REINFORCEMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9156, 23 September 1915, Page 7

REINFORCEMENTS

' - * ADVANCED SIX WEEKS INCREASED RECRUITING WILL BE REQUIRED. An important announcement, to the effect that the two next reinforcement drafts of the Now Zealand Expeditionary Force will be sent away from the Dominion six weeks earlier than the intended date was mad© in the House of Representatives yesterday by the Minister for Defence (Hon. J. Allen). The Minister stated that owing to the heavy casualties in Gallipoli during the last few weeks the . British Army Council had asked the Dominion to send forward its reinforcements earlier than was previously intended. It had been found that by bricging back the transports rather rapidly, it would bo possible to expedite the dispatch of the Eighth and Ninth Reinforcements. They would be sent six weeks earlier. This meant that the men in, these drafts would have to exercise all their ingenuity to get ready to go at the earlier date. He believed from what he had seen of the men that they would be able to do this. The alteration, so far as it affected the period of training, would apply only to the Eighth and Ninth. He hoped to be able to go on as usual with succeeding drafts, although, of course, all would go six weeks earlier than would otherwise have been the case. The Eighth would now leave in the beginning of November, instead of. the middle of December, and the Ninth in January instead of February. The Seventh and the first two battalions of the Earl of Liverpool's Own would be leaving in about three weeks.

j The Defence Minister added that at the present time there were barely sufficient men registered to fill the Ninth Reinforcements, and the two new LatJtalions, which would be called up early in October... The registrations had been gopd, but the.number of men who had volunteered for the infantry was barely sufficient. Ho wanted the House and the public to realise that the new proposal was going to involve the enlistment of nearly 4000 additional men in time to go into camp in the first week ifi November for the Tenth Iteiinforcements. Some slight difficulty might b£ experienced in getting ihe required number, as the winter would be over and the demand for labour considerable, and he wanted to ask members of Parliament and the public generally to stimulate recruiting as far as possible. The Defence Department required men to register their names, undergo medical examination, and then remain in their usual employment until they were called up. "1 Want to be sure of being ready . c or the heavy strain oh the registration lists when the Tenth Reinforcements are. called up in, November," continued Mr Allen. ''l have no doubt about the men being ready. for the Ninth Reinforcements and the two extra battalions next month. The men. should oome forward as quickly as possible, and it must be remembered that registrations must be in excess of the number of recruits required, _ since a certain proportion will be rejected by the doctors. Some effort and sacrifice on the part of the community will he necessary to meet requirements. I am inclined to think that we can get the men without any special appeal "from the platform. If a realisation chat these recruits are wanted sinks into tUe minds of the people, the men, I believe, will come forward. If platform work is required, I know we can rely upon plenty of willing assistance."

HEAVY RECRUITING WANTED APPEAL BY DEFENCE MINISTEREACH MAN'S DUTY. "The decision of the Government to advance the date of departure of the reinforcements was due to a request from the Army Council," said the Minister for Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) to a "New Zealand Times" reporter last night. "The Army Council asked that we should expedite the reinforcements if we could. They did not ask us to increase the strength of the reinforcements beyond the 15 per cent, per month originally arranged, but they wanted to hasten the arrival: of reinforcements at Gallipoli. We intend, therefore, to send away the Eighth Reinforcements sis weeks earlier than was originally arranged, their period of training being reduced accordingly." The Minister stated that the Seventh Reinforcements, whose training is nearing completion, could not be sent away early, since the transports would not be available before the date already fixed. The Ninth Reinforcements would go into camp when the Seventh departed, and they would leave two months later than the Eighth. The two-month period would be maintained after that, the effect being to bring each draft two months forward. The period of training would be reduced in the case of tne Eighth and Ninth Reinforcements to about three months instead of the normal four months. Then the earlier arrival of the drafts in camp, beginning with the Tenth •Reinforcements, would adjust matters and the full period of training would be secured. "I want to make an appeal through the newspapers to the men -who are able to servo with their forces," added the Defence Minister. "We have barely enough registrations m hand to provide for the units that are_ to go into camp next month—the Ninth Reinforcements, the extra battalions and 'the non-coms, for the Tenth. We 6hall need 4000 additional men to go into camp as the Tenth Reinforcements at the beginning of November, and a similar draft will be duo early in January. The registrations must be in excess of actual requirements, since a certain proportion of rejections at the medical examination is inevitable. I do not think it should oe necessary at this stage to institute a recruiting campaign. We want the men of New Zealand to face this question for themselves and decide what is their duty."