MANPOWER SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 182, 30 April 1941, Page 6

MANPOWER SHORTAGE

Northern Territorial Forces MAY MOBILIZATION Dominion Special Service. AUCKLAND, April 29. There will be a shortage of more than 2000 when mobilization for the May-July period of Territorial force training is effected throughout the Northern Military District on Thursday. Instead of having more than 4500, which is the number necessary to fill new units and bring others up to establishment, the army has about 2000.

It is also expected that the position will become even worse when the Gazette is published next week with the names of those men drawn in the recent ballot for overseas service. Previous ballots for the Expeditionary Force have resulted in large numbers •of home defence troops being lost to their units and the same experience is expected on this occasion. Without the effect of the ballot the existing shortage is as bad as any which have occurred since the intensification of home defence training and it is stated that the only means of making it good is to follow the unsatisfactory procedure of sending more men into camps in drafts as they become available though this can be done for only a certain period in a three months' course.

Disappointment with the position facing the Army is being expressed in a number of quarters. It is stated that the Army is in no better position for home defence manpower than It was a year ago before the Government’s programme for improving the Territorial force strength was Introduced.

Two suggestions are being- widely canvassed as steps toward solving the problem. One is that youths of 18 years should be used to enlarge the Territorial forces and the other is that conscription for the same purpose should be introduced for married men with two or more children. Otherwise, it is stated, the Territorial forces will remain in the position of never knowing whether they will have enough men at any given time.