THE CALL FOR MORE MEN

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 149, 25 June 1915, Page 6

THE CALL FOR MORE MEN

The announcement that the Imperial Government has appealed to the Commonwealth for "more men, with or without equipment, within the last 48 hours" will.be received with a good deal of concern throughout Australia and New Zealand, and coming as it does on top of the Russian reverse, will raise the question as to whether we in New Zealand are also doing enough. That is a vital matter with which we are all concerned, and can be settled in one way only — by a determination to do the utmost that lies in our power. That power, however, in a country like New Zealand, with a population of a little over 1,000,000, is necessarily restricted. In offering new "units we are bound to maintain not only our existing Force but also any additions in the field, and what that means in a lengthy war— the present straggle shows no signs of being other than a protracted one-^-can only be realised when viewed in the light of what we are already committed to. In our editorial and news columns last week it •was demonstrated that in the event of the war lasting the three year period predicted by Lord Kitchener, New Zealand under her then arrangements was bound in honour to supply not less than 66,000 men fully trained and equipped. In other words, upon a population basis she had undertaken to do a great deal more than either Canada or Australia, and even to equal the effort of Great Britain herself in the production of a 3,000,000 army! "But," it will be said, "Australia proposes to increase her effort by raising three new Infantry Brigades of 12,000 men. Will that nofc alter the position?" The answer is that notwithstanding that substantial addition, which will necessitate increasing Australia.'® Reinforcement drafts by 21,600 men per ajinum, the figures, without our doing anything further, would still have been in New Zealand's favour. The Minister of Defence announced yesterday, however, that it had been decided to increase the rate of our Reinforcements for Mounted Rifles from 10 to 15 per cent, per month and to make that quota retrospective. This has been necessitated by employing the Mounted Rifles as Infantry, which require the higher rate of reinforcement, and means the calling up of another 1000 men immediately, plus a further 100^ per month so long as j the war last*. New Zealand according- | ly may be obliged to increase her contribution to not less than 70,000 men ! To equal that,* Australia will have to supply 350,000 men and Canada 490,000. Whether they will remains to be seen, but in the event of a, lengthy war, we can only hope that they will do as well as New Zealand ,"s doing. If they do, the three overseas Dominions will be in the proud position of having contributed a grand army of 910,000, or approximately 1,000,000 men. But these comparisons by no means clear up the situation. Al goodl deal of confusion must have been created in comparing Mr. Allen's statement with the Imperial Government's declaration of a week ago that no further troops should be supplied by New Zealand at present owing to inability to arm and equip them from Great Britain, and in endeavouring to reconcile both with the communication made to the Australian Parliament. The probable explanation of this, so far as. New Zealand is coni cerned, is that the Imperial Government's message only referred to the offering of new units which require to be reinforced, whereas the New Zealand Government's latest decision only involves sending extra reinforcements, which is quite a different matter. The Imperial Government, perhaps, also recognised that New Zealand, outside any supreme emergency, is doing a* much as can be expected of her at the moment. In August next, when the 2nd Reinforcements for the new battalions are called up, we shall have, with the Maori contingent, close upon 9000 men in training, which is about as many as we can handle with our already overburdened staff. It is significant, at any rate, that New Zealand has received no such message as that sent to Australia, and the only ■ construction that can be placed upon this, especially in view of last week's communique, 16 that the Imperial Government recognises that New Zealand is making every effort to rise to the occasion in the hour of the Empire's danger. While distinctly gratifying, this, however, .does not absolve us from making still greater sacrifice* if the parent State calls upon us, as it has done in the case of Australia, to do more. The Government upon receipt of such an appeal must take what steps it can. The country, we feel, will support its decision, because it has shown that it is leaving no stone unturned to do the utmost possible.