MEW RECRUITING, SCHEME.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 308, 28 December 1915, Page 6

MEW RECRUITING, SCHEME.

MEANING OF INDUSTRIAL SELECTION. NO irNFAIR EXEMPTIONS. ONLY APPLICABLE TO SKILLED WORKERS. PREMIER REPLIES TO CRITICISMS. The main questions which are exercising the public mind in connection with the new personal appeal recruiting scheme are, firstly, whether it will operate more fairly, both in regard to the demands on tho various military districts and in placing the first onus of national service on the most eligible; and, secondly, to what extent it will affect industrial organisation.

It need hardly be reiterated that the main objection of this district to the old system has been that it ha-s exacted greater obligations from the willing centres in order to meet the shortcomings of those where recruiting has met with only an indifferent response; while the announcement that the new National Board of Control will co-operate with tlu- Minister* for Agriculture and Railways and others qualified to give advice on the question of industrial organisation, with a view to granting of exemptions, hoe given rise to the fear on the part of some trade unionists that agricultural workers will 'be pxempt, irrespective of whether their labour can be replaced by that of men over military asre. Both of these points were placed before the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. W. F. Macwey). who is staying in Auckland, by a ''Star" reporter this morning. DEFINITE QUOTAS. Alluding to the advantages of the scheme over the old one in levying proportionately eqiral obligations upou the various military districts, Mr. • Massey said that he did not admit that the present scheme was unfair, but on the other hand the new scheme would definitely place enlistment obligations in proportion to the populations' of the various districts. A number of men would he required from each county or district in proportion to the number of eligible men, and each district would he expected to do ite share. If it was found thnt any district failed to fulfil its obligations, then it would be for the Board to consider what steps should be taken to remedy that state of affairs. What those steps would be he was not prepared to say at the present time.

Asked if there was any possibility of the Government taking steps in order to ensure an adequate response from single men hefore married men were called upon, as was rumoured to 'be the intention of the Home authorities. Mr Massey replied that the cabled statements regarding the rumoured general election in England on t-he sirbjopt merely reported speculation, and there was no definite information to hand ns to the intentions of the Home Government. However, he was able to say that the Now Zealand Cabinet had uot yet considered officially the question of introducing compulsion in connection with the enlistment of single men. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE. "\Vc have 110.000 men who have signified their willingness to serve," added Mr. Massey, "and. bearing that fact in mind, 1 do not think we are going to have any serious difficulty in maintaining our reinforcement quotas."

Questioned with rezard to the probable the personal β-ppenl, the Premier replied that the Cabinet had had under careful consideration Earl Derby's scheme, the Irish plan, and the method at present in operation in Australia, nnd he was confident that they would be able to evolve a satisfactory plan of campaign bueed on the best features of the organisations to which he alluded, nnd which would have for ite object a first appeal to the men most able to go.

I Referring to the doubts expressed with regard to the operations of the exemptions proposals. Mr. Massey said that the trade unionists need not worry. The men referred to under that heading were mainly skilled workers. For instance, there were the industrial firms engaged in manufacturing clothing and other equipment for the troops, with regard to which it would be folly to seriously interfere with their capacity to meet requirements of the Defence Department. Again, there were the freezing works, engaged in a vital work, and they employed a number of highly skilled men— graders, for example—v! hose training had extended over years. Obviously -<i number of these men could not be taken away without the output of frozen meat for the armies correspondingly suffering. Even in connection with dairying factories there were men whom it would he very unwise to take away. All these cases would have to be considered, and, in short, the object of the exemption proposals was to keep in the country those skilled men whose special training made them absolutely essential to the primary industries.