North Recruit Shortage Causes Complaints

Northern Advocate, 10 May 1940, Page 3

North Recruit Shortage Causes Complaints

[Special 'to “Northern Advocate.”} AUCKLAND, This Day. THE SHORTAGE OP RECRUITS AT WHANGAREI FOR THE THIRD ECHELON HAS CAUSED MANY COMPLAINTS FROM THE MEN IN AUCKLAND WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED UP TO FILL THE VACANCIES. . The Army has also waived its reluctance to call lip married men with two children. Auckland is contributing about 100 men towards Whangarei ’s deficiency of 160. The remainder are being drawn from Hamilton.

Two-Children Men Called Up 1 The only way of making up the numbers has been to call up all those men who are married and with two children. Previously this class had been set to one side during mobilisation plans. Another cause for complaint is that these additional men have had to be drafted into the infantry, in which the greatest number of vacancies have occurred. In the past, it has always been the custom at the Auckland Area Office to draft men as much as possible to the units they preferred, but when a request was made, after most of the drafting had been completed, for about 180 men for infantry requirement to go to Burnham, and for about 100 more for infantry assistance to Whangarei, this custom has had to be completely ignored.