THE CALL FOR MEN.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13656, 26 August 1916, Page 2

THE CALL FOR MEN.

DRAIN OH DOMINION'S RESOURCES, THE POSITfON EXAMINED. ' WELLINGTON, August 21. The constitution of the. Expeditionary Force Reserve next month, under the compulsory clauses of the Military Service Act. will enable the Government, to secure some fairly exact figures regarding the remaining resources of New Zealand in men of military age (telegraphs the Sun's Wellington correspondent). A certain amount of information was made available by the National Register, and in sonic districts the figures have been checked by the recruiting committees, which have undertaken the personal canvass desired by the Recruiting Board. But Hie formation of the Reserve will place matters on a definite footing, and the Government will be able then to review the whole position in the light of the possible future requirements of the training camps. Number of Men Available. The;oft-expressed idea that New Zea-land-has still "plenty of men" scarcely ■ takes into account all the factors that govern' the situation. About 64,000 men have'joined the Expeditionary Forces' and Reinforcements already, and it is , estimated • that between '25,000 and 30,000 other men have been rejected as being physically unfit, over-age, etc. •The Government Statistician estimated a year ago that the total number of men of military age % New Zealand was approximately 230,000, and it is reasonable to assume that the proportion of unfit among those who have not yet enlisted is substantially higher than it was among the men who have already volunteered. The probable position may be stated this way:— Total number of men .. 230,000 Enlisted or rejected .. 90,000 'Remaining 140,000 Including unfit, say .. 45,000 ■Balance 95,000 The Exempted Industries. .This balance of 95,000 men, however, includes men engaged in exempted industries, men whiJse retention is essential to their particular industries, and the agricultural and'pastoral workers. New Zealand cannot afford to send away more coal miners or woollen workers or tanners. It cannot spare many more men from the "railway service, and the time is approaching when the dairying districts must cease to be recruiting grounds. Just how far the list of exemptions must be extended is a question for the Government to consider after reviewing all the facts, The maintenance of a full volume'of exports in all the principal lines, since the Mother ■ Country requires every pound of wool, meat,'butter, cheese, tallow, etc., is essential, and that point is not going to be overlooked by the authorities, either here or in London. .Obviously, then, the number of men actually available for military service is very much smaller than the'table given above would seem to- indicate at first glance. Activities of Women. It is a fact that another year of recruiting for the Reinforcements at the present rate, cither voluntarily or under the' Military Service Act, will render necessary a wide extension of the activities of women in this country. The scheme propounded some months ago by the Minister of Internal Affairs" for the enrolment of women in ,% National Register, from which workers could be drawn to relieve the men required", in 'the.i trenches, docs not appear to have made very much progress, possibly owing' to a feeling on the part of the women that the call' was premature. But a certain amount of effort has been made on the lines indicated bv the Minister, and the replacement of men by women in maify branches'of office and commercial employment, has proceeded Snore rapidly than is generally understood to be the case. The official statistics bearing upon this point are incomplete, but they are significant of a tendency that was inevitable Under the circumstances. • Duty of the Appeal Boards. Immediately after the enrolment of the two divisions of the Expeditionary lorce Reserve has been proclaimed next month, the Government will constitute the appeal boards authorised by the Military Service Act, It will be fte duty of these boards to hear appeals made by the men affected by the Act. first against their position in the general classification, and later against- the. summonses for service with the forces/ The prospects of recruiting will be-' come clearer then, since the Government will be required to lav down rules for the guidance of the boards, and to define the proper grounds for exemption. The, British Government made the mistake, in the first instance, of leaving too much to the discretion of the boards, with the result that many anomalies arose and the number of exemptions m some districts was far too great. The New Zealand Government ought to he able to Avoid this error, Lin it will not be able to avoid cutting down very substantially the number of men apparently available still tor service with the Expeditionary Forces, '