OVERSEA FORCES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15486, 13 January 1916, Page 6

OVERSEA FORCES.

CO.XTniBUTTOXS OF THE DOMINIONS.. NEW ZEALAND'S SHARE. (SrECIAL TO ' 'THE PRESS.") "ft LLLINGI ON. January 12. 11l to-day's newspapers appeared. 8 cable message purporting to giro the substance of a statement by Mr Bonar Law about tho Dominions' efforts in supplying men. lie said that Canada bad promised to mobilise half a mil. Hon troops; Australia, it was estimated, would have throe hundred thousand by June next; while New Zealand, it was estimated, would have about. thirty-six thousand troops, with regular reinforcements. This statement was referred to the Deienee Minister for his opinion upon it. "The comparison is ludicrous and the hen res misleading and inaccurate" said Mr Allen. "I don't know how many men Canada has sent or intends to send—the cablegram says sho is going to mobiliso 000.000 men, but it does not. say when she will mobiliso them or whether ;inv of them are being kept for home defence. I do knowthat Australia has not sent 800,000 men yet. and tho figures for Australia arc problematical. Australia may hare sent 300,000 by Juno next, but sho may not. The figures for New Zealand aro misleading. Wo have already sent to tho front nearly 35,000 men, and by Juno next should have sent about 50,000 men, and wo shall then have another 10,000 men mobilised for training. This is not a statement of what wo may do; this is what wo will do; Those other figures quoted are only estimates—all problematical. "However, I don't want to make comparisons now between Now Zealand and Australia and New Zealand and Canada; I am quite content to wait until tho end of tho war. I know very well how New Zealand will come out of a comparison then." The fact seems to he, although Mr Allen did not press it, that the figures for Canada nro tho commitments for the estimated duration of the war. Tito Australian figures no doubt includo the new army of 50,000 men which Australia is trying to raise. The statement also assumes that Australia will get those men and will get over all her difficulties of training large bodies of troops and transporting thcin to the war zone.