"EVERY ELIGIBLE MAN"

Evening Star, Issue 16032, 8 February 1916, Page 7

"EVERY ELIGIBLE MAN"

AN OFFICER'S LETTER. The Premier of New South Wales has received from Mr E. Milne (Assistant hallway Commissioner) a letter written by an officer at Anzac on November 23 last. The officer write? : " Had Australia sent more men in the opening of this year we would have had reinforcements when they were badly needed—after the 25th April's casualties were sustained. Since August two new divisions having arrived, one of them Australian, have been a bit easier, but the fact remains that no battalion is up to war strength, the rate of wastage being greater than the scale of reinforcements. The 3rd Brigade was fighting for seven months without relief and tho line was perilously thin while the other brigades were away. Now all the resting brigades have returned and the tine is good. _ ''The public did not realise that the fighting was still to come while we lay in Egypt, and a too low rate of reinforcements was preparing and training In some units even the second reinforcements wore absorbed during training only and before a shot was fired; such is the wastage of peace training only, but the rate ot reinforcing was not speeded up. " To k ?ep us S«ng in the fighting line and provide for all other services it would not be too much to put every eligible manin Australia under arms; then the reinforcements would be able to do a man's work on arrival, whereas now thev are not, and the fighting troops endure a greater strain than is wise before relief is afforded. ■' Wo have for many months been undermanned here in practically all services and still are. What we want is a much higher rate of reinforcement per unit Are the men in training to give it'"