BALLOT BEGINS

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1940, Page 8

BALLOT BEGINS

By Telegraph—Press Association.

TO SECURE 6000 MEN CLASS ONE OF RESERVE TERRITORIAL SERVICE

Wellington, Sept. 24. The drawing of 16,000 men from the first division of the general ! reserve, to supply 6000 men for territorial service in New Zealand, was begun at 9 o'clock this morning. On Wednesday of next week the men selected will receive advice and the notices and names will be published in a Gazette. A Start Made. The names are being drawn by officers of the National Service Department under the supervision of Mr. W. F. Stillwell, S.M., but the drawing is arranged in such a way that those actually engaged do not know who has been drawn. One hundred and eighty cards are drawn at a time and the first issue took just about 30 minutes from the time the marbles were put in thef barrel until the notices to the men drawn haa been typed. It is anticipated that the full 16,000 will be drawn in four days, an ambitious undertaking compared with the results obtained when drawing was first resorted to during the last war. System "Foolproof." Before the drawing commenced the Ministers of National Service and Defence, the Hon. R. Semple and the Hon. F. Jones, spoke briefly to those engaged in the work and congratulated them on the way in which they had prepared for the ballot. Mr. Semple said lie was satisfied tliat the system of drawing was foolproof and would be scrupulously fair. The ballot was a preliminary one to secure 6000 men for the territorial forces. There would be other ballots for overseas service. „ _ Mr. Jones said that the Defence Department now had to rely on men drawn for service to fill up any deficiencies in the forces and he hoped the men drawn would accept the position in the very best spirit. He believed the young men of New Zealand would accept the call to service and piay their part along with their mates already in uniform. The drawing commenced with the 2000 men required for the nortliern military district. The first marble wls drawn by the Minister of National Service. Colonel Mead, Adjutant-General, was present for a time and the Director of National Service, Mr. J. S. Hunter, and the assistant-director, Mr. H. L. Bockett, took an active part in the drawing.