FIRST DIVISION

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 100, 27 April 1917, Page 8

FIRST DIVISION

STILL 48,664 LEFT

AT CLOSE OP 6th BALLOT.

A return prepared by the Government Statistician at the conclusion of the 6th ballot on 12th April shows that there were still 48,664 men left in the First Division of (Jie Expeditionary Force Reserve. At the conclusion of the sth ballot the total was 55,419. The total number of First Division men thus dis-. posed of by way of voluntary enlistment and in the 6th ballot during the fourweekly period was 6755.

Assuming that this rate of exhaustion ! continues—67ss First Division men p,er four-weekly period—it is evident that ' there are sufficient men left in the First Division for still another seven drafts, or up to and including the 37th Re- ' inforcements, mobilising in December; next. In addition, at the exhaustion of the First Division by ballot, there will be a revision of exemptions granted— ' which, it is calculated, will supply an- , other two drafts. This means that there is -little likelihood of members of the Second Division being balloted for 'before January or February of the next yes.r, and they will then be given two months' notice. The position, of course, cannot be forecasted accurately, being dependent upon the - rate of voluntary enlistment of members of, both the First and Second Divisions, the number of fits obtained, and the exemptions granted by the Military Service Boards. • The following table shows the number of First Division Reservists in each recruiting district as on 12th April,' the date of the conclusion of the last ballot: First Diviy Recruiting sion Men No. District. •/*■•' Remaining. .1 Auckland City 7951 2Hauraki 1258 3 North Auckland 1464 ■4Waikato 2226 • 5 Wellington City, -..? 5155 6 Manawatu 2181 7 Hawkes Bay 1962 ■ 8 TaranaJri 2337 9 Christchurch ■.• 3429 10 South Canterbury • 2090 11 North Canterbury 1166 12 Nelson 1605 13 Dunedin 3158 14 Southland 2699 15 North Otago 1006 16 Clutha. 906 17 Bay of Plenty 1025 18 Wairarapa 1853 19 Poverty Bay ; 1394 20 Wangar.ui 1817 21 West Coast 1982 • Total : 48,664 Voluntary enlistment is now open for the 31st and 32nd Reinforcements.