THE FIRST DIVISION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3065, 28 April 1917, Page 8

THE FIRST DIVISION

■•;• '50,000'. .MEN" : 'LE'fT; A return prepared by the" Government Statistician shows that after the completion of the' sixth' ballot ojj April 13, there were still 48,664 men 'in : -th«-Krst, Division of the Expeditionary Force Eei serve. Many of these -reservists wera men'who had ; already enlisted voluntarily, but had been rejected on •. medical'grounds, though they remained subject to'the chance of the ballot and of further examination by the doctors." Tho reservists were distributed over the recruiting districts as follows:— , No.' District. . Men. 1-Auckland City ....;..... 7951 2 Haiiraki ...; • '1258 3 North Auckland 1464 4 Waikato 2226 5 Wellington City 5155 6 Manawatu 2181 7 Hawke's Bay ~..- 1962 8 Taranaki '■' •'• 2337 9 Christchurch i 3429 10 South Canterbury 2090 11 North Canterbury 1166 , . 12 Nelson 1605 13Dunedin 3158 14 Southland ... ••■•••• 2699 Is, North Otago .'.:.,' 1006 16 Clutha .:..............:.....'. 906 , ..17 Bay of Plenty ........... 1025 18 tVairaiapa ~'.:........'....-.....'....... 1853 • :19 Poverty Bay .....; ..-.1394 20 Wanganul ......•..;....; 1817 21 West Coast 1952 Total'-....,." 48.664 A man who has been rejected by the doctors under, tho voluntary system Temains inthe Reserve, with the privilege of having his name : "s'tarred" if' he' makes' application to'-*tne --Government .Statistician. TX©'-;is--stillTliable .tevbe.rarawn.iin the v ballot: •—But under the. present,"system ho may.have his case settled finally by enlisting again as a" volunteer and" going before a medical board. If he is then found to b« unfit, his name will be lifted S~ from the Reserve. Many men are tak-. inn advantage .of this arrangement in ' order to avoid being drawn in the ballot. The number of men in the First Division was reduced "by 6755 between the date 01 the completion or the. fifth ballot and the close of the-sixth ballot. The authorities drew some 4WO .names 1 in the sirth ballot, so that it ."appears that about 2600 First Division men had volunteered, and eiher been accepted or finally rejected, within the period of four weeks.