MILITARY RESERVE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23828, 7 June 1939, Page 12

MILITARY RESERVE

NATIONAL ENROLMENTS WELLINGTON HEADS LIST DUNEDIN IN SEVENTH PLACE (Pek United Press Association) WELLINGTON. June 6. Applications for enrolment in the National Military Reserve received up to- 9 a.m. to-day totalled 5606. The Wellington enrolments are the highest, 954 having offered their services. Auckland has the next largest number with 837, and Christchurch is third with' 523. Dunedin. with 358. is in seventh place. There has been an exceptionally good response in Hamilton, where there have been 500 enrolments. Details of the enrolments in the various postal districts are: — Auckland 837 Blenheim 55 Christchurch 523 Dunedin 358 Gisborne 178 Greymouth 29 Hamilton 500 Invercargill 384 Napier 417 Nelson 200 New Plymouth 241 Oamaru 74 Palmerston North ~ .. 249 Thames 189 Timaru .. ~ 113 Wanganui 263 Wellington 954 Westport 42

TERRITORIAL FORCE UNITS IN WELLINGTON AREA ONLY SEVENTY-FIVE RECRUITS NEEDED (Special to Daily Times) WELLINGTON. June 6. Only 75 recruits are needed to bring the units in the Wellington metropolitan area up to strength under the new establishment of the Territorial Force announced by the Prime Minister (Mr M. J. Savage) on May 22. Figures given to-day by ColonellE. Puttick, officer commanding the Central Military District, show that four of the eleven units are not only up to strength, but have waiting lists. Seventy-eight recruits have enlisted in Wellington since the Prime Minister's appeal. There was always a certain fluctuation in the strength of tn<* territorial units because of transfers and men completing three years' service, said Colonel Puttick. For this reason waiting lists were desirable, as they made it possible for the gaps to be filled with a minimum of delay. Men who wished to enlist in . unit which had a waiting list were not sworn in, but their names and addresses were taken so that they could be notified as soon as a vacancy occurred. Though the units in the Wellington metropolitan area were in such a strong position, many recruits were required in other parts of the Central Military District. Two years ago three infantry battalions of the Wellington—West Coast Regiment, the Hawke's Bay Regiment and the Taranaki Regiment, had been amalgamated to form a composite infantry battalion, which included only skeletons of the three units. Now these battalions had been restored to their original strength so that a great many men would have to be recruited. ~ "We do not expect immediate results," said Colonel Puttick. _ "The task of reorganising is of first importance to the country units. We are not trying to win a race with either of the other two military districts. We want recruits, of quality. They must be at least average New Zealanders, keen, intelligent, and of good average physique. If we can get them, and we should be able to, the rest will be comparatively easy. We do not want rr.en who will join up in a fit of enthusiasm and leave when their enthuiasm wanes. We want men who will once they have joined, faithfully carry out the work—men actuated by a sincere desire to become trained soldiers." BEST RECRUITING AGENTS ADVICE TO MEN IN THE RANKS (Special to Daily Times) WELLINGTON. June 6.

The opinion that the test recruiting a"ent for the New Zealand Territorial Force was the man in the ranks was expressed by Colonel E. Puttick, officer commanding the Central Military district, in an interview to-day. " If every man in the force produced one satisfactory recruit we would have not 16,000. but nearer 20.000," he said "Whereas the officers and senior n.c.o. s in an infantry battalion total approximately 70. the junior n.c.o.'s and privates total rnore than 540, so it can be seen that the potential recruiting power of the private soldier is very great. He is the man who can produce ;'he new recruits needed, and it is up to him to do so. It is in his own interest to get a good man alongside him." THE DEFENCE LEAGUE FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE (special ro Daily Times) WELLINGTON, June 6. The New Zealand Defence League, which was formed in September, 1936, for the purpose of fostering. and increasing interest in defence in New Zealand, will hold its first annual conlerence of delegates from branches in Wellington to-morrow. The Defence League has extended its influence very rapidly throughout the Dominion and a conference of delegates from branches was held last November to consider its policy and future activities but the conference to be held tomorrow will be the first annual conference and will be representative of all branches. The conference, which will be opened at 10 a.m., will be under the control of the Dominion president of the league (Mr W. Perry, M.L.C.) and will be attended by the patron of the ieague (Sir Andrew Hussell) and representatives from all Dominion ccntrcSt The principal business of the conference will be to consider the statement of the Prime Minister (Mr M. J. Savage) on the expansion of the defence forces of New Zealand, the policy and organisation of the league, and a number of remits which have been put forward by branches. The conference will probably be completed to-morrow, but may be continued on Thursday.