TERRITORIAL ARMY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18990, 15 April 1936, Page 11

TERRITORIAL ARMY

RECRUITING CAMPAIGN BIC4C4E R ALLOWANCES LONDON, March 2!. Efforts arc being made to increase during the present year the numbers of Britain's Territorial Army. The numbers are about 4.00,000 short, and the Army authorities ■ consider that they must somehow collect these men if the Territorial Army is to play in the national defence scheme the part that has been assigned to it. Britain relics on the territorials in tiie first place for the defence of tier coasts. If any foreign invaders attempted to land upon British soil it would be for the Territorial Army in the first instance to repel them. In the second place, to the territorials has been handed over (tie duty of. defending the British people from aerial attacks. The low figures of the territorials to-day do not really surprise the Army authorities, since the pressure of economy has made it very difficult to treat them generously. After the last war there was granted to the trained territorial soldier who performed till the duties imposed up.on him tin annual bounty of £5. A litllo later, when.the cry was for economy, this was cut down to £3, and a few years later it was reduced again to 30s. To (he territorial soldier the great event of the year is the annual camp. In 1032, owing to the economic crisis, it was decided Hint the camps should not lake place at all. In litis year’s Army Estimates the bounty for the territorial is to be restored to the fuH'Xm Marriage -allowances, which hitherto have been limited to married men over the age of 20, will in future l>e granted to all married men over the age of 21. Expenses for travelling to and from their drills will be found nv the State. It has also been possible to do something for the officers. Their annual allowance will be increased from £1 to £f>.

Appeals are being made to employers to encourage young men to join the territorials. Lord Rothcrmere, who, in his newspapers, is loading a press recruiting campaign .has recently announced that he will grant any man in his employment two weeks’ leave with full pay in order to attend his territorial camp, without allowing it to interfere in any way with his normal holiday.