinforcements will close on Thursday, April 23. The recruits for the 28th Reinforcements will enter camp during the following week, and some slight changes will 'be made in the usual order with the object of avoiding clashing with the Easter holidays. The Wellington men, who under normal conditions would have gone to camp on Tuesday, April 10, will nob be mobilised until Friday, April 13, so thai; they will be able to spend the Easter holidays a,t home. The number of voluntary recruits available for the 30th Reinforcements on Saturday last was 020. Twelve days "had then to elapse before voluntary enlistment closed, and the final figures seem likely to show that half the. recruits required for the draft have been supplied under the voluntary system. The number of voluntary recruits set down for the 31st Reinforcements on Saturday was 203. Volunteers will continue to be accepted for this draft until the beginning of May. The rate of voluntary recruiting in the various districts show's marked differences. It appears, even when allowance has been made for the varying quotas, that some districts are nnieh -less inclined to rely upon compulsion than others. The following figures show the voluntary recruits attested for the 30th Reinforcements in the various recruiting districts up to and including Saturday last:— ' Recruiting District. ■ Volunteers. Auckland City ..-.-.-.-.-r0.... 214 Paeroa ...-.;.-...-,-..;..., ail Wliangarei ........-.n 37 Hamilton ...>,«.".. ,-* OS Wellington City .'..,..,., 144 Palmerston North W.... i. 2S Napier .. K ............ 00 Hawera ■....■...-...,.■...,-■■. 55 Christehureh >.;.-;-... ..... >i . ;>: l. 34 Timaru ....... : ,,.,. ..,..,, 9 Rangiora ;..-.,. ,...■„,.•_,„.,., 4 Kelson ...t.v... : .,-..,.,.' : ...,v y '. 8 Dunedin ■■.;r.:«.\.;.,n,,.., 1$ Inveruargill ...,.-.-.,... ~-„ f ' Onmaru ;.....»...-..;. k 11 Milton ......;....-i,....;.i. !< 7 Rotorua ....... ,. 0T .,.......„, 44 Masterton .....«.,.-..,.4..'.., 43 Gisborne ... .>. : .i,j.,....,.-.;...• ft Wanganui ..•..-...v.-.-.i.-.-.-J.; 32 Greymouth ........... v 8

It will be noticed that Auckland and Wellington have done well in providing voluntary recruits for the 30th draft. Some of the smaller districts have recruited strongly, but it doea not seem likely that any district will escape the ballot altogether next month. First Division men are now attested before medical examination in the event of their volunteering, and this arrangement makes easy the way of the reservist who wishes to avoid the ballot. If a man cdmes forward as a volunteer, he will be taken out of the ballot, and then medically examined as soon as possible. Should ho bo passed as fit, he will be sent to camp subsequently in the usual way, while if he i 9 declared unfit, be will be given leave without pay until further notice. In either case he will be no longer liable to be drawn in the .ballot Naturally this procedure takes.time and a man who enlists voluntarily on the eve of a ballot may find that his name has been drawn and gazetted.