THE NEXT BALLOT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11446, 28 January 1918, Page 4

THE NEXT BALLOT.

It will probably be April, or later, before the Government Statistician will be called upon by the Minister of Defence to select from Class B, (married men with one child) a batch of recruits for the reinforcements, Two reductions iu the quota of monthly drafts have enabled the authorities to manage well out of the Class A. selections, and as the Minister indicated some time ago, there will bo a gap between the ballots. The important question arose, iit calling up the married men with children, whether it was wise to unsettle men six months ahead of their going into camp, or give them, the promised three months between the medical examination and the call, to duty. It v/ts felt by the Minister of Defence that while the Class B. men will, as a mutter of prudence, make arrangements for the eventua - lity. it would bo very unsettling to * several thousands of men to go into camp, say in August or Septem - ber, when—let it be hoped—they might never be wanted. So the authorities, though not sanguine about the arrival of peace, are going to leave the ballot .until the last moment, so long as the men called np obtain three clear months’ notice after the medical examination.