CALL FOR MEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11671, 11 April 1916, Page 2

CALL FOR MEN.

COMPULSION WANTED. PUBLIC MEETING AT WELLINGTON INTERESTING SPEECHES. [From Ottr Corrispoxdext,] WELLINGTON, April 10. Wellington has jkcjded to adopt the, ary recruiting officer, declared: "The Mayor says he wants a pureed roll. What I want is men." He added that •Wellington had lost recruits by the hundred because it oould not take them in immediately. They must either send the recruit- Into camp, or pay him sd that he would not have to worry about bed and breakfast. (Applause.) Wellington recruited more than its share of /the fift-eenths, yet it was officially short because men had disappeared. He urged the Minister to encourage the hope that when a man wanted to go into camp to-day he should be permitted to do so. : . The meeting, having decided to undertake a personal canvass, appointed conveners of sub-committees covering all the school committee districts. The .Mayor said invite returned soldiers to assist. ,j Captain Donald Samson, who headed $ detachment of thirty returned men, characterised the present system of recruiting as a. shirking of compulsion which was farcical. It compelled sensitive half-fit men to come forward' and make sacrifices and neglect their dependents because they could no longer stand tlie criticism and taunts now in evidence. It did not get at the real shirker. • He urged the Government to drop the unfair formi of moral compulsion and go straight out for national service. Returned soldiers would canvass to-morrow if there were any chance of success, hut they would not back a rotten system., which was bound j to fail. ■ ■ . j A speaker wearing the scarlet badg& of a returned soldier said that forced men would not fight. Returned men' around the council chamber promptly contradicted him. The Minister, answering criticisms, said that every infantry man could come into camp to-morrow. It .was impossible to provide a camp for men wishing to enlist in remote contingents. There were enough artillery men waiting to last for twelve months. No eligible man could leavfe New.Zealand without a. passport; therefore how could men be lost if the National Register' were mado complete? Christchurch was reporting on so-called lost men. Some' enlisted under false, names and others gave wrong addresses. To say that the voluntary principle had failed when 5 per cent of the population had enlisted wan .inaccurate. No soheme of compulsion could be worked without information to classify the men. "Though I have- long believed in compulsion," added Mr Allen. •'"! would be very proud if New Zealand could get through without it." THE FIFTEENTHS. 163 INFANTRY STILL REQUIRED. The Canterbury military district has been asked to supply 163 infantry towards filling the shortage in the Fifteenth Reinforcements. Canterbury's own deficiency was 64 infantry, but an extra, number is appealed for, owing to the shortage in Wellington's quota. The men must report at the Government recruiting.office, Cathedral Square, in. time to leave for Trcntham on Thursday evening, in order to reach camp by* Friday. To midday yesterday four men had been secured, and although there are only three days in which to obtain 160 men, the authorities are "hoping that raeu will conie forward in this hour of need. RECRUITING CAMPAIGN. THE CITY'S CANVASS. COUNCIL ASKED TO PAY. A CONDITIONAL AGREEMENT. In the City Council last night a letter was read from the Citizens' Defence Corps stating that it understood that the council was prepared to finance tTio recruiting scheme, and would b& pleased to i-eceive official notice of the fact. Councillor J. Reynolds moved that the council should finance the scheme, meanwhile ascertaining the probable cost. Subsequently he altered his motion to provide an interim grant of £CO. Councillor J. M'Combs, M.P., protested against the continual begging of tho Government in the matter of what should bo met by taxation, especially when a record surplus was in sight. He moved that the attention of the Government should be drawn to the useful work done by the Citizens' Defence Corps, and that, the Government should be asked to finance their work in connection with the recruiting movement, the City Council to finance it meanwhile. Councillor F. Burgoyne, in seconding the amendment, said that the council had Committed itself to nothing, and the motion recommending the council to pay the money'had been moved by a member of Parliament. It was a continual caso of the Government shouldering tho work on to somebody else. " What has tho Government done? asked Councillor Burgoyne. -".lt has done nothing and it is not worth ita salt. If it had done its business properly it should have found the money and. done the work." Councillor D. G. Sullivan said that the Citizens' Defence Corps might land tho -•o-uicil in honvy expense, an I

