RECRUITING FOR ARMY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 136, 20 March 1948, Page 4

RECRUITING FOR ARMY

Campaign to Begin Next

Month

“DOMINION MUST HAVE EFFICIENT FORCE”

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, March 19. A recruiting campaign for the regular Army will begin on April 1. The first approach will be to members of J Force.

Commenting to-night on the campaign, the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) said that the best recruits would be the men who had already seen service, and who might therefore be said to have served their apprenticeship to what was to-day one of the most skilled and technical occupations—the profession of arms. Particularly was this the case with men who served overseas. Some details of the defence policy were yet to be settled, but there could be no doubt that until such time as machinery was evolved to outlaw warfare, the Dominion must have its regular forces, said Mr Jones. They must of necessity be small, but that was all the more reason why they must be efficient, and this called for men of ability, of experience, and for men who were able to learn the new technique aud handling of new equipment on the basis of hard practical experience.