BY AGE GROUPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24834, 6 February 1942, Page 4

BY AGE GROUPS

MEN WITH CHILDREN SYSTEM OF CALLING-UP OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (F.0.P.R.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 5. An announcement that married men with children would be called up for service with the armed forces in age groups wa;3 made today by the Minister of National Service, Mr B. Semple. The Minister said in an interview that following the calling up of all married men without children further men would be called up as required in age classes irrespective of the number of 'children. “This system will apply to the calling up for overseas service in the same way as for Territorial service,’’ said Mr Semple. “The Government has given most careful and detailed consideration to the many factors involved and has come to the conclusion that the system now announced has the most to recommend it. The army definitely wants the younger type of man, who takes more easily ,to modern warfare, while industry needs the more skilled and experienced man who is usually rather older. “Another important factor,” Mr Semple said, “is the general shortage of man-power in industry and by calling married men without children first a large number of married women will become available to fill the ranks in industry A fresh classification order will be issued in the near future So give effect to this change ” Mr Semple also said that the Goveminent had decided to include naturalised British subjects in the first and second divisions of the general reserve and to call them up for service in exactly the same way as British subjects. At the present time those men were not enrolled for military service, but they would shortly be called on to enrol with the National Service Department.