REINFORCEMENT DRAFTS.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13660, 31 August 1916, Page 1

REINFORCEMENT DRAFTS.

PLEA FOB "VOLUNTARY ENLISTMENT. WELLINGTON, August 28. The Minister of Defence asks all Recruiting Committees in New Zealand to keep up their effort to find men for the reinforcements. It is idle for the advocates of compulsion to say:—"Let the Government put the Military Service Act into force," because-the Government is not yet ready to do this, and cannot possibly be ready for some time. It is hoped that everything will be ready 'by October. Preparations are 1 now complete for the curolmeilt of the Expeditionary Force Reserve, and this will oeupy a, fortnight. Afterwards some time will be occupied in the classification of the enrolment cards and the compilation of the district rolls, This time may be long or short, but it is hoped now that it may be short. There is a 'shortage in the twentieth draft just called up, but this is causing no anxiety. No difficulty will lie experienced in getting that draft up to strength, but if there are heavy shortages in the remaining drafts to be called up before the conscription machinery is ready some embarrassment might be caused. There is a good, chance that compulsion may not be needed until long after October, but until then it will not even be possible for the Government to conscript without ballot, as the Act provides, some of the brothers out of shirking families.