NO DIFFICULTY EXPECTED

Southland Times, Issue 23977, 18 November 1939, Page 4

NO DIFFICULTY EXPECTED

MEN FOR SECOND ECHELON FAIRLY LARGE NUMBER AVAILABLE STATEMENT MADE BY MR JONES (United Press Association) DUNEDIN, November 17. “We expect no difficulty in getting the men when we are ready to take the second echelon of the special force into camp,” said the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones), when amplifying in an interview today the statement he made recently in Wellington that there was no need at present to contemplate the introduction of conscription. There was no intention, the Minister added, of calling up the second echelon until it was definitely known when the first echelon would be wanted. “The response to the call for men for the first echelon was more than satisfactory,”. Mr Jones said. “We have a fairly large number of men available for the second echelon, but we do not know yet when. it will be required to go .into camp. We expect no difficulty in getting the required number for that force when it is called.up, and to start out on a large recruiting campaign at the present without telling the men when they would be called up might result in many many young, men losing their jobs through their eagerness to join the force.” N.C.O.’S FOR SECOND ECHELON INTENSIVE COURSE OF TRAINING Non-commissioned officers for the second echelon of the Second New Zealand Division will be called into camp about December 9. They will do an intensive course of training in readiness for their appointment to the units of the echelon. It is suggested that if young men are hoping to receive appointment as noncommissioned officers they should enlist at the nearest area office without delay. Selection will not be left till the last minute since circumstances have enabled the military authorities to prepare for the training of the second echelon in much less haste than was the case with the calling-up of the first echelon. Whereas non-commissioned officers now in camp have to work extremely long hours and take special lectures in the evenings to keep ahead -of their men, those of the second echelon will have a far better opncrtunity of learning their duties before they go into camp with their units. Officers of the second echelon are enjoying similar opportunities, since they are already in camp. They will thus have had about a month’s refresher course before their non-com-missioned officers are called up, and a very reasonable time before they take command of the echelon. The non-commissioned officers will not be sent to any one camp. Rather they will go to various camps according to their arm of service. They will cover the full normal range of unit, infantry, artillery, engineers, army service corps and divisional cavalry.