NATIONAL REGISTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16096, 9 December 1915, Page 6

NATIONAL REGISTER.

AUCKLAND DISTRICT. 27,855 MEN FOR ABROAD. _____ CIVIL' VOLUNTEERS, 13,070. TOTAL OP 9531 NOT PREPARED, 111 i - l|ff | [BT TELEGRAPH. ASSOCIATIOJf.] wfiZ Wellington, Wednesday. Some additional figures in connection with : the national register were issued to-day ' ~V~ by the Government Statistician. Thev ..". • i deal with men who are not of military - ■;; age, and bring the total number of men : 3* registered between the ages of 17 and 60 v to 295,034. The main features of the register may now be summarised as fol- "'. : lows:— "v Accepted for the forces but not called np 4,433 - r British subjects aged 17 and 18 16,981 Men willing to serve with the , forces 109,685 Hen willing to serve in a civil capacity 43,524 Men unwilling to serve at all ... 34,386 v Volunteered for the forces, but refected ... 9,042 ; Incapacitated for service 3,953 ■- British subjects aged 45 to 59 ... 68,433 Returned soldiers 294 Foreign subjects „ .. ... 4,298 - The following are the details relating to those resident in the Auckland military - district: — "< Volunteered and accepted for service 1,087 Willing to become members of the Ex- X"■-'-'% peditionary Forces:— Single men and widowers without dependants 8,100 M 4 Single men with dependants ... 4,su\\C Widowers with dependants ... 250*^3 Married men, with wife only ... 2,304Married men, with wife and other ""- Y : dependants ... 12 687 Total for Expeditionary Forces 27,855 --: ■ Not prepared to volunteer, but willing to serve in a civil capacity:— ~ *£-■ Single men and widowers without '/$¥ dependants 2.4C6 Single men with dependants ... 1^972 Widowers with dependants ... '113 Married men, with wife only ... . Married men, with wife and other ' '•-'-, dependants .. 7 413 -^ Total for civil service ... ... 13,070 !--.' Not prepared to undertake military or ■ : civil service *— .--_- Single men and widowers without )§fy dependants ... _. ... 2,355 Single men with dependants ... l,42t|§f|f Widowers with dependants .. lOsilP Married men, with wife only ... 65 Married men, with wife and other dependants ... __ ... 5,095 __ Total unprepared „- ... 9,531 Volunteered and rejected „. 2,069, British; subjects incapacitated ... 1,154 Foreign subjects ... ... 1,464 : Returned troopers _ ... -'6«llp .Total for all classes ... ... 56,298 ■ ■ ' -^3811 FIRST CAMi TO SERVICE. » - - , _ .■»•-.._ . '-■■■'" - *■ t ~. SINGLE MEN WITH NO TIE. ... <• ■;■ OPERATION BY END OF JANUARY. [VT TELEGRAPH.OWN COBBESEOKDEKT.I Weixington, Wednesday.. The Minister for Defence, -the Hon. J. : Bf| Alien, was asked whether he proposed to take any action about the men without &3a dependants who are not prepared to render any service. • .. .-.-■, " do not see any way to touch them," n.. said Mr. Allen. x " I thinfe we must call MSm up first the men who are willing to go. 1 ' do not see how we can do anything else. Of course we shall endeavour to find th recruits required a/wwdmg to the classification in the national registration. Thai is to Say, we shall draw first upon the single men without dependants." Mr. Allen said also that he hoped to have th new recruiting scheme .based on the register in operation by, the end of January. Until then the present system must be continued. A point about the .war census which is being generally discussed is that assurance * was given that all information contained in every man's registration card was' to be regarded as "strictly confidential." It is difficult to reconcile this with the Minister's recent declaration about making use : ; of the register for recruiting purposes. The following words appeared on the front of . the registration schedules : * The register } .{ •to be compiled under the above Act is ■■._■; purely civil register for the purpose 'of ;- ascertaining the resources of the Dominion "-_ in men, and the registration here required -j S does not involve enlistment, nor is it in 3substitution for the present system of eh- i: listment. Those desirous of enlisting can . J: : . obtain forms an* the nearest post office or -~>J Defence Office. All information will he Q regarded as strictly confidential." The assurance of "strictly confidential" is re- % peated on two other pages. 51 . CONSCRIPTION OF WEALTH. 'M COMMON SACRIFICE NEEDED. I |BT TELEGRAPH.— COBEESPOXEENT.I "$ Wellington, Wednesday. J -j Discussing the National Registration figures to-day, Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, M.P. for Wellington South, said it must not be taken that 34,000 men are unwilling to do what the majority of the people in New Zealand of similar ages are prepared to do. Probably many of them said they were unwilling to serve because they had dependants. Many had also probably ths excuse of ill-health, and unless the matter was more closely investigated it did not supply an argument one way or the other for conscription. _"There is no doubt, however," continued x Mr. Hindmarsh, "that there are some who take delight in refusing to recognise their obligation to the State or anybody else. There are always a number of men who detest organisation and discipline as far as they themselves are ; concerned, but like organisation and dis- | cipline for other people. There is already a form of conscription in existence in New Zealand—the conscription of public opinion. A large number of people have volunteered not so much because they wanted to go, but because they felt the pressure of public opinion. There is probably a considerable number of men who refuse to serve on the ground that _ they are called upon to maintain conditions which enable wealth to be amassed. _ They say: 'We should be partners in this wealth because we are willing to .offer our lives and the futures of our children, to a great extent, to preserve conditions which enable this wealth » to be accumulated. We will go to the - front, but wealth must also be sacrificed.* '■} It means that the individual has absolutely iW no rights, as against the State, and a large * <g number of people would apply this doc- ' ■ r trine only to lives and not to the wealth Mi?. of the country. I use the word "wealth' - : J«£ in the. strict: common sense, not necessarily applied to capitalists, but applied generally. If things- are to be regarded from the point of view of • the State, the time has ■ come when the individual can say, 'lam" giving my life, but you must give everything you have got, too.* "- ". i.".'. ■,' ■ K-' '-■: ■' ' ~.' - ■ -W's.2SlSflil