THE SECOND DIVISION.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 November 1917, Page 6

THE SECOND DIVISION.

new Zealand's clear ©uty. efforts .must not slacken. The necessity for the maintenance of Now Zealand's full quota of reinforcements was again emphasised by the Minister for Defence, Sir James Allen, at Auckland, on Saturday. His remarks were based upon the Russian situation, in the first instance. Commenting thereon, Sir James said:

"The thing a Britisher always prides himself upon is that when he is up against :i difficult situation he sets his teeth and faces it. From the allies' point, of view the turn of events in Russia is bad luck, but we can only hope that the luck will turn. We have to hopo on, and to hang on and win, and we can win, in my opinion. This is really the test of the nation.

I "So far as the Dominion is concerned, wo must not slacken in our efforts to keep up the. necessary reinforcements in order t 0 maintain our division xt its full strength. We cannot quit; we have to see it through." The Minister said there was no truth whatever in the rumor that it was intended to stop calling up the men of the Second Division when Class R—men with one child—had been exhausted. The whole of the Second Division would, if ncccsary, lie called up by ballot in turn in the usual way.

A statement in circulation, attributed to a member of the Government, to the effect that the war was unlikely to end before every man of military age was called up, was referred to Sir James. In comment he remarked: "It is a very bold man wh 0 will state that the wajr will not end before every Second Division man in New Zealand lias taken up arms. I have every hope that it will end before then. As regards the suggestion reported to have been made by the same member of the Government,' that the military ago will be extended to 55 or CO, as far as I know we would have to be in a most desperate position bofore we raised the age limit over 45, ,19 at present. Wo are not sending any men over 44 out of the Dominion now because we find they cannot stand the winter in the trenches. In my opinion, the Second Division with the present age limit will last us well into ]!))!) ? 0 far as the call into camp is concerned, taking into consideration the accretions always corning in. of First Division men attaining military age. I cannot give definite figures now, but class A men will not all be in camp until next May."