THE GALL TO SERVE.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15535, 10 March 1916, Page 8

THE GALL TO SERVE.

THE NEW RECRUITING

SCHEME

SPEECH BY SIR JOSEPH WARD

(PRESS ASSOCIATION" TELEGRAM.)

INVERCARGILL, March 9

Sir Joseph Ward addressed a large public meeting in the Municipal Theatre to-night in connexion with the new recruiting scheme.

During the course of his address, Sir Joseph Ward laid 6tress upoii the necessity of the co-operation of all the public bodies and all the men and women of the Dominion to assist the Government in giving effect to the new scheme. It was the last word in voluntaryism. New Zealand had. responded magnificently eo far, but further efforts were essential, and without this co-operation it was not humanly possible for the National Government to do the work: So far 36,236 men had been sent out of the Dominion, exclusive of 1811 to Samoa, and of these 3329 men had returned, exclusive of 709 at present retiring. He appealed to every eligible man to enlist and so prevent the finger of scorn being pointed at him after the «var to the end of his days.

Sir Joseph Ward outlined a general plan for the crippling of enemy commerce after the war by prohibitive tariffs, and he advocated that no enemy vessel after the cessation of the war should ever be allowed to enter a Brilrish or colonial port, or ooal at a British or colonial coaling station.

Sir Joseph was loudly cheered on the conclusion of his forcible address.

GREAT BOOM IN AUCKLAND

333 MEN SINCE SATURDAY

(FRESS ASSOCIATION' TELEGRAM.)

AUCKLAND, March 9

The local Recruiting Committee is entirely responsible for the great boom in recruiting 'in Auckland. The establishment of a recruiting office in Queen street, and the speeches and other attractions at night, liave proved a marked success, with the result that, although the bureau was only opened last Saturday, the Auckland city quota for the Fifteenth Reinforcements ' is already assured. Up to last night 338 men had registered since Saturday, 159 being accepted, 111 deferred, and 68 rejected. A great many more are exacted to-niglit, when the Minister of Defence will deliver an address.

CTAGO 100 MEX SHORT,

'(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAMS.)

DUNEDIN. March 9

The Otago quota of the Fourteenth. Reinforcements' left for Trentham today fully 100 men short.

ISSUE OF, ARMLETS.

STEADY STREAM OF APPLICANTS,

The issue of armlets in connexion with the new recruiting scheme commenced at the Defence Department's recruiting office in the General Post Office buildings ye'sterday morning, and a small but steady stream of applicants kept the issuing officer, Captain Northcote, busy.

The only' two classes of armlets which are issued by group officers are the No. 1 class (khaki drab armlet with red crown) for men who have enlisted, passed;" and are waiting to be called up to join their drafts, and the No. 3 class (blue-grey armlet with green crown) for men who do not come up to the requirements desired by the Defence, Department. Yesterday exr actly forty armlets were issued.

It will be useless for returned soldiers to apply for armlets at the local office, for such armlets (red with a yellow crown) are only issued by the Base Records Office in Wellington, and the blue armlets for exempted men, i.e., men engaged in industries necessary for the carrying on of the war, will only be issued by the QuartermasterGeneral at the headquarters in Wellington. »

The armlets which are being used locally are made of a tough-looking, thick calico. They are about 2§ inches widp and are quite neat in appearance-; so neat are they that the fuss made by returned soldiers in Auckland about wearing them is not very easy to understand. It has been 6aia by wav of explanation that the objections made by the Auckland men are not so much on the score of the alleged trashiness of the armlets, but because men who have been in Trentham • Camp for a month or less, and have then been discharged for unfitness, are entitled to apply for the red armlet of the returned or honourably discharged soldier. It is thought that some mark of difference should be made between the man who has actually been to the front, or at any rate has left New. Zealand, and the man who has not done so.

From what a representative of "The Press" saw with resard to the issue o(f the armlets here there was no attempt made on the part of those who obtained them to wear the badge. It, ■with the card of authority to wear., which is a necessary accompaniment of the armlet, was merely put into the recipient's pocket as he walked tout of the office. It would seem that unless those entitled to armlets do actually wear them much of the good that the scheme is hoped to do will be nullified. The idea of issuing badges was to publicily differentiate between "the sheep and the goats," and if the sheep hide their badges away the goats will escape the fierce light of publicity which was intended to be a factor in the scheme. .

YESTERDAY'S ENLISTMENTS

The following men ; with two others who do not wish their names published, enlisted at the offices of the Defence Department and the C.D.C. yesterday :—

T. W. M. Greenslade, Box 395, Christchuroh, engineer—lnfantry. L. A. Hin<Jle, 236 Lincoln road, telegraph clerk—Mounted.

Geo. Watt/ 53 Durham street, labourer— Infantry. *

J. A. Brenford, 77 Carlton street, salesman—lnfantry. I>. "Wesfcaway, Dariield, labourer—lnfantry. R. Findlay, care of Singer Co., accountant —Infantry.

G. E. Prestidge, Hororata, labourer —Infantry.

Edgar F. Stead. Ham, Biccarton, electrical engineer—lnfantry.

W. Kett Cashel street, «uetodian of barracks —Field Artillery. v