FORCES SERVING ABROAD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16624, 22 August 1917, Page 6

FORCES SERVING ABROAD

MINISTER'S "Stock-taking" no "missing" SURPLUS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. WELLINGTON". Tuesday. " Members have been asking for a stocktaking of the New Zealand forces," saiu the Minister for Defence, Sir Jas. Allen, in Parliament to-night. " Some members and some newspapers have been making calculations on their own account, and they state that they cannot account for thousands of our men. In order to make the position clear I have prepared figures, showing the position on or about August 17. The figures are not quite complete, because I have not yet received replies to certain cablegrams.

"On August 17 we had 14,681 men in England, of whom 6553 were at Sling Camp and available to go to the front". They were held as reinforcements in case of heavy casualties. Some of the other men were in hospitals and convalescent homes. I have not got the number of men on leave in England at that time. Then we had at the front, including the division and the tunnellers, 24,320 men. The reinforcements held at Etaples, in France, as an immediate support for the division, numbered 3114 men. The available reinforcements in England and Fiance therefore numbered fewer than 10 000 altogether. " The casualties within a few davs covering the Messines battle were close upon. 6000. I do not know what were the casualties in the recent fighting, but it is clear that the reserve is not too large. Most of the reinforcements may be absorbed by this time. Then we had at that time 3211 men in Egypt and Palestine. I cannot say how many men were in hospital in France. *' The number of men returned to New Zealand was 10.966. ,The dead, missing, and prisoners numbered 8353. Troops on the water totalled between 6000 and 7000. That accounts for over 71,500 men. The number sent from New Zealand up to that time was about 74,000. The figures do not include men in hospital in France, the Samoan force, the nurses, the flying corps men. naval ratings, wireless men, etc., nor the men on leave in England. When I get the complete figures I will give the House a full statement of the position. It will be seen that there is no surplus to be accounted for."