Transfers From One Military Area To Another

Northern Advocate, 13 May 1940, Page 3

Transfers From One Military Area To Another

[Per Press Association. Copyright .] j- . WELLINGTON, This Day. j Assurances that as far as possible, any transfer of men from one military district to another would be confined to single men was given by the Minister for Defence (Mr Jones) in an interview, when explaining by way of ! comment on a telegram from Auckland regarding the procedure adopted by the Defence authorities in this connection. There had always been a certain amount of movement of men away from their home districts, Mr Jones said. ® • Accommodation Problem There was no present intention of transferring .men from Auckland to meet a shortage in any other district, j but, owing entirely to the difficulty [that had been experienced in fitting the units of the Third Echelon to the existing accommodation in the camps, it had been found necessary to send some of the infantry reinforcements recruited in the Northern Military District to Burnham for training. The proposed distribution would enable the department to make the best of the available accommodation, and at the same time keep the units and their reinforcements together as far as possible. All who volunteered were allowed to state which arm of the sehrvice they preferred, and, as far as possible, due regard was given to their wishes, but it was not possible to meet every individual case. The number of men available for the Third Echelon was more than sufficient, and if a larger number than was requnred for any arm stated their preference for that arm, some of them necessarily must be drafted to another arm of the service.