REGISTER OF MEN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 145, 20 June 1940, Page 10

REGISTER OF MEN

DEFENCE OF NEW" ZEAIiAND. (By Telegraph.—(Parliamentary Reporter.) . ' TVEEMNGTON, this day. Every effort is being made to expedite the register of men for sen-ice, according to the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, mho said in the House of Representatives, last night that, the first register would contain the names of single men and the second those of married men, all between the ages'; of 19 and 45. The Minister said that the Territorial Force had been depicted by the Expeditionary Force, and it was the Government's job now to build up a • welltrained, mobile force for the Dominion. This was being done. On July 1 it was proposed to take 2000 men of the Fortress Battalion for a three months' course and place officers and N.C.O.'s into an army school and give them a course of instruction. In warmer weather officers and N.C.O.'s of the Territorial Force were to be given two to three months' intensive training in camp. The Territorial Force itself would be brought up to war establishment pending , the compilation of a register. So far as the Tegister was . concerned, there were / a.; number of things to be considered, such as the question of taking a ballot, and whether there would be quotas or a national ballot. : The Minister outlined briefly the development of the naval forces.. He said that over the last four years the sum of £3,315,900 had been spent oh this arm. They had a modern base with 400 men employed and had bceii able : to. undertake two major refits. Minesweepers had been fitted out, 23 nier-" chant ships had been armed, 23 other steamers had been equipped with depth charges, and certain ships had been equipped with magnetic mine protection. The personnel had increased from 1339 I before the war to 2497 now, and 80 per cent were New Zealanders. ... ; .