1000 RECRUITS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23320, 13 April 1939, Page 12

1000 RECRUITS

APPEAL BY THE MAYOR CITY'S URGENT NEED TERRITORIAL FORCES BEHIND OTHER CENTRES The immediate inauguration of a campaign for the enlistment of 1000 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 35 to bring the peace establishment of the Territorial Army in Auckland City to normal strength was announced last night by the Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis. The campaign is to be of a persona! character. "With all the force at my command," said Sir Ernest, "I appeal to the men of the community to support actively the service upon which the defence oi: our homes and our people will mainly depend should Auckland at any time be the object of foreign threat. To those eligible, may I point out that training in the Territorial Army ► in time of peace is no less a privilege than it is a clearly defined duty. An effectively trained volunteer force at full strength is calculated to minimise the possibility of attack, and is an excellent insurance cover against it.

Value o! 7DOO Men "For example, I ami informed, a brigade of 7000 trained men in the Auckland Province could successfully withstand the onslaught of an invading division of 20,000, a circumstance which doubtless would cause an aggressivelyminded nation to ponder deeply before deciding on the sea-borne transportation of such a large complement of men. Obviously, this is as well known to our potential enemies •as to ourselveu Moreover, in the opinion of military experts, 1000 trained men, in an emergency, are worth 100 times the number of untrained men. Prior training, therefore, is the vital factor, and is one reason why full advantage should be taken of the facilities now offering to the city's young men." Auckland Lagging Behind

Sir Ernest said the necessity for such urgent action had been forcibly brought home to him, not so much by the gloomy international outlook, as by an extraordinary discovery he had made in tho course of his inquiries under the recently - established "shadow" emergency precautions scheme.

"I was astounded and distressed to find," he said, "that Auckland's claim to leadership had been severely dented by its apathetic attitude toward training in the Territorial Army. It was humiliating to find that, whereas other centres and the country districts adjacent to Auckland had provided full strength peace establishments, the city area was conspicuously and stubbornly lagging behind to what appears to me io be an almost incredible degree of under-manning. Frankly, this is not good enough for Auckland. It does not interpret the sentiments of the city. The defection, must, as it shall be, remedied.

Duties Involved The Mayor said he had ascertained that 500 territorial volunteers were required for infantry and a similar number for artillery service. He had no hesitation in attempting, with the assistance of citizens, to raise that quota for the establishments in Auckland. All would realise that service in the Territorial Army imposed no hardship on the time or capabilities of the recruit or upon his employer. As was known, the total engagement was for three years, and the maximum number of hours of service a year was 120, distributed between evening and half-day parades and. annual camp. Employers had a duty to facilitate this training and the appeal to them was to give the eligible members of their staffs every opportunity to undertake training in the Territorial Army. "I am determined," the Mayor said, "to push ahead actively with the campaign, in furtherance of which the cooperation of every section will be invited preparatory to the holding of a representative meeting at an early date. The enrolment lists are gaping wide at the Drill Hall and must be filled. Now is the time to volunteer. It is not a question as to who will enlist, but as to how many. The ground lost can and will be retrieved. Let the enrolments made this day onward be Auckland's answer to the challenge of the other centres with their full complements. No Need for Alarm

"As I have emphasised previously there is no occasion for alarm or excitement, but, with the kaleidoscopic* changes in the European situation, and the general unsettlement produced by the ti-end of authoritarian aggression and its barefaced disregard of truth and the sanctity of contractual'obligations, there is need in my judgment for the proper training which association with the Territorial Army gives. "While always) appreciating New Zealand's relative isolation from world storm centres, one cannot be unmindful of the possibility, perhaps now not so remote as previously believed, of the Dominion being open to large-scale raids. Furthermore, Auckland, with its naval and air bases, possibly would be the focal point of any such attack. "I am not in possession of any information suggesting that trouble is imminent, but, as Mayor, I feel it a duty to citizens as well as to my conscience to do my part toward ensuring that our volunteer fighting forces in Auckland are placed on a proper footing. There can be no difference of opinion but that the pressing necessity is to strengthen our position in this respect-within the time providentially granted to us." Further Important Step

Sir Ernest added that a further important step in Auckland's civic preparedness against emergencies generally would be taken on Wednesday, when the council appointed by representatives of the local bodies under the emergency _ organisation scheme would hold its inaugural meeting. The council, which consisted of 21 members, was entrusted with the control of the organisation and was empowered to appoint seven groups of technical committees to attend to administration in accordance with the general policy which the council < would formulate after all the essential data had been assembled, analysed and codified. A Eublic statement of the outcome would e made in due course.