AUSTRALIAN FORCE

Grey River Argus, 3 February 1917, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN FORCE

NO MEN SENT LAST MONTH.

Au appeal to the military authorities to give more information to the public regarding the recruiting- position was made at a meeting of the Millions Club in Sydney on January 12th. The meeting was attended by the State Governor, Sir Gerald Strickland, and the Director-General , of Recruiting, Mr. Donald Mackinnpn, M.L.C. ! Professor Maciutyre, chairman of the New South Wales Recruiting Committee, declared that the people would have to be taken into the confidence of those who asked their aid. He thought there was much that he knew which the people might also know the enemy any advantage. The people without the open knowledge giving wanted more than invoca/ons to sentiment. They wanted facts, and the reasons which brought about certain facts. He was trying to get the military peole to admit the wisdom of this plan. He had told them that he would speak of one thing that day whether they said "Yes" or "No." They could only shoot him afterwards — and he did not think they would do that. He intended to tell the people that in the month of December we had sent no infantry reinforcements from Australia. (A voice: "Shame.") Yes, there was shame; but what worried him was the thought of what they would do for January and February. Those were the sort of facts we should fire at the people. We were still six units short and that very morning the brigadier-gener.il had rung him up and said -that 300 men were wanted urgently in the next few da vs. "He ordered me to get them," continued Professor Macintvre "and T pass the order on tp you. Will you see that it is carried out?" A member: "Will you take a few of us at fifty years of age?" (Applause). Professor Macintyre: 'T see no reason why we should not take men who are physically fit, but who are fifty years of age. -They could go into the back lines, and let the younger men take on the strain of the front line trenches. Tn fart, I am preparing i\ minute on the subject, and will shortly submit it to the Director-General. (Hear, hear.) But, in the meantime, let every man of you join the local committees, and make life unbearable for those committees unless they move rapidly ahead. (Laughter and anplause.) \Ye started out by getting 200 men a week ; last week we got 436. (Hear, hear.) Each week we will mount vp — if you heVp us." During the fist week of this month the total number of enlistments in Australia was g°4- The contribution^ by the various States were as followsQueensland no. New South Wales 4-56, Victoria 150, South Australia <)6. Western Australia So, Tasmania 23. The numbers of recruits who enlisted each month in New South Wr.ios throughout the year ended Der^m'-ur 31st., iqifi, were, as follows :— January. 8753 ; February 4=40, March 4320, April 32 iS, May 4187, June 3275. July 2405, August 2750, September 3'95> October 3656, November 2030, December 544. Total, 41,912.