RECRUITING

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 66, 18 March 1940, Page 11

RECRUITING

NORTH ISLAND TOUR

NEED FOR REINFORCEMENTS

GENERAL'S COMMENTS

. Major-General J. E. Duigan, C.8., D.5.0., Chief of the General Staff, who returned yesterday with the Deputy Prime Minister (the Hon. P. Fraser) from a recruiting tour of the North Island, said in an interview with "The Post" that as far as his part of the

tour was concerned he had endeavoured firstly to let the-people know that there must be no dissentients from the support of the armed services, and secondly that the reinforcements must be available when required to go into camp for training and that it would be necessary to have some men in hdnd who could be, called upon when required. It was necessary that the people should be: welded together in the common cause, he said.

The General expressed his appreciation of the splendid enthusiasm manifested ;by Returned Soldiers' Associations and the excellent musters of members of Class II of the National Reserve (returned soldiers) at each centre throughout the tour. A typical example, he said, was provided by one returned soldier farmer who collected four other Diggers and travelled over 100 miles to be present at a rally..He had also been glad to note the enthusiasm in all ranks of the Territorial ' units which paraded prior to each rally, -i " In somei of the northern towns mem- j bers of the Second Echelon of the Expeditionary Force had reached their homes on leave when the rallies were held, and he was glad to note that in Dargaville there were 122.0f all ranks on leave present at: the meeting in addition to six ratings of H.M.S. Achilles and 200 returned soldiers.