MEDICAL CORPS' CHALLENGE SHIELD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 15 September 1908, Page 2

MEDICAL CORPS' CHALLENGE SHIELD.

NELSON AND DUNEDIN. CHANCES KILLED BY THE ABSENTEES. FIRST PLACES THUS LOST. "Rifleman" in tho Auckland "Star" says: — With much pleasuro I have to announce that tho Auckland Field Hospital and Ambulance Corps ha 9 gained second place in the Do- | minion competition for the N.Z. : Medical Corps' Challenge Shield. The twinning company was that of Wellington, which sent up 20 men for examination, who scored 2167 marks (an average of 108.35), cut down to 1497 by deductions for men absent. : The Aucklandors scored 2142 for 21 men (averaging 102 marks), but were cut down to 942 by absentees. Christchurch, with 23 men, averaged 99.30, • the reduced total being 844. Dune- ' din got an average of 122 for the 23 ] men (out of 50) on parade, but a j grand reduced total of a bad 106 — a jlSss of 100 for each absentee! Nel--1 son 'a lot was worso still. Tho 24 j who were examined averaged 129.50, I but tho 32 who were away pulled the total down to 92. Thus on the men examined Nelson was easily first, and Christchurch last. This method of deducting 10 marks for each absentee is drastic, but it should havo the good effect of driving the companies to get rid of the dummies, of whom there aro too many ln the average volunteer corps. In a highly specialised branch such as the ambulance, incompetency is a criminal fault, and it is a. vory good sign that tho Medical Corps is freezing out the "wasters." Better far it is to have a small but efficient company than a big body of whom half are dummies i There aro 33 N.C.O. 's and men in the Auckland corps, of whom 12 were | away — 120 marks clean wiped off. If fhe company had had 21 on the books, they would havo figured far better in the lists; it must bo a grateful and comforting thing to the absentees to know that they havo done their corps so much damage! Nelson and Dunedin aro "horrible examples" of the absentee evil. Here are two highly successful corps, in so far ns they are examined— easily first of the Dominion, and even presenting more men than any other centre, and vet they are degraded to bottom ulaco because of the absentees. If :ho companies have any courage they ;vill ask tho unworthy members to resign or guarantee their personal