PRIME MINISTER DISAPPOINTED

Southland Times, Issue 23838, 8 June 1939, Page 6

PRIME MINISTER DISAPPOINTED

Response To Appeal For Volunteers NATIONAL MILITARY RESERVE MR SAVAGE TO REPEAT HIS CALL FOR SERVICE (United Press Association) 1 WELLINGTON, June 7. Disappointment with the response to the appeal by the Government for enrolments in the National Military Reserve was expressed by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) in an interview this evening. Mr Savage said the number of applications for enrolment had not come up to expectations, and he intended soon to repeat his appeal to men to enrol. “I asked every fit man between 20 and 55 years of age to enrol in the reserve, but a pretty small percentage of the able-bodied men in New Zealand appears to have volunteered, said Mr Savage. “We are not asking people to enrol just for the good of their health. No doubt thousands of men are simply putting off filling- in enrolment cards in a procrastinating spirit, not because they are opposed to doing so.

“However, the necessity for enrolment will be obvious to everyone, in view of the state of the world today. I propose soon to repeat my appeal to able-bodied men to enrol in the reserve.”

The Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) announces that the National Military Reserve enrolments are 6036, an increase of 430 on yesterday.

RESERVE ENROLMENTS IN INVERCARGILL 133 RETURNED" SOLDIERS OFFER SERVICES Nearly one-third of the men who have enlisted for the National Military Reserve in Invercargill are returned soldiers. The number who have enrolled is now 412, of whom 133 are exservicemen. Of the total number of enrolments, 166 have been made by Invercargill men and 246 by men from the country. More than 20 enrolments have been made at the Riverton Post Office. This number is regarded as very satisfactory, and the response in Riverton compares very favourably on a pro rata basis with the applications made at other Southland centres. PRINCIPLE APPROVED BY BOARD TEACHERS’ ATTENDANCE AT MILITARY CAMPS (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 7. The principle of teachers attending military camps during school time was approved by the Auckland Education Board today, thereby revoking the previous decision that attendance by school officers should be confined to the vacations. Two teachers applied for leave and the Director of Education asked the board to define its attitude. The chairman, Mr W. J. Campbell, said changed circumstances demanded a change in policy. The Hon. W. Burns said that the arming and training of men might be the means of averting war. The board’s resolution suggested that where possible the camps should be held in the vacations. SECURING TRAINED MANPOWER ‘‘COMPULSORY TRAINING ESSENTIAL” (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 7. The conviction that only national compulsory training would provide the trained man-power which was essential in the interest of defence was expressed in a statement of its policy approved by the annual conference of the New Zealand Defence League in Wellington today. Considering the seriousness of the situation, as disclosed by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) the league expressed its conviction that an establishment of 16,000 men for the territorial force was entirely inadequate, and it urged the complete restoration of the territorial units, as they existed before 1921, with an establishment of no fewer than 25,000 men.