FOURTH BALLOT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2996, 6 February 1917, Page 6

FOURTH BALLOT

DRAWING -COBIMENCED

SHORTAGES IN 27th & 28th

REINFORCEMENTS

NEARLY 7000 NAMES TO BE DRAWN

A ballot to provide the men required to cover shortages in tlie voluntary enlistments for the Twenty-scvcnfli and Twenty-eighth Reinforcements was begun, yesterday. The marbles rattled busily during the day, and the drawing, will be continued this morning. The shortage for the two drafts, which were open for voluntary recruiting until Saturday evening, is approximately 2300, and the number of names to bo drawn is nearly 7000. Tills allows tliß usual margin for medical rejections, exemptions, etc. The ballot is v being conducted by the Government* Statistician (Mr. Malcolm Frnscr), under the superintendence of Mr. b'. E. M'Carthy, S.M.' . The official observers are the Mnyor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke) and Mr. A; W. Croskery, representing the Wellington Trades and Labour Council.

Every military district in New Zealand is .concerned in the present ballot, though naturally the shortages vary materially in size. Group 1 (Auckland City) was the first to secure its required quota, and thus, retire, from the ballot. The smallest shortage was that of the Bay of Plontv, which ypouired one mnn for the Tv>*nt.y-seventh Reinforcements' nnd seventeen men Vor the Twenty-pielvth Reinforcements Ohristehuroh • City ' had the biggest shorten, 116 for Twenty-seven th and 155 for the Twpiitr-eH'Hi J!"inforcements, a total of 271. "" The West Const had no voluntary recruits at alf •for the Twenty-eight R-einforcements.

District Shortages. The (details of the. shortages for the various recruiting districts are shown m the following table, the column on the right representing the number of men required to be drawn from the First Division of the Expeditionary Force Reservo:— : 27th REINFORCEMENTS. Recruiting Voluntary ShortDistrict. Quota. Recruits, age. Auckland City 301 285 16 Hauraki 58 ' 22 36 North Auckland 78 43 30 Waikato 100 57 43 Wel'gtou. City 222 140 82 Manawatu ....'.' 107 44 63 Hawke's Bay... 83 59 24' Taranaki 104 65 39 Christchurch 172 56 116 S; Canterbury 106 40 66 N. Canterbury 64 .12 52 Nelson 76 f 32 44 Dunedin 138 99 39 Southland ... 130 '74 56 North Otago... 53 11 42 Clutha ' 50 18 32 Bay of Plenty '37 36 ' ' 1 AVairarapa ... 86 60 '26 Poverty Bay... 67 31 36 Wanganui ■... 79 55 24 West Coast ... 67 12 53 28th REINFORCEMEiYTS. ' Auckland City 295 '213 .82 Hauraki 57 6 51 N. Auckland... 71 7 64 Waikato 99 54 45 Wel'gton City 218 105 113 Manawatu .... 105 23 82 Hawke's Bay... 82 ' 29 63 Tarnnaki 102 26 ' 76 Christchureh 169 .14 155 6. Canterbury 103 ' 40 63 |N. Canterbury . 62 ' ]'O 52 Nelson 74 19 55 Dunedin .' 136 79 57 Southland, ... 128 48 H5 North Otago... 52 13 39 Clutha. 49 6 43 Bay of Plenty 37 .20. 17 Wa'irarapn 84 20 Gi Poverty Bay... <J6 11 '55 Wanganui 78 28 50 'West Coast .... 66 0 66 The names drawn iu the ballot will be published in the Gazette early next week. The draw is the largest yei undertaken by the Government Statistician's staff, and the work of checking the names will take considerable time.