THE CALL FOR MEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17096, 19 February 1916, Page 11

THE CALL FOR MEN.

FILLING THE FOURTEENTH REINFORCEMENTS. ANOTHER SHORTAGE PROBABLE. Tlio Canterbury quota of tlie Fourteenth Reinforcements (or part of it) will probably go into camp on March 8 or 9. If it is to go. away :in full strength; recruiting will have to liven up. considerably during the next fortnight. So far* only thirty-five men have been secured for the infantry branch, leaving a deficiency of seventy-five to he made up. In the mounted branch there is also a shortage!, but the Ambulance Corps, the Army Service Corps and tho Artillery are again full to overflowing., In addition to the. slackness in enlistments, the results of the medical examination are not. calculated to give satisfaction to those-who desire to seo a continual stream of reinforcements going forward. Oh Tuesday night, for instance, out of forty-four men who presented themselves, eight passed as fit, twenty as temporarily unfit and sixteen as unfit. Very little encouragement is given bv, the Department to the temporary unfit man, 'who is allowed to wander away, thinking that he has done “his little bit.” . In many cases’ho never troubles to visit the doctor again, and. in the meantime, quotas from • this province leave for TTerttham woefully short. The following shows the number of men still required in the different branches for service with the fourteenth Reinforcements:—

Men Required. Men Obtained Infantry . . : . 110 35 Mounted . . . 29 21 Artillery. . . . 13 full Engineers Signalling Ambulance . . 8 , • ... 2 . . 3 full . full ' '■ full