HORROR STORY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 141, 17 June 1941, Page 8

HORROR STORY

DISCOURAGE ENLISTMENTS

FIFTH COLUMN IN N.S.W.

(0.C.) SYDNEY, June 14. A recruiting officer, Major Morell, j who has returned from a country tour, says home influences are being brought to bear in the country to ' dissuade young men from enlisting.' For one thing, he says, too many 1 men are being encouraged to take advantage of the reserved occu-' pations list, but this will probably ! be altered soon, for it is expected I that the list will be drastically revised. It was compiled early in the war when no one realised the nature 1 of the struggle that lay ahead. Major Morell also found that another common thing was for relatives to tell intending recruits that a munitions factory was about to be established in their home town and that they would be of far more use making war materials thnjj. ftghting. An army spoiiesman aiso stated this week that a horror story was being circulated to discourage recruits. The story is that an A.I.F. i soldier has returned having lost both 1 his legs and arms, whereas no such case has occurred. The army attributes this type of tale to the same circles, whoever they are. who some time ago used to telephone the relatives of casualties and tell them their bereavement was their own fault for having allowed their men to go to the war. However, sometimes It is sheer carelessness that fails to drive home a recruiting appeal. This week it was reported that although the Director - General of Recruiting, Major-General Lloyd, the chairman 'of the R.A.A.F. recruiting committee, Sir Donald Cameron, and a naval officer of high rank had all gone to an appeal at Lismore, no actual appeal was made to the men to enlist. The explanation given was that because the speeches were broadcast the speakers had to keep to their script which did not include a direct appeal to rocruHs. Sir Donald incidentally said that the intake of recruits into the R.A.A.F. had been speeded up so much that it was now larger than weekly enlistments. He emphasised the importance, therefore, of the new Air Cadets' Corps which boys of 16 to IS are invited to join. The goal is a strength of 15,600. Boys are required to give an honourable pledge that they intend to join the R.A.A.F. when they come of recruiting age. They will be issued with uniforms and will do much of their preliminary training during the intervening years.