he was agreeable to paying only under the Mayor's supervision. Councillor A. S. Taylor said that the • Citizens' r Defence Corps had got the council'out <if a hole, and he would pay more than salary and advertising, if necessary. K . The" Mayor" said that a certain.sum a week would be tho best procedure. The Citijjens' Defence Corps haa been as much " taken in'' by the wOrk as he was, for it turned out to be a colossal task. The amendment was carried. THE PERSONAL CANVASS. GOOD EFFECT ON CITY RECRUIT- -' . ING. ■ , " '. / "■ . '■' '■ ~ While it is yet too early to quote figures and definite results of the personal canvass a very, healthy tone in recruiting is reported from both the city bureaux. Not only do the numbers for the last few days show a large improvement, but the" number of inquiries that are being hiade point to the fact that the canvassers' work ismaking the people realise their respon-' sibilitiea, KAIAPOI AREA. THIRTY-FOUR, ADDITIONAL ■j ENLISTMENTS. Since March 3' Thirty-four men have been medically examined in' the Kaiapoi area, and they have been classed as follows: • Fit '_ . f . . -.' 15/ Temporarily unfit . , . 1' Unfit . ." . .18 Total . . . 34 The names of the men are as follow : , George M'Alister. Kaiapoi—lnfantry. | Gordon. M. Patrick, Christchurch—•lnfan- -\ try.' - ! Leonard Foster, Elleamere—lnfantry. j Herbert Jury, Infantry. ' Herbert Norman Corkin—lnfantry. • Harold James, Coalgate-rMounted. Bi'cbard John Looker, Hororata—lnfantry.' Thomas Stubbs, Oxford—lnfantry! "Wilfred Arthur Hopkins, . East Oxford— Artillery. Charles H. H. Sharphn, Oxford—lnfantry. Herman B. G. Smith. Oxford—Engineers. George Wm. Fisher, West Oxford—Mounted. Francis Edwaid Oldman, Hawarden—Ar.tillory. John Bidley, Kaiapoi—Engineers. Bobert Samuel Halligan, Belfast—lnfantry. Arnold John William Young, Inrell—lnfantry. Percy Brown. . Belfast—lnfantry. Edward James Beker, Rangiora—Artillery. Joßeph Xewcomb, Bangiora—lnfantry.

Frederick William Macldams, Bangiora— Infantry. John William Wilson, Sefton—lnfantry. Bikite Mairaki Taiaroa, Leeston—Maori Corps. George Leslie Hamilton, Springeton—lnfantry. John O'Boylo. Doyleston—lnfantry. * Ernest Boy Grainger, Christchurch—Artillery. James Wilson. Sgfton—lnfantry. James M'Laughlm. Cheviot—lnfantry. Frank Edwin Collings, Hornby—lnfantry. John Shirdon, Hornby—lnfantry. Francis Cornelius M'Hugh, Darficld—lnGerald Biordan. Southbridge—lnfantry. Alexander Duncan M'Beath, Kimberley—, Infantry/ . - T . . Jack Muir, Hororata—lnfantry. Daniel Hilling, Cheviot—lnfantry. "GIVING A LEAD/' LYTTELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL TAKES ACTION. WILL ASK ITS EMPLOYEES ; QUESTIONS. The question of the Lyttelton Borough Council taking a lead in recruiting matters in tho port was touched upon at the meeting of the council last Councillor W. Toy said he believed the time was opportune for the council to approach all single men m its emptor. Being a local body, people looked' to it to give tlie lead - Hc thought that in future, when any vacancies occurred on the staff, preference should be to married men. If the single men would not enlist, then the council should know the reason why. Councillor T. Hempstalk: Are you prepared to approach the men ? Councillor Toy: I don't think it stair to ask me to db it. Tile Mayor: The council is already a recruit ins committee, and I think the matter could well be left- in abeyance until the next meeting called for Wednesday night. A Councillor: Somoof the councillors are rot on the committee. The Mayor: Well they can please themselves whether they come along or not. Councillor Hempstalk said he was against Councillor Toy's proposal. Many single men, and ho knew of one I case in particular, on the council's staff p:,.' Ilin-v ,-*~.->nlHl"*l!ti<-": !'•<•- 'i "V"'

men. # The lead l should be given by Parliament. / After further discussion Oonnofllor Toy moved', and Councilldf Mfller seconded-—''That all single the council's employ should be required, to state their reason for not offering for military service." ; ' The motion, on being put, was carried "by 5 votes to 3, the ayes being tho Mayor