MAIN BODY MEN ON FURLOUGH.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1918, Page 5

MAIN BODY MEN ON FURLOUGH.

NO CHANGE OF POLICY. 1 (From Our Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Jan. 11. A report has found circulation that thirty members of the Main Body have returned to New Zealand on furlough, land anxious inquiries have been made as |to whether this mean 3 that a. general I furlough scheme is going to operate. The report appears to bo based on a misunderstanding, . Defence headquarters states that there has been no change of policy with respect to fui'lough. The Imperial authorities vetoed the proposal of the New Zealand Government to grant furlough to Main Body men, on the grounds of military necessity and shipping shortage. The decision has been accepted by the Government here and approved by. Parliament. Some Main Body men have come back to New Zealand to take commissions with reinforcement drafts, and these men are granted leave before they report for duty in the training camps. The report may have .been due to the presence of some of these men. Then a certain number of men return for duty on transports, and they also are granted leave before they depart with reinforcements. It is possible that some preference has been given to Body men in the allocation of duty of this kind. . The reasons why no general scheme of furlough could be adopted have been stated already. The scheme could not be peculiar to New Zealand. A similar concession would have to be made to the troops from the other :Dominions, and the return of all Main Body men on furlough would not only require the use of a large quantity of shipping, but would seriously reduce the fighting efficiency of the forces at the front, by withdrawing many of those experienced officers and non-coms. The army authorities would be most unwilling to accept any arrangement of the kind at this stage of the war.