THE FOURTEENTHS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 March 1916, Page 2

THE FOURTEENTHS.

STILL A SHORTAGE, (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, March 10. "The shortage in the 14th Reinforcements is large," was the report of Defence headquarters to-day. "Auckland lias done well and promises to make its draft complete by to-morrow. Wellington is still short by about forty men, but recruits are being sent forward daily and the quota will be completed quickly. Canterbury's shortage is about 03 men so far, and the number will be increased if the West Coast section arrives under its proper strength to-morrow. Otago's 'draft arrived about 100 short. "The Defence authorities in Dunedin telegraph that they are making every effort to complete their draft, and expect to find a large proportion of the men required by next week. Canterbury lias not yet indicated its intentions. We are asking Auckland and Wellington to find extra men to fill the gaps." When the position was mentioned to the Minister for Defence (Hon. J. Allen) this afternoon, his comment was emphatic. "I. think that it is the duty of both Canterbury and Otago to fill up their own shortages," he said. "The quotas have been fixed on the basis of the number of men of military age in each of the military districts, according to the National Register. The monthly demand, in proportion to the number of available men, is the same in Canterbury and Otago as in Wellington and Auckland. The district which fails to send forward its proper quota is doing less than its full share." Otago's shortage was increased after the arrival of the draft at Trentham camp by the rejection of two of the recruits as medically unfit. This sort of thing happens in connection with nearly all the drafts, and the man who is rejected by the camps' doctors after he, has been passed by the original examining doctor, and after .he has left his billet, has a grievance of a substantial kind. The Defence authorities state that there is no remedy. But it seems to the layman that the first examination should be the searching one, and that the tests in camp should be designed merely to guard against impersonation and to detect possible troubles ; contracted between the time of registration and the date of the call to camp. The process in many cases is reversed at the, present time. The first examination is perfunctory, while the examination in camp is severe.

Tlie rejection of some of the recruits after tlio.y have entered the camps in inevitable. The early stages of training occasionally reveal physical weaknesses that were formerly unsuspected, or that were concealed by the men in their eagerness to perform their part in the war. It happens occasionally that a man who is apparently sound constitutionally proves incapable of enduring the strain of heavy physical work. He does not respond to the training and presently he is discharged. For these and other reasons the Defence Department maintains a "wastage reserve," in addition to the special reserve of about 1000 men formed at the request of the Imperial authorities.