THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17112, 18 September 1917, Page 5

THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES

NEARLY 8000 MARRIED MEN. f S (FflOM Odb Own Coebespondent.) ; WELLINGTON, September 17. An interesting return laid on the table • of the Houp3 of Representatives by the Minister of Defence this evening, showed ' the marital condition of ell ranks of the J New Zealand Expeditionary Force etar „■ barked on active service up to and inelod- , ing the 23th Reinforcements. Of a total ; of embarked 1707 returned to dukjfc .' Of the remainder 69,091 were single, iuo - wero widowers, and 7977 were married. Of , tho married men 2900 had no 'children, 2510 had one child, 1293 two children, a 6.77 three, a>3 four, 160.'fore, 70 six,, and 59 [ over eix. MAIN BODY AND KBINFOiRCEMKNTS. / NUMBER OF MEN REQUIRED. '\ (Fbom Otjk Own Coebesponbeht.) WELLINGTON, September 17. - . A return laid on the table of the House ~' this evening by Sir James Allen stated . that the strength of the Main Bodies to be maintained in all fields was:— Other Officers. Rwnfaf, N.Z. Mounted Rifles Brigade and. Concomitant Units ... 113 2265 \ N.Z. Division and Concomi- '' tant Units ...' 700 20,11* N.Z. Wireless Signal Troop 1 55 "j Total ... .„ 814 / "The unmbor of officers and men for evfflry • reinforcement was:— * Mounted Rifles ... ... ... 2 122 t^ Field Artillery ._ _. ... 2 107 ' Field Engineers (with . each •■ alternate draft) 1 19-'; Engineer Tunnelling Company, — 51 \- r Divisional Signal Service .- — 6 *: Infantry .• 31 HBD \ Army Service Corps ... ... 1 22 N.Z. Medical Corps 5 39 "'=■ Veterinary Corps ... .-.. ... — :■■!' . Army Pay Department ... — 4 j N.Z. Postal Corps ... -. — 2:N.Z. Wireless Signalling-Troop — '**-]■ Totals „ ... 43 1544 -,■ Chaplains (despatched as required) , The return states that no hinit has been " placed on the number of men to be sent ' from New Zealand as reinforcements. The *, New Zealand Government undertook to ' maintain reinforcements for the above estab* - lisbment for the duration of the w«r.' The total number of men drawn in the vballots up to the 29th Reinforcements mi ,-' 25,924, of which 7777 reported in camp, v The number of •voluntary recruits who reported in camp for the same period was , "■ 10,292. The total number of men claesed ■'•] as medically unfit was 11,702, the numbet V classed at fit for home service onJy&ikJ(»7 v * the number exempted es being connected - « with essential industries 2078, the number /« of clergy, lay preachers, and conscientious,;' objectore exempted 62, the number exempted ■£ on other grounds 311, the number passod as "; fit but not reported in camp 365, and the ■} number -who have failed to. respond to notifioation 1613. The exemptions referred -5 to are not absolute except where the ap- ' pellanta' were not reservists. Most of the .', temporary exemptions are now being Tβ- >'. viewed. . , ;

VALUABLE DENTAL TREATMENT. * - IFboh Oub Own Cobbespokdbnt.), , ' 'j WELLINGTON, September 17. According to a return presented to Paar- /■■;. liament to-day, 9220 unfit men have beeeNj rendered fit for military service by dental,, 'j treatment in camp. * soldiers' birth places. ;{ (Fhom Oub Own CobbeßPondbnt.) ,}■ WELLINGTON, September 17. : A return • presented to parliament* today V shows the country of birth of member* of the New Zealand Expeditionary force Ke-,- •, serve called up by ballot (Nos. 1 to 7 in- < f elusive):—Australia, 1429; Canada, 22}-.$ England and Wales, 2940; Prance, 2; Ire- rj land, 964; neutral countries, 14; New\ ;, Zealand, 19,049;' other British possessions,-?'." 73; Scotland, 1191; United States, 31';—(; total, 26,623. ' ' t$ . ; •« BALLOTED RESERVISTS. '4 (FBOM Otfß OWH COBBESPONDENT.) •*: WELLINGTON, September. 17. '■.' The Minister of Defence presented to the -,' House to-night a statement showing the ' position of reservists drawn in ballots 1 to . •? h as at August 21:—Number of reservists -"> drawn, 49,58tf: already sant or under carders.;;' for camp', 12;23C; numbor awaiting , disposal,' - 1 29,659; not located or temporarily unavailable, 5693; permanently unavailable, 3971,' * The number sent to ca-mp has been 9883, •. while 2347 men, are under orders to proceed . "'. to camp. The 29,689 men awaiting disposal -? are classified as follows:—Awaifang medical ... examination, 1196; Bl -and B2 men awaiting medical re-ex&mination, 487; 01 men i'j awaiting special training, 317; C2 men, of -~ whom a proportion would bo medically re- •-" examined, 23,093. Then there are the whose disposal is dependent on policy. They V-;' oompriee the following:—Kt men and r , special appellants (not yet medically ex- ,! amined) awaiting hearing; of appeals, S7B; .' appellants whose appeals had been tempo- /'. rarily 512; sine dio appeals and', decisions awaiting , reconsideration, 3405;. ; awaiting orders to concentrate, 101. The <i< reservists unavailable for servif>o are classified as follows:—At sea', absent from New *■ Zealand, etc., 61; not-located since drswn l in ballot, 5121; deserters failed to concern- -,' trato when ordered, 516; dead, aliens, eto.,,\ 1391; reservists exempted on appeal, 479; permanently xuifit, 1 2101; CI men are xtsea i'-' who are likely to become fit for active eer- \ vice- after special training, norrd _ who » art V being railed up for special physical tram- ■- ing. 02 men are men classified as unfit-1 for active fervice abroad, but fit for service 'j; in New Zealand. These men arc being :* combed out, and those not obviously unfitted -'. for service are being re-examined by «, ' special medical board. The aialhorrtioe have;",called up for ro-examination 3638 men from , the first six ballots, and at least as many ,•- more from the kst three ballots will be",' called up at an early date. Any men claes-] fi fied ab CI on re-examina'tion will be sen*' ■ to the CI camp.' The special appellant^.. consfet of coal miners, policempn, gical students, clergy, and gold mm«s, A r -whose appeals mnet be heard prior to then , -, medical examination. In all otoet caees-.' medical examination takes place I*" 0 * , * *°, 5. the hearing of appeals. The wees of rnep- i ; whoso appeal? have been adjourned, lndefi-'j , / ritely by the military service boards tee 7~ now bftina reconsidered by the boaitß, aaa' » some of these men will probably be sens. ', shortly to camp. This class incladee n?en < wio aro presumed to be Gennane or of •', other alien enemy parentage, bat who have ''- not been definitely designated enemy anens '. by the authorities. It abo inctudea men- " preattmably tmder ago, whose birth certifi- •,, oatos ha.vo not yet been obtained, wan eot.iners who hare not received- definite oraera . wlscn to prcceed to camp. Men who have '■: been medically examined, but who tore .• failed to concentrate for camo, as ordered, ■£ are assumed to be dwerters, and it, after -- investisration by the group officers, they are' found to be actual dmrrters, wrerrants 'are . iserawl for *hcdr arrest. The meiffl*B ' fluctuate, and it was found on September- • 13 that out of the 516 oases 255 had been ;jj ?f?nt to carrrp or otherwise accounted i<x * since the return was made out on Angnst. ,' 21. FAILURE TO REPORT (From Oce Own Cobbespondent.) ~ WELLINGTON, September 17. ,' A return presented by the Minister Defence to the House to-day showed wbat - had become of the balloted men who- had J failed to report when ordered up to Anausfc,,; 31 The return showed that 5503 oases had , been referred to the Director of of Personal •■ Service by the Director of Recruiting .as .: "Lost." Of this number 1-430 had been ;> gazetted and 1743 traced wWhoufc gazetting. . tho men who had been traced were classi-' fied .15 follows:—Already in forces, 339; i' sent to camp, 585; medically unfit 747; . left New Zealand as civilians, 198; left to , join other forces, 8; seafaring abroad, Hv , in hospitals, 15; in prison, 13; dead, 32;. j exempted by Military Service Board, 43; located and referred back to Director of .> Recruiting , for action, 460; remaining under ■- investigation, 2T05; warrants outstanding, . 349. "flie number of men found a* a, i result of the gazetting was 708, making the; ; total found 2541 out of the 5503 names re- % fen-ed to the. Director "t Pereonal Servian. ,-? The cases found wero classified asfoHowfl. , — ~ Sent to camp, 585; unfit, 747; already eerv- . ing, 339; left New Zealand, 217; exempted y or otherwise accounted for, 663. ' \ Sir Jainos Allen said that the prepara-' '• tion of the returns b«d inTorred a great ~ deal of labour. The fables had been sent V; back to the officers soveral times in that certain amendments might be made, k Ho thought the returns as now presented .;, were as accurate as possible. Tlie figures i : showed that 3121 of fcbe men drawn in the--? ballot had not been located. " *( Mr Anderson: Aro the namra givefto? \ 4

Mr Anderson: Aro the , names gmfto? \s. Sir .Tamos Allen: Not here. I hope : \ .ator to publish tho narare of dpfaoltera and ask tlio members of Parliament to their duty in helping to find these men. , ''-' „« Mr Andoreon: Confiscate their pcanegly. "'S Thai will brine than ouL t ,J|