EARLIER REINFORCEMENTS

Otago Witness, Issue 3212, 6 October 1915, Page 85

EARLIER REINFORCEMENTS

o • DEPARTURE OF THE EIGHTH AND NINTH. HASTENED BY SIX WEEKS. (From Ode Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 22. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) announced in the blouse of Representatives to-day that arrangements were being made to expedite the sending of reinforcements. Tho casualties during the Ercvious few weeks, the Minister said, had cen heavy, and within the last few days a communication had been received asking that reinforcements should be sent forward at an earlier date than had been intended. It was found that by bringing back the transports rather more rapidly it was possible to expedite the departure of the Eighth and Ninth Reinforcements, which would be sent from New Zealand about six weeks earlier than had been intended. This would moan that the men belonging to them would have to exorcise all their ingenuity to get ready to go, and from what he knew of the- Eighth, and what ho believed would also be true of tho Ninth, he thought they would make themselves ready to go. These alterations would applv only to the Eighth and Ninth. When they had gone it was expected that it would be possible to carry on as usual with regard to the others. The E ghth would sail some time early in November. and the Ninth somewhere about the middle of January. The Seventh and the Liverpool© would go at the regular time —in about three weeks. A very large number of men would have to go into training in November, and as far as tho prrsent registration was concerned, it appeared that there were barely sufficient men registered for the Ninth Reinforcements and tho two new battalions. Registration was good, but there was an insufficiency of infantry for the new battalions and the Ninth Reinforcements. The new situation involved the calling up of nearly 4000 men during the first week in November. For the Tenth Reinforcements it was anticipated that some slight difficulty would be experienced owing to the winter being over and the demands on labour being considerable, and he desired to ask members and tho country generally to stimulate registration as far as possible. It was desirable to do so in order to make sure of the new battalions and the Ninth Reinforcements, and also the big demand for the Tenth and subsequent reinforcements. Registration should be recorded as early as possible, and it should be remembered that registrations would need to exceed the number of men required, since a certain proportion failed to pass the medical examination. As far as one could judge, it seemed probable that tho Ninth Reinforcements and the now battalions would go into camp satisfactorily, but it would need some effort and some sacrifice from tho people to keep up the heavy demand for subsequent reinforcements. He did not know whether any platform work would be required, but he hoped it would not. If tho people laid hold of the idea that these men were needed, the men would offer in tho ordinary way by registration, without the stimulus of platform talk. If this should be required, there would be men willing to undertake this duty. DISTRICT QUOTAS PERCENTAGES FIXED. WELLINGTON, September 22. The Ninth Reinforcements, the 3rd and 4th Battalions of tho Trentham Rifle Brigade, the Third Reinforcements c: the Trentham Regiment, and the officers and non-commissioned officers for the Tenth Reinforcements, who will go into camp next month, will comprise dose upon 6000 men. The levy upon the different districts is being made upon the number of recruits passed as fit waiting their turn in each district. On this basis the percentages for tho various arms to bo supplied by the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago districts have been fixed as follows:

Corps 41.70 35.45 13.80 9.05 The arm requiring the greatest number of men in the above list is the infantry, for which 4300 men are wanted. The next biggest unit is the mounted rifles. TRAINING OPERATIONS. MEN CHANGING CAMPS. MARCH OYER RIMUTAKAS. WELLINGTON, September 22. The Seventh Infantry Reinforcements and the Eighth Infantry and Mounted Rifles will engage in two treks during the next few days. The former will move from Tauherenikau to Trentham, and the latter from Trentham to Tauherenikau. The removal will commence to-morrow morning, and will be completed by Saturday. The infantry of the Seventh Reinforcements, who have been encamped at Tauherenikau for a month, will engage in all day and night operations. Leaving Tauherenikau to-morrow morning, they will march across the Rirnutakas, and will bivouac for the night at a selected spot near Kaitoko. They will carry their full packs the actual marching distance across the range, some 17 miles. On Friday morning they will resume their journey by marching to Mangaroa Valley and bivouacing there for the night, and they will carry out an attack at dawn. Afterwards they will march to Trentham, reaching there about midday on Saturday. At Trentham, where there is ample rifle range accommodation, they will devote most of their time to musketry and outfitting prior to embarkation.

EIGHTH GOING TO TAUHERENIKAU

The A, B, C, and D, Companies (infantry) of the Eighth Reinforcements will leave Trentham bv train to-morrow morning for Tauhcrenikau, where they will be accommodated in the vacated camp. On Friday morning they will be followed by the E and F Companies (Second Reinforcements, Trentham Rifle Brigade) and the

Bth Mounted Rifles, who will also proceed by train. The Bth will proceed with their training at Tauhercnikau until they are brought back to Trentham for their musketry and outfitting prior to embarkation. The effect of this week’s removal will bo that the whole of the Seventh Reinforcements will bo quartered in Trentham. while the Bth Infantry and Mounted Rifles will be located at Tauhorenikau. ADMIRABLE TEMPORARY CAMP. The Tauhercnikau camp, which is occupied by the 7th Infantry at present, and to which the Bth Infantry and Mounted Rifles will so soon be proceeding, is a temporary one, and must not bo confused with the permanent camp near Fcatherston, now in course of erection. The Tauhcronikau camp is intended only as a makeshift while the other is in course of erection. It is, situated on the Williams Estate, between the main railway line and the racecourse. The ground has a gradual slope, which drains away surface water quickly, and is dotted here and there with patches of manuka, which serves a good purpose in breaking the force of the high winds which blow in the locality. APPEAL FOR RECRUITS. WELLINGTON, September 22. “ I want to make an appeal through the newspapers to the men who are able to serve with the forces,” said the Defence Minister to-night. “We have barely enough registrations in hand to provide for the units that arc to go into camp next month —the Ninth Reinforcements, the extra battalions, and the non-commissioned officers for the tenth. We shall need 4000 additional men to go into camp as the Tenth Reinforcements at the beginning of November, and a similar draft will be due early in January. The registrations must be in excess of the actual requirements, since a certain proportion of rejections at the medical examination is inevitable. I do not think it should be 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.”

Mounted Rifles... T3 fi c3 'o 21.27 04 co Wellington. CO O d to O 14.74 3rd and 4th Eatt a 1 ion Rifle Brigade and Infantry for Ninth Reinforcements 28.80 36.57 22.81 11.82 Field Artillery ... 20.78 44.93 19.17 15.07 Field Engineers... 36.24 40.60 14.78 8.40 Signal Service ... 35.19 44.44 16.67 3.70 Array Service