A NATIONAL REGISTER.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 456, 27 July 1915, Page 12

A NATIONAL REGISTER.

WAR ORGANISATION. A BIG PROPOSITION. NEW ZEALAND'S PART IN THE EMJ»IRE STRUGGLE. RECRUITING AND INDUSTRIES. JVc-v? Ax.inriiiHon. WELLINGTON, July 20. A deputation of Wellington citizens waited on the Minister of De- | fence this'afternoon to urge the Government to prepare a national iegister of the men eligible for service and to ask the Imperial authorities to accept at arranged intervals double the number of. men at present being sent.--The Minister in reply said that he believed that the people of New Zealand as a body wanted to do everything that lay in their-power to assist the Empire in the present crisis in its existence, and the only difference of opinion that could arise was with respect to the direction in which the Dominion's effort should lie made. A National Register. "T should like first of all," the Minister continued, "to deal with the question of a national register. I am entirely in sympathy with the idea, and I go perhaps further than some of you go. In my opinion a national .register would be (if comparative-: ly little value unless it covered not merely the men who are fit for the firing line but the whole of the labour of the country. (Hear, hear.) I have realised for a considerable time that a national register must come sooner or later, and I believe that before very long New Zealand will have to compile a register that will include everybody capable of serving either with the lighting forces or in connection with the industries. I do not say that the time has come yet. We have been more fortunate than Britain and Australia in connection with recruiting, and that is a fact that does credit to our people, but we have to realise that we cannot go on drawing upon our people in the way we have been doing without reaching the point where organisation of*thc national resources will be necessary." The Medical Service. Mr Alien referred in this connection to the medical service, anil said

Unit lie wanted the members of the i British Medical Association and the j general public to realise that he was; not closing any door against the doctors. He invited every medical man who could serve to join the New Zealand Army Medical Corps and place himself at the disposal of the authorities for service in the Dominion or elsewhere, as might be required. He did not ask for honorary service from any doctor who was not willing or able to give it. He had already used the services of the members of the dental profession in connection with the troops, and he was trying to work out a scheme for utilising their services more effectively than in the past. "I think registration will very shortly have to be adopted," said the Minister. New Zealand and Australia. "I have taken up the attitude that it is not our business to make comparisons between what we have done in this country and what other Dominions have done, but 1 cannot admit that New Zealand has fallen behind at any point., f do not guarantee the accuracy of v ligures that are published in the newspapers with regard to the forces of the various Dominions, but I will accept the statement that Australia has 88,000 men abroad or in training at the present time. I know from the Federal Minister of Defence that the figures are approximately correct. Well, New Zealand is head and shoulders above that. "We have over ' 25,000 men at the front or in training, and Australia Oil a -population basis ought to have T2f>,ooo at the front or in training to equal us. I do not attach any value to this comparison, but 1 cannot let the statement go forth to the public that New Zealand is not doing her share ,as compared with Australia." Sir John Findlay: 'What about the future?

The Minister: I am coming to that. I do not'forget that Australia has a navy. The fin peri a I authorities laid down a policy which New Zealand has followed absolutely, more so than any other Dominion of the Empire. more so even than the Mother Country. Registration has been a part of our policy all along. We want to register every available man between the ages of 20 years and 40 who will volunteer to go to the front. Ido not think that the position has ever been fully understood by the people of this country. We want to get the men registered and passed by the doctors so that they may be ready to respond to the call when it is made. The Minister sakl, further, that he

did not think that Australia was [likely to attract very many men ; from New Zealand. The men to whom the pensions and allowances were a consideration would realise that they were likely to fare much better here than they would in Australia. The fact was that Hie Federal found a difficulty in keeping lip their reinforcements and they had been compelled to make special appeals with the object of encouraging recruiting. New Zealand had not been required to do that to the same extent, and at the present time there were more than enough men in hand to till the Bth Reinforcements. New Zealand's Effort. lie would mention in that connection that the numbers New Zealand had undertaken to send were larger than most people realised. The'number of men who would be called up in August for the Bth Reinforcements would be 35(10, this total including some special groups and some additional mounted rille reinforcements intended to bring that branch up to the infantry standard in that respect. The original arrangement had been to send 15 per cent, per month as reinforcements for the infantry, and 10 per cent, per month for the mounted rifles, but the mounted men were being used as infahtry, and so the difference was being made up as from the dispatch of the Main Force. New Zealand 'had hot rested content with the original arrangement. She had added the two battalions known as the Trentham Regiment (2000 strong). She had provided certain special groups, and she had increased the mounted rifles."reinforcements. The Minister proceeded to place before the deputation information of a confidential character relating'to reasons why it was not thought desirable for the Dominion to dispatch increased bodies of men at the present juncture. Organisation of Industry. Referring.to the organisation of industry for war purposes, Mr Allen said that he would very much like to see the industries of the Dominion organised with the object of increasing the output and providing the articles required by the armies t in the field at a reasonable cost. The -difficulties of any arrangement of the kind \v v ere enormous, and he did not feel competent to state how they were to be overcome. The desire of the Government, as.well as of the people, was to assist the Empire in every possible way. lie would have liked to have been able to-provide the force of one hundred doctors asked for by the Imperial authorities, but it did not appear that the full number could be raised. The deputation had asked him what its members could do. They could assist the Government in recruiting, and they could give their attention to the problem of how to organise the nation's industries. Every Man His Share. ft is own opinion was that there would have to be registration of everybody between the ages of 17 years and say 55, and a general effort to allot to every citizen his share in the national effort, either in the held or at home. The women could do a great deal, and many of them were doing a great deal. They could work for the men at the front and it was possible that they might be required to assist in industry by taking the places of men who had gone to the front. He doubted himself if they could assist usefully in harvesting operations under the conditions prevailing .in New Zealand. The National Reserve. With regard to the National Reserve it did not seem to him that under existing circumstances that body could be used as a fighting force, but there was work for it to do. The Featherstone branch of the Reserve had turned out on . Sunday lo assist the Sixth Reinforcements shift camp. The Dunedin Reservists had given enormous assistance in connection with recruiting. He was glad to be able to say that there was not a shortage of Territorial officers, men having come forward readily to fill the gaps created by the dispatch of troops to the front.

."The Government would like, to be able to do more, but there are limitations," said the Minister in conclusion. "I think \vc could find I more men in New Zealand. I have been communicating with the Mother Country for a long" time past asking if there is anything more that we can do. Apparently it is not possible Cor us to assist much in the manufacture of munitions. We offered to send engineers Home and we were told that they, were not wanted. We could manufacture gun limbers and certain waggons, but information has reached us that there is no shortage in those lines. ! shall be glad to receive any suggestion regarding further assistance to the Empire. My sympathies are with those who want to make every possible effort at the present juncture, but as Minister of Defence I know, and you know in some degree now, that our efforts are limited by circumstances."