N.Z. Had More Men Overseas In Last War

Northern Advocate, 17 March 1944, Page 4

N.Z. Had More Men Overseas In Last War

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. There was a fairly general but erroneous impression in New Zealand that jo this war far more men had been sent overseas than in the last war, said the Minister in Charge of Armed Forces and War Co-ordination (Hon. W. Perry) speaking in the Legislative Council iyesterday afternoon.

From the August, 1914, population of--1,140,935, New Zealand seot 100,444 men and women overseas. Of that number 24,015 returned during the war, leaving a balance of approximately 76,000. In the present war, personnel in all services sent overseas number 120,000, of whom 33,000 had returned, leaving a balance of 87,000. The population in 1939 was 1,632,835, so on a proportionate basis there should be a balance of 114,000 overseas instead of 87,000.

Mr. Perry said that in the last war 16,302 were killed in action and in this war 6988, of whom only 4493 were in the army. Wounded and missing in the last war totalled 41.346 and this war 13,962. A marked difference was shown in the number of prisoners of war—3s6 in the last war and 7259 in the present war, and practically all men now prisoners would return. Must Provide Home Food

Mr. Perry said there had been a decline in primary production in New Zealand which must be arrested. The task was to provide more food and at the moment not so many fighting men, but he warned that the pendulum must not be allowed to swing too far to the detriment of the two divisions overseas. If more food could not be obtained it might be necessary to introduce more rationing in New Zealand in order to maintain Britain’s meagre ration and carry out our piain duty to Britain and the rest of the Allies.

New Zealand ought to build cn the possibility of the war lasting a long time to come. Far from victory being won, all that was won so far was the battle for survival; He thought neither Germany nor Japan would crack until their armed forces were defeated on land, sea and in the air. Even when Germany was beaten, victory over Japan might require invasion of that country, a task so colossal as to stagger the imagination.