OUR MILITARY FORCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1918, Page 5

OUR MILITARY FORCES.

. ■ wpaJj w, 3m,m mmmm, (From Our-Owti Corcespp2£i&s Wellington, July JUH, The Minister for Defence ;(Sfr Jaftc, Allen) stated at Helensville on Tueflday, that New Zealand had sent awjy 95,000 soldiers and that 22,000 Ih'ad returned. These figures-axe approximate, <md they do not take count of the men it present . in training at the nrilitaiy The total number of eoMiera raised 6# New Zealand since the oueforealfc of jmr Bak-i sideralbly exceeds 109,000. The figures quoted by the WrnW&v iShow why i(j is possible &r the New. iZeakhd Government to decide upeni a reduction of the reinforcement quota fet a time when much of this yeart fighting probalbly stall has to be done.; If the returned men and the tCead are ducted from the total number of jmfcn sent away, and certain crSter necessary allowances are made, it will lib that there are,, roughly, 60,000 men fttj present abroad. The nominal BttengQi of the New Zealand Division, the ed Brigade, and the other units f&cfc re- ■ quire reinforoemdcU,, according if statement made by the ilinister foil I HJei fence, is' in tha neighborhood of SSyilty The number of men sick and on leswie day by day has been stated id be tana 10,000 to 12,000 tinder nonaal. dentitions. This leaves about 25,000 mea still to be accounted for, and c/t fbpse a large proportion are to be found in £6.0 reserves that support the New Zealand > Division. It should not be forgotten', of course, that headquarters' staffs and base staffs necessarily ateorb many mail The events of the present year hart shown; that the New Zealand reserved are not too large. Any division in tfiß Allied line may have t<j bear the brant . of a German massed at£a<& and 'the New Zealandera, under sudi conditions, couEL not wait while reinforcements were sent from this country. (Burt the New Zealand roerves are Jarge enough to ghte a resu sonable feeling of security. They hasp , been, and are being, strengthened l by tßs 1 increased reinforcements start since April, and the New Zealand Oonmuudd can face the rest of this year's fighting without fear that the division itt strength at a critical htour. It was officially stated some nfionßS ago that New Zealand had nwtrißsed 0s : ; service with the Expeditiously Force 107,000 men. The number fcaß since .grown to abbut 136,000 men- fhfa ifii dudes between 0000 aid 10/881 reteraife "who have Ibeen discharged from 'Eheffitmpfe "without service ate-oad. It does not include officers and meH of tha tap-, jet* .t&blishment. The Government StaitisfcicißE ESS B6E- ( ■ducted a further purging of ih6 roll §f Clftsa C, Second Division, during recent weeks. 0e n has received informatioii to change of sMua front .many reSijfvisfrs, who seem to have Keen awalcenSl . to their respoifsibilitieS fcy the tion of th(i first Wlot list in their class, , and has beeti aHe to transfer eonfe men to Class B and e) larger number td Class ID (three children)'. The IB man wQI called up in the neit Gazette. Tfe number of nren ramtuniiig in Clasg O is now 8000 art U !b€ a»ini by SUM riett ▼eek. ' ', The nuiMi«f H Sfi iCSaaiWg 31,000. The Government' SMistuissldu 'sent a posfcSrd to each ufwi infofmjqg him of his and asking ifoi •either to confirm it or ix) notify any change 'of status, due t8 tfio death' &r "birth of « child. The men 1 Sard requited to jg&tfy any eUtSgS aKUnW.statel®y<; 1 •i 1 1 ■ ■ ' 1 '