MORE MEN CRUSADE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16842, 28 April 1915, Page 8

MORE MEN CRUSADE.

CITIZENS' DEFENCE CORPS TAKES. ACTION. CTTT OFFICE TO BE OPENED. At a meeting.of -tho executive of tho Citizens' Defence Corps last night the: chairman (Mr G. Harper) said that it was felt that tho organisation could bo used to. stimulate recmiting, the need for which seemed urgent. The corps, as it was outside tho Defence .Department, could encourage recruits and assist them through the red tapo which, had the effect of discouraging sothemon. The corps might .also open a room whdro recruits might attend and learn ''all l about it."

The Mavor (Mr H. Holland) said, that he had telegraphed to the Minister of Defence stating thai if.it was ncces* tary to stimulate recruiting he was ready to plac« his services at tlio tdisposal of the authorities. The Minister had replied:""Would be glad of youn assistance in encouraging men to regis* ter. We want greatest possible num« ber of intending recruits to register, but whilst encouraging men to come forward, use every effort to prevent them throwing up their work until notified to do so by the Defence Department." He understood that -the Government now required 6000 men in the next sis weeks, and that meant that eaiergetia recruiting would bo needed. Mr 0. T. J. Alpers quoted tho casa of one voung man who had coma to; him having met difficulties in trying iA get away, and after assisting the man the speaker had. seen him accepted and sent to Trontham as a sergeant, the Department having discovered that ha had bad experieneo in South • Africa and was an excellent, type of man for tho forces. Mr Alpers .'suggested.thai tho corps might establish an office in a good position and could '■' father tho recruit. Efforts might be mado to have tho stringent stereotyped examination relaxed when men were applying for special branches of the servica where their little disabilities would di*< qualify them for infantry and cavalry. >lon who wanted to enter the Army Servica Corps or tho Pay Department, for instance, should not b© examined by tho standard applying, to othev branches. Bands snoiild be vised fo< recruiting, and some effort should bj •nude to give tho men a send-off. Men, too, often came to him asking for 4 nightf* lodging whilo they were wait* ing for tho examination. Tho medical *;xaminations should bo moro frequent. It was all very well to suggest that men should bo advised not to throw ujr chcir jobs, but men made up their minds on the spur of tho moment and tho first thing was to " chuck his job oind •'&o in." Men could not be expected to wait and consider the economic position before enrolling. In.olos* :r.g his campaign in the country, ho proposed holding a big entertainment in tie citv to stimulate recruiting. . In the 800 to be raised in Canterbury. v ho majority would have to come front th* towns. The public men in New Zealand did not h/.v« time to got about m the recess as Mr Asquith, Mr Lloyd Goorgo and Mr Churchill had done m the Old Country. The daily newspaper* might aseist by inserting directing tho intending recruits to the -ity office. Mr W. Johnson said that it was *ogrot*able that detachmente had gona from Canterbury, unheard of, uncared for. The most unfortunate .thing wa* the silenco when tho main force. lett. Only recently half a million people had turned out in Melbourne to seo rein<r forcements away. Bands should b* secured and if the city wore warned or the impending departuro of troops, tn* mon could bo given a good send-on, ana bo ma&> to feel that they had th« country Uhind them. What was( wanton »< isto present time was a littia moiH o? the enthusiasm which had oii»r*ci<«ked the departure pf troops dcrt g tho *mrf.H. African War. Mr L. Ti. Webb suggested that efforta could be made to secure the billeting of mm coming into the town to recruit. It wjw stated that about £IOO would be requirod te establish a central office, io b'-llet m*n n-cd to holp.the:* finanffitllv if necessary. . . h •\fi» e little further discussion it was awiAvl that recognising the extrt duties impeded on tho Defence Department, the executive of tho Citizens' D«v fence Corps hhould form itself into * bureau to assist recruiting and for that

purpose would open a room at 152, HereFord Street, in the charge of Messrs E. R. Webb and J. M. Turnbull. Mr Alpera was added to the officials at the bureau. _____ THEPOSITION LOCALLY. CrVTENTY-FIVE MEN WANTED ' r DAILY. T_tn_ has been a marked improvement in the rate of recruiting at tl.» local Defence Office smeo the; need tot moro men was given publicity a fen iUye ago, but Captain Burn states that. Ee must have from twenty to wentyfive men per day in order to fulfil rer QU Aboufc 100 recruits presented themselves for medical examination at the King Edward Barracks last night, and were dealt • with by tbo medical The 'following seventeen additional names have beau received:— Infantry.—-Ernest Joseph O Donehue, Frank K. Madden, Cyril Farrow. Frederick William Long, Herbert L. Painter, Edgar V. Painter,. Vivian P. H. Johnson, James B Forster, .Harold Wright, Charles Richard Hodgkinson. _ • Artillery—James Holmes Harwood. 'Albert Ernest Harwood, GlendWr MarKrae Morgan. __ , _ , r , Army Sarvice Corps.—Herbert Mol-JrilleC-ompton, Harry Varcoo Geacli-Engineer-.—George Sefton Johnston.

WHAT HAS BEEN BONE.

FIFTEEN THOUSAND ALREADY SENT.

IHNISTER ON RECRUITING PLATFORM. [Fbom Our Correspondent.] ■ WELLINGTON, April 27. The Minister of Defence, who leaves hero to-morrow, night for Dunedm. will lor the first time since the war began make an appearance on a recruiting platform. New Zealand has reached the time of its biggest effort now that the Imperial authorities have accepted its offer of additional menr but the Hon James Allen informed the correspondent of the " Lyttelton. Times that be is not contemplating a general recruiting campaign, his attendance at Friday evening's recruiting meeting beine due to the fact that he has freBuently been invited by the Dunedin pommittee, but- had not been able hitherto to accept- Borne important announcements on the subject of New Zealand's part in the war will prob : only be made, the Government being tiow free to publish details of the forces sent from these shores. The Minister stated that, excluding tho Samoan'force, New Zealand has sent from its shores approximately 10,000 jsoldiero. ' , ■ .. The Government should now be in a position to give details regarding the cost of the extensive operations of tho Defence Department. The largest item pf expenditure will probably be foiind to be on the big fleet of transports which had to be chartered and fitted ttp.- A number of these vessels are to be'retained in the Government service. ' They will make the voyage and return in just about the time deemed jiece-Murv to prepare a reinforcement draif. *Thua the cost of specially fitting a trader for ffoopshfp purposes, a sum of £12,000, will be saved.