The Press. Friday, December 3 1915. The Call for Men.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15452, 3 December 1915, Page 6

The Press. Friday, December 3 1915. The Call for Men.

Our readers will find in a prominent placo in,our paper to-day an anxious appeal by the Dcfcnco, authorities for men to fill up tlio gaps in tlio Eleventh Reinforcements. " It is set out that 1000 men must, register at once—the men must go into camp on December 14th—if we are not to break our pledge to t'lio Imperial Government to maintain our force® : n the field at the full strength. A delay in the despatch of the Reinforcements will result in a dolav in the despatch of all subsequent drafts, and clearly that must be avoided. The position is serious and the call urgent beyond the, necessity for additional emphasis here. Tho question is: How are the men to be obtained? There would bo no difficulty if our young mon would face tho facts and realise that- no fit man of military ago who is not absolutely bound to btav in New Zealand should remain comfortably at homo while bis follows aro fighting in Europe. Wo cannot see how this plain truth can bo more eloquently or more forcibly proclaimed than it has been for months past. Perhaps no changc in tho methods of recruiting can be effected in time to have any great effect before December 14th, but unless wo are constantly to run the risk of shortage some more effective method must be devised. The Defence authorities, as we have said often enough before, are doing next to nothing in the way of recruiting. It is not sufficient to issue occasional appeals such as that which wo print today. In a recent issue the I>ondon "Spectator'' makes some suggestions as to "scientific recruiting" which should be studied bv the partment and the Government, of all recruitable persons being drawn lip, the country, it is urged, should be so minutely split up and apportioned that every recruitable man will receive a personal call and be asked to serve, and, if he says "Xo," will have to state why he will not serve. The National Register has already prepared the ground for this personal canvass if the Government will facilitate or conduct the of the work. The recruiters should not upbraid the men who say '"Xo,"' but should endeavour to smooth away the obstacles that present themselves to the reluctant one. Very often, of course, a man will say "Xo"' with good reason.

The ".Spectator" cites some cases: A married cierk cannot enlist because ho is tied bv the lease of his house, another because he would be unable to keep up vitaliy important insurance payments, a third because his wife, notbeing robust enough to take care of his shop, lie cannot leave his business. In each of these cases tho Government could make arrangements which would enable these men to go. Our single young men .-honld note that in Great Britain tho situation calls for married as well aa single recruits; it passes our understanding that while in Britain married men wish only to bo helped to go, thousands or" unmarried men, fit and of military age. in this country, should he willing to shirk their duty. The " Spectator" also stresses the importance of concentrated action. Lord Derby, it said, ■"must not be content with merely )oL - al meetings or one or two speeches by members of Parliament. He must fix a period for a great recruiting effort throughout the country, an effort like that of a revival meeting, and lie must let it go on for a week or foitnight. Dining that time tho members of the Government, and all the best speakers in the country, must address public: meetings, and address them not with platitudes, but for once speak plainly man to man with the nation, and tell them how imperative is tho need. They should warn the nation also that if reeruitable men will not come iiv themselves they must bo fetched, and should let them know further that, if they insist upon being fetched, the fetched men must not expect tiie same extraordinarily generous treatment that has been given to those who have willingly offered themselves. The Press, at the same time, must be organised to mak- a simultaneous and sustained appeal."

Something of this sort must be undertaken here, and it ought to be undertaken without delay. No doubt the work of analysing and tabulating the National Register is being performed with expedition, but it ought to bo treated as a work of urgency. We suspect that the Defence authorities have the idea that a vigorous recruiting campaign will brirtg in "too many'' recruits. The alternative is, as wo all sec, too few recruits in some of tho provinces, The thing is to get enough recruits for the currcnt draft, and to secure a reserve for subsequent drafts. We do not believo that under an intelligent and sympathetic system men would hold back if not taken into camp a t once, so that tho fear of "too many" recruits has littlo foundation. In the meantime tho need of the moment is a boom in recruiting, and in Canterbury more than anywhere else. For those men who are "thinking of" enlisting, and are not quite able to make uj, their minds, this ia tlie time to enlist. There will be no waiting—it will be: —straight into camp, a happy and strenuous period of tuning, and then tho battle-line, where, after all, -wo are sure nino men out of ten fain would bo.