THE CALL FOR MEN.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 March 1916, Page 4

THE CALL FOR MEN.

/"'*'>?TAGE IN TARANAKf. . MEN WANTED AT ON<?E WILL VOLUNTARYISM FAIL?

Men are wanted urgently in Tarkaakl to go into camp to till the shortage to the Fourteenth Reinforcements. "It is now over a week .since the Taranaki quota, for this contingent proceeded to camp, but the district is still short by over twenty-five men. This represents Taranaki's first failure to meet its' obligations, and the gravity of the position is intensified by the fact that we are now nearly in the. middle of Marck with our Fourteenth quota incomplete, and at the beginning of April the dik"tfict will be confronted with the toeeeeaity of securing about 150 men for the Fifteenth Reinforcements. In other words, Taranaki lias to raise nearly two hundred men in,less than four weeks. ' That the Defence authorities are mindful of the necessity of encouraging brisk recruiting is evidenced by the~faet that the Mayor of every toWn t 'kn Taranaki has been asked to enrol 'And get passed as many men as possible. Ml. C H. Burgess (the Mayor of New Ply. mouth) makes an appeal in to-day's paper for men for the infantry and mounted rifles to go into camp at Tientham not later than Friday. The Sew Plymouth Recruiting Committee is bn»t. ing in the matter of securing room, and. they invite all men who are physically fit to ealist at once. Enlistment curds can be obtained from the Defenee UMca and from the Town Hall. The clear statements which have been made by the Prime Minister and his colleague* that the voluntary system ie to be given a fair trial before other means to raise men are employed lend particular importance to this appeal, while Taranaki now affords an example of what Sir Joseph Ward described as the last trial of voluntaryism. Under the heading of "The Same" Old Story," tKe Auckland Star points out how Auckland is again coming to the rescue of other parts of Xew Zealand and supplying their shortages, and in yesterdayV Daily Ncwr the. Minister of Defence waa emphatic in expressing the opinion that this was not proper, and that every province must supply its quota on the* basis of its strength as diisclpsed by the National Register. "There ii no' doubt We have the men in Taranaki jmt as they have them in the South Island, but they don't come forward," said a military officer yesterday. '

HOW AUCKLAND HELPS.. Just a. week ago it was announced that the Fourteenth Reinforcements were on the eve of their departure for Trcntbam, and that .Auckland's quota was 117 men short (says Friday'* Auekland Star), On Tuesday the quota'went away at full strength, and now the Defence Office issues a tabulated statement which shows that already the Auckland quota of 600 men for the' Fifteenth Reinforcements, due tp lenv(« in April, l« assured. That K'lieates how Auckland military district can rise to the occasion. Since the new recruiting schema was introduced by the opening of the (Jncen street recruiting statfen, no !»»* than 450 men have enlisted. ' Under these circumstances it is perhaps not a 1!j together remarkable to find the Defence Department turning once again toward* Auckland for assistance' in filling gaps. Otago is only asked to find 427 men each month. Yet the southern di*tri«t has never once succeeded in finding it» full share, and this month the OtagM have gone into camp about 100 men short. Canterbury also feared a slight shortage, while. Wellington district, in a report issued three days ago, dpclarrl that the city quota would on indl'V tions then existing, be minus "7 men. Consequently it is ivpt surprising to find that thp authorities in Auckland have been asked to find another *» wen —2O mounted rifles, 15 engineers did 40 Infantrymen. Of this numher ill «r» required to make up the full strength, of the Auckland quota, and the rewn'nder will go to fill the gaps in southern reinforcements.

THE DISTRICT QUOTAS. The point is, of course, that Auckland is for ever making up southern deficiencies. For instance, for the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Reinforcements, the Rifle Brigade and the Tunnelling Corps, Auckland, found 3772 men as its legitimate share, on a population basis, and in the same period sent away 669 men to fill gaps in the ranks of southern quotas. On a population but* the four military districts are asked to find men in four-weekly draft? as follows: Auckland ...._.>...... 602 Wellington Canterbury »-..-.,-.,-,•..«-.•.- 595 Otago 487 Never once, since the main ti&fly left, has a reinforcement draft gone into camp without the Nortii Island having to supply several hundred additional men to make up the shortage from ttw South Island. ." • '