MEN COME FROM COUNTRY

Southland Times, Issue 23921, 13 September 1939, Page 6

MEN COME FROM COUNTRY

Big Waiting List In Morning SPECIAL STAFF KEPT BUSY While yesterday’s enrolments were considered to be very satisfactory, it is thought that the number will be considerably increased during the next few days. During last week 253 enlistments for active service were received in Invercargill and it is believed that many of the men who offered their services then believed that they would not require to offer themselves again. For the present force, however, special enlistments on new forms are necessary and those who enlisted last week will require to do so again if they wish to join the special force. _ Some of the men who enlisted at Invercargill yesterday travelled in from the country for the purpose. One party of Public Works Department employees at Hollyford Valley secured leave from work for the day to come to Invercargill to enlist. Only a small percentage of those offering their services were married men, Serving territorials represented about a fifth of the enrolments and it• was explained that many territorials would be disqualified from enlisting because of the minimum age limit of 21 years. Many letters and telegrams requesting enrolment forms were received during the day from men unable to attend at the drill hall. As there was a long queue at various times during the day some men who had secured leave for a short time from work were unable to wait to complete their enrolment. It is possible, therefore, that recruiting will continue at a fairly rapid rate today. MANY VOLUNTEERS WAITING When recruiting began at nine o’clock there were already nearly 50 volunteers waiting to enlist and this number was swelled by the steady arrival of others. The staff area officer (Captain A. R. Cockerell) addressed the recruits, warning them not to leave their employment until they had been advised that they had been accepted for service and a date had been fixed for them to report for duty. He said that recruits would be summoned for medical examination within a few days and those who passed the examination and were accepted for service would receive, if possible, notice of a week or more before they were required to report for duty. On no account should any recruit leave his work until he was certain that his services would be required. In groups of four, the recruits were taken into the enlisting room to complete the special forms prepared by the Defence Department for the recruitment of the present military force. The staff, which had been augmented by clerks from other Government departments. dealt witl . the applicants quickly, but during the first hour the number of men waiting was not reduced appreciably as new arrivals took the place of those who had completed their enlistment The recruits were all young men, the majority appearing to be under 26 years of age.. All classes of'occupations were represented, and it was stated a fair percentage of the men were serving territorials who will receive preference in acceptance if the number offering is greater than the immediate requirements. It is stated that as far as possible the initial draft will be confined to single men.

MANY ENLISTMENTS IN MILTARY RESERVE

Many applications are still being received in Invercargill for enlistment in the National Military Reserve and the total has now reached approximately* 1900.

OFFER TO RECRUIT MAORI REGIMENT (United Press Association) GISBORNE, September 12. An enthusiastic meeting of Maori elders decided to renew to the Government the offer made in 1914 to recruit a Maori regiment for service beside, and on identical terms with, any European force raised in New Zealand. ORGANIZING MILITARY RESERVE PALMERSTON NORTH, Sept. 12. The first steps to place a company of the National Military Reserve on an organized footing were taken in Palmerston North tonight when about 300 of the last war offered their services.' The number is sufficient for two companies although Palmerston North has been allotted only one company so far, ,