MEN UP TO 40

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20220, 12 April 1940, Page 4

MEN UP TO 40

ENLISTMENT AGE DOMINION FORCES ADVANCE PROPOSED -MINISTER’S STATEMENT (P«r Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The Government was now prepared to advance the age for enlistment to 40, announced the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, at a meeting of the National Council of Recruiting in Wellington yesterday. Mr. Jones said that men up to this age would be accepted : n accordance with their position and responsibilities, single men first, married men without children, and so on. The age limit in the Great War was 19—45, but >n the present conflict a start was made at 21—35, which was the territorial limit. Officers, non-commissioned officers and privates of technical or other ability, who were key men, had been taken above the age of 35. It had been suggested that the age should be extended to 45, but the Government was not prepared to go this far. It had been decided that if the advancing of the age limit was left too long there might be too many of the older age group in the later units, and it was felt to advance the age now to 40 would allow of an even distribution of the older men among the young. A small unit was being formed of older men now engaged on coastal defence, and these would be replaced with men under 21.