FUTURE OF FORCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25210, 24 May 1945, Page 4

FUTURE OF FORCES

MR SEMPLE'S HOPE COMMITMENTS IN PACIFIC (0.C.) HAMILTON, Wednesday "As far as 1 know, the men of the New Zealand Division overseas who have had three or four years' service outside of New Zealand will be returned to the Dominion as soon as the shipping is available," said the Minister of Works, Mr Semple, in reply to a question tonight. Regarding the replacement drafts recently sent from the Dominion, he said that, although lie could not speak for the War Cabinet, he hoped they would not remain long overseas. As far as New Zealand's future military commitments in the Pacific were concerned the War Cabinet would supply the answer, said Mr Semple. He was not a member of the War Cabinet and so could not give specific informaj tion 011 the subject. It was likely that New Zealand's greatest contribution in the Pacific would bo air power. 6000 NAMES GAZETTED MOSTLY YOUTHS REACHING 18 (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday A further Gazette notice calling men up for service in the afmed lorces and containing some 6000 names is being published today, according to an announcement by the Minister of National Service, Mr McLagan. The majority are vouths who have attained the age of 18 since the last call-up in November, 1944, and will not be liable for immediate mobilisation. _ . Consequently, said the Minister, there is no need for appeals to be submitted at this stage, and adequate facilities will be provided for the lodging of appeals later, when liability; for mobilisation actually eventuates. There will lie the names of a number ot men in the Gazette who, by reason of thenage. would be liable for immediate service, and in these cases, if postponement is sought, the right of appeal should be exercised at once. The Minister added: "The calling up of these men is in of the normal procedure for the creation of a reserve of manpower for military purposes. and must of necessity be continued until the final victory over Japan is achieved."

With 1116 men called up. Area 1, Auckland, tops the list for New Zealand. In the Auckland Province an additional 825 are included in the Gazette notice. 327 being from the Hamilton area. 306 from Paeroa. and 192 from Whangarei. The Christchurch area is second to Auckland with 1010. Wellington names number 721. Dunedin 497. and Napier 453. STATE MILL PROJECT UTUHINA WATERSHED POSSIBLE SERIOUS EFFECTS (0.C.) ROTORUA, Wednesday Grave concern was expressed by Mr 0. H. Coleman at tonight's meeting of the ' Rotorua Borough Council regarding the possible effects of a proposal by the State Forest Service to set up a mill on the area of the watershed of the Utuhina Stream. Mr Coleman said that deforestation of the hills draining to such a strongly flowing stream as the Utuhina might cause a flood that in certain circumstances would inundate the whole of the western side of the Any scheme for the future use of the.stream as an alternative water supply might also be jeopardised. The council instructed its engineer to inquire of the Forestry Department to what extent it proposed to cut the timber on the watershed, and also what the department's plans were for replanting. FIELD-MARSHAL SMUTS 75TH BIRTHDAY TODAY South Africa's most famous statesman. Field-Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, will celebrate his 75th birthday today. An outstanding figure in South African and Empire affairs since the South African War. he was born at Malnu-sbury, Cape Colony, and studied law at the universities of Levden, Cambridge and Strasburg. After some years of private practice he was appointed Attorney-General of the Transvaal Republic bv President Kruger and later became Secretary of War. By 1901 he had become commander-in-chief of the insurgent Boers in Cape Colony.

For a period after the war Smuts was one of the irroconcilables, but in 1907 he became Colonial Minister under Botha and took a prominent part in the discussions of the convention that formed the Union scheme. Under the combined Government he became Minister of the Interior, Mines aud Defence.

He built up South Africa's excellent Army, which defeated the Germans in South-West Africa and crushed rebellion in the Union in the last war, and in 1919 became Premier. In- his new role he worked constantly for Imperial solidarity and the League of Nations, becoming recognised as one of the Empire's soundest administrators His reputation has grown with the years and throughout the present war he has played an important part in all councils of Empire. SCHOONER SALVAGED VESSEL BUILT IN AUCKLANQ Given up for lost when she was wrecked on a reef at Ravoia, in the Tuamotu Islands, north-east of Tahiti, the 47-vear-old Auckland-built kauri auxiliary trading schooner Vaite has been salvaged and refitted: Her name has been changed to Vaiete after the name "of the ancient capital of Tahiti, Papeete. The heart of kauri timbers and plankings are described as being as sound as they were when the schooner was built by C. and W. Bailey, Ltd. Ninety-two feet long and with "a beam of 19ft 9in, the vessel has a gross tonnage of 108. The Vaite was well known as a trading schooner around the Cook Group but was sailing under the French flag on the run between Tahiti and the Tuamotus when wrecked. Her fittings were dismantled and sold but the hull was bought at. auction by Air Charles Brown, a shipbuilder, who has refitted her. The new Vaiete was launched at Papeete in February and has taken up her run to the Tiiamotus again, equipped with a new 100-horsepower Diesel engine. The only structural change is the widening of her cabin and the addition of a poop deck which gives better visibility forward.