THE IMPERIAL ARMY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 65, 18 March 1925, Page 5

THE IMPERIAL ARMY.

LACK OF GOOD RECRUITS. ILL-HEALTH AND THE DOLE. LONDON, March 17. The Secretary of State for AVar, Sir L. Worthington-Evans, in introducing the Army Estimates in the House of Commons expressed uneasiness at tlte fact that no fewer than 49,245 would-be recruits had been rejected on medical or physical grounds. The rejects comprised five out of every eight who had applied for admission to the Army. Next to ill-health said the Minister, unemployment benefits formed the most important obstacle to recruiting. As regards the supplementary reserve, the Minister referred to the opposition of the trades unions. This he said was due to a complete misapprehension that the reserve was meant for the purposes of strike-breaking. The AA'ar Office would proceed without the help of the unions. Mr Stephen Walsh, who was Secretary of State for AVar in the late Labour Government, said he regretted that misunderstanding had arisen about the supplementary reserve. He attributed it to crass stupidity on the part of the recruiting sergeants. The difficulty might, he said, be removed if it were made clear that the reserve would only be called out in ease of war. Tlie House agreed to the Army Estimates. — (Reuter.)