MARRIED MEN’S BALLOT

Southland Times, Issue 24593, 15 November 1941, Page 4

MARRIED MEN’S BALLOT

Thirty Thousand With

No Children

While official figures are not available, it would seem that there are about 100,000 married men of Expeditionary Force age in New Zealand with no more than three children. This compares with 81,245 in the same groups who were available for balloting in the last war. Of the married men now at the country’s disposal there are probably 30,000 without children. These are the men who may be expected to go to the ballot which the Minister of National Service, the Hon. R. Semple, has indicated will probably have to be held toward the end of next January or early in February. ENOUGH FOR TWO BALLOTS' When the first of the single men were drawn for overseas service 14,000 names were balloted. Later, for the following two ballots, 19,000 names were drawn. If similar totals are drawn from the married men without children it will be seen that at the most they will probably be sufficient for only two ballots. From the last census it can be estimated that the number of married men with one child, who will form the class to be drawn upon next, is probably about 33,000. Here, too, it seems that there is sufficient for about two ballots. Married men with two children will provide possibly 26,000, again enough for about two ballots, while married men with three children number about 13,000. All these totals can only be estimates and all classes have already contributed varying numbers of volunteers to the forces. COMPARISON WITH GREAT AVAR The census showed that there were 130,071 married men without children, and 174,884 with from one to 14 dependent children in 1936. However, the great bulk of the resulting aggregate of 304,955 are outside the Expeditionary Force age limits. In the last war the first of the married men were called just under a year after the first single men had been gazetted for service. This time the first overseas ballot was gazetted on December 4 last, so that the time before married men arc called will be rather longer. The number of married men without children called in the Great War totalled 14,359. Their first ballot was gazetted on November 6, 1917, when 4627 men were drawn. Two more ballots of much the same size and two very small ones were held before this class was exhausted. CHANGE IN CONDITIONS First of the married men with one child were gazetted for service slightly over five months later, on April 25, 1918. This class numbered 21,709, and lasted until June 19, 1918, when the first of the married men with two children were called up. In those days drafts were smaller and mobilization was more frequent than in the present war, and so far as single men have been concerned, the ballots over the last year have been at the rate of about one every three months. Thus, if this rate remains the same and if the married men without children are sufficient for two ballots, the first of the married men with one child would be called six months after the first ballot for married men without children.