NAVAL RECRUITING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21807, 23 May 1934, Page 11

NAVAL RECRUITING

MANY BOYS REJECTED POSITION CAUSING -CONCERN The recruiting position as it affeets_ the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy is causing concern. This applies chiefly to the recruiting of seamen; boys,, who must be between the ages of 10l and 16i years. Difficulty has. been experienced recently in obtaining sufficient recruits up to the required standard and, in this year's autumn recruiting, just completed, only 14 boys were selected for 16 vacancies. When recruiting is carried out, twice a year, applications are invited from all over New Zealand. This year, in the autumn recruiting, there were 210 applicants, 29 of them coming from Auckland. The 181 prospective recruits from outside Auckland underwent inspection by recruiting officers in the . various regimental districts, but only 40 name* were forwarded as approved. The papers of these boys were inspected at the Devonport Naval Base, and 18 of them were called up for final examination, in addition to 26 of the 29 Auckland applicants. Out of the total of 44 boys who underwent the final examination, only 21 passed the requisite medical and educational tests. Seven of these had to be rejected for various reasons;, leaving only 14 fully approved recruits for 16 vacancies. A naval officer pointed out yesterday that seven of the selected boys came, from Auckland. This meant that nearly 25 per cent of the Auckland applicants were up to standard, ana, if the same standard had been attained elsewhere, there would have been abotit 50 boys from whom to select the ultimate 16" The position with regard to the recruiting of stokers offers a marked contrast. Here the age limit is not so low and men are accepted between the ages of 18 and 22. In this year's recruiting there were 245 applicants for eight vacancies, and 53 men were of a sufficiently high standard to be called up for final examination. It is thought the question of age may have something to do with the difficulty. Stokers have to be older and stronger than seamen recruits at the outset, and facts Seem to bear out the theory that the New Zealand youth really matures about the age of 18. However, it is thought that many boys aged about 16 are fully up to naval recruiting standard, but that in many instances, at present, the wrong type of applicant is being obtained.