FIRST DIVISION

Nelson Evening Mail, 19 May 1917, Page 8

FIRST DIVISION

ALMOST LEFT. AT LEAST FIVE MONTHS* •SUPPLY.' , I A return has been prepared by tha Government Statistician (Mr Malcolirn Eraser) showing the number of men remaining' in the Ist Division of the Ex-.. ■ ; peditionary Force Reserve 011 the con- ; elusion of the seventh hallot on .'-3rd v" May. The total is _ 39,620, ;as against 48,664 011 the conclusion of the sixth ballot. Thus, in the four-weekly period intervening between the ballots 9044 men have been disposed of, 8530 of these ( bv. ballot. This big reduction 111 tlia Reserve is due mainly to the fact that. ■ . in the last ballot five men were drawir for every recruit required, to meet the higher standard of medical fitness. . 111, the previous ballot the proportion was, 4 to 1, and prior to that 3 to 1. • . It ia extremely improbable that the proportion will be increased again, so that tha . '. number removed from the Reserve 011 this occasion, 9044. niav be regarded as the maximum rate of- exhaustion,-' pro- .. .•> vided that voluntary enlistments, from both the Ist and 2nd Divisions continue 011 about the same scale. This, means* that in the Reserve of men who haver not yet be.en touched by the ballot there is at least four months' supply of re- . cruitS; To,'this must be. added the numbers of men granie'd temporary exemptions, which will be reviewed before th« 1 2nd Division is called iipon, also the jiiou who have been rejected* by the Medical JSoards. and whose cases will bo reviewed to pee if there has been, an' alteration in the meantime. Further, there are ; youths every day attaining, the,agoof twenty, and coming automatically, : > within the scope of the Reserve. Thecombing out. and other sources mentioned. may be relied upon to furnish recruits for at least ' one draft, but more probably two, so that it will probably be December or November at the earliest before the 2nd Division comes into the ballot. ■-.■■■' ■ ■ i The following table shows the number of Ist Division. Reservists left ill each 1 Recruiting District as 011 3rd May. when the seventh ballot concluded : —_ Recruiting : Ist IJiyisipf* .. District." » ■ -Men Remaining.f .1.-—Auckland 6775 2.- —Kanraki 1073' :*).—(North Auckland ....v.- < 1.154 J, , . ..... 4.—Waikato 1831 s.—Wellington ...—■. 4194 ; . , fi.— Manawatn ' I^B9 7.—Hawke's Bay .........v 1702 18.—-Taranuki 1......... , . . y.—iClmslchnreh «... 2638 < 10:—South Canterbury 1570 11.—North Canterbury! ... 870 12.:—Nelson : 1229 13.—Thuiedin ....1.2f91 ,- 14.—Southland , 2128 15l—North Otago 752 •16. South. Otago' .. 655.. .y'. ; .r; H7.—CUutha 992 18.—Wairarapa .'.... 1503 .. . • 19.—Povertj Bay 1122 20.—Wanganui 1485 21.—West Coast ............ 1577 Total 39.620 ! Voluntary Toeruitinjr for 1 the 32nd F> e ",< inforcements.will bo closed down shortly. , probably at the'end of iwxt week, ■««]<* the ballot to inako good ..deficiencies will . take place in' the succeeding week.