The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1916. FOR THE LAST PUSH.

Timaru Herald, Volume CV, Issue 16076, 25 September 1916, Page 6

The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1916. FOR THE LAST PUSH.

That tlie new swearing-in regulation, designed to reduce the number of men who put their hand to tlio. plough, by registration. and then turn back, has not been introduced too soon is shown by the very serious short-

age in the Twenty-first Rein- ] forcements called up last week. I The .Reinforcements were- at least six hundred short for the whole Dominion, though, had all ' the men who pledged themselves j to come forward with those drafts I done so, there would have been no deficiency. The position has been made more serious for - the j defence authorities because, after a pleasing succession of full drafts, there was a shortage for the Twentieth Reinforcements. That shortage was made up from the Reserve, and men who were j called up later to complete the number of the Twentieth were allotted to the Twenty-first, with the idea that last week's contingent, with this- aid, would show a surplus from which, the Reserve could be restored to its normal strength. Instead of the deficiency that, was caused a month ago being made up, however, it has been trebled, and unless the 'supplementary drafts are very large the Department is faced with a state of thing's in which there might soon be no Reserve. The application of compulsion would remove that fear, but probably the majority of men who promise' to come up with a certain ; draft and then break their undertaking would prefer to enter camp as volunteers than as subjects of compulsion. The importance of keeping up the drafts is as great now as it has ever been, "and in one sense it is greater. It is the last pull on the rope that tells, and the men I who go now into cainp will naturally got their first taste of the - battlefield in the offensive of nest spring, which, if it is made in proper strength, will be ' the beginning of the end of the Germans. On the response that is made henceforward to recruiting calls throughout the Empire must depend the victory which thousands who have served till now have helped to win, but have not seen. The sacrifices and the heroisms of two years of war must not be rendered fruitless by the failure of those who have borne... no hardship yet to pluck the victory, which foregoexs will have placed within their* grasp. If any incentive is needed to ensure the filling of New Zealand drafts until the war is ended it •should be afforded by < the sacrifices that have been made by . the people of Great' Britain, and new sacrifices now demanded of them. The great armies winch have been formed at Home, says Colonel Repington, , are not yet sufficient to ensure" that when Germany has mustered, as she may do, her boys and old men for the final stand, the Allies will be able to break down her strength completely. He urges that the cases of over a million men of military age who for various reasons have obtained exemption badges must be reconsidered, and the appointment of a Government committee, "to determine all questions relating to the allocation or economic utilisation of Britain's man power for the successful prosecution of the war," suggests that there will not be many British folk not serving, in one way or another,- before the war is done. The dominions must do their part to see that the last push, when it is made next year, will be strong enouffh'Ho bring Germany to lier knees.