OTAGO RECRUITING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144778, 7 September 1915, Page 2

OTAGO RECRUITING.

REPLY TO CRITICISM. MO REAL SHORTAGE. PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. OAMARU, Sept. 6. The Hon. 6. Fowlds’ assertion concerning tho failure of the Otago military district to produce . its rightful quotas for the reinforcements is hardly taken seriously in well-informed quarters in this district. 'lt seems that the number of men called np whenever a new contingent is got ready is in each case determined by the percentages of population in the respective military districts. As an example, were Auckland to send a draft of say 630 men, it would be necessary for Otago to get together a quota of approximately 800 men. Taking these fiures as a guide a general survey of the recruiting records of the past few months plainly shows l that the Otago district has occupied a position with regard to the number of recruits going forward every bit as satisfactory' as either Auckland, , Wellington, or Canterbury. It is an undoubted fact that many of the. recruiting officers of this province are at present receiving more enlistments than they can possibly cope with. They are allowed a certain number to be sent away with each draft that is called up and under the regulations imposed are unable to go above that total., It ;is openly asserted locally that men who were passed as medically fit as far back as June last are still awaiting their opportunity to go into camp and that there are dozens of recruits on tho books of the Defence office who will not see Trentham for many weeks to come.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. REPLY, TO MR. FOWLDS. BV TELEGRAPH OWN CORRESPONDENT. WELLINGTON, Sept. 6. “Mr, Fowlds has not put the thing in a fair light,’’ said the Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen), speaking on the matter of provincial recruiting to-night. “I agree with him that to take the population of military age in each district provides a fair basis for recruiting. W hen this is done, however,'it is found that recruiting is very much the same in all districts and would lie entirely the same, but for the fact that a great many men move from other parts to settle in Wellington and there has been heavy recruiting here. If Auckland has been depleted iof young men, Wellington has been very much more depleted. If 1 were to adopt Mr. Eowlds’ plan and say -to Otago: ‘You must, find your quota,’ I should be blocking, a large number, of those who registered m Auckland from , getting, in and then there whuld be an outcry; “I resent altogether,” continued Mr. Allen, “Mr. Fowlds’ suggestion that there has been, any failure in Otago of the South Island. There is no failure. They are doing their share as Auckland is doing hers, but it happens that there are more men of military age in Auckland and Wellington than in Otago. In any case, I do not see why Mr. Fowlds is grumbling because Auckland is more patriotic than any other part, if it is true that she is more patriotic, and I don’t think it is true.” The national register, Mr.. Allen continued, will throw light on the whole position with regard to recruiting. “It is suggested ■ that it is veiled conscription, what truth is there in that?” the,Minister was asked. “I know nothing of compulsion,” said Mr. Allen. “We don’t need it at present. I think the. individual in New Zealand has to a very large extent realised that he has a duty and ha is coming forward in a very satisfactory way to do his duty. So long as that goes on it is very mnch better than compulsion. The sense of responsibility of the individual- is what we want to encourage throughout the country and there is a very healthy feeling all through Now Zealand in that respect.” , WHAT MR. FOWLDS SAID.' In the course of a speech.at a farewell social in Auckland to Lieutenants Hattriok and Fowlds on Saturday night, the Hon. • George Fowlds said that excessive drafts of men were being taken from Auckland for the reinforcements because of the failure ef Otago and other Southern districts to make up their proper quotas. He expressed the , belief that this, mainly resulted from the failure of the Minister of Defence, himself an Otago man, to make it clearly and widely, known that Otago had come far .short of supplying its lair proportion/ , The only fair basis of recruiting, Mr. Fowlds continued, was to take -the population of military age in each military district and to allot the number of men required for reinforcements to each district according to that population. If Auckiapd or any other district had to make up for a deficiency from other districts, then let the exact shortage be made known, and he had no doubt that a speedy and effective effort would be made to wipe out the stigma of failure. The matter was of great importance, because the present system was putting an unfair strain on the resources of Auckland. *