THE CALL FOR MEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11507, 1 October 1915, Page 7

THE CALL FOR MEN.

—,— MANY THOUSANDS WANTED. DEFENCE MINISTER'S APPEAL. [Pan Pn-iss Association.} WELLINGTON", September 30. In tho House of Representatives today the Hon J. Allen, Minister of Defence, mnclo n statement, on. recruiting. He Paid that GOOD reinforcements were available for October, and after that 4000 men would' be wanted every two months. It was a Jargo order, and recruiting had' now reached' the stage when he thought ho might havo to do a little to »timulate it, and while fchifc necessity existed he proposed now and then to make an appeal to tho public. lie felt convinced that the voluntary principle was a sound one, and though there must be a few men who escaped he could not think there were many such in Now Zealand. It, was not wise to abandon a great principle just to me to out justice to even a few. Of course it was sometimes difficult for an individual to decide the time he should enlist. He proposed, therefore, from time to time to issue to the public a. short appeal, which he would be glad to have circulated as widely as possible. (Tho Minister here road the first circular, addressed to employers, the full text of which is sot out in another part of this newspaper.) Mr Allen went on to say that he was issuing this to the employers though he did not wish to convey the idea that tho employers had not done their duty. As a matter of fact the employers had' done, their duty remarkably well. Tho Minister added that the circular was only a stop onward. 'Ho would have something fTTvthor to say next week to tho employers in regard to paragraph 3 of his circular. His opinion was that the time had como when the industries might be reorganised in order to release their unmarried men if necessary. He thought tho employers throughout the Dominion had a'one remarkably good work, and ho felt that they would like to give this further assistance- He wanted, of course, to make it clear that it. was not the married men he wao appealing to at present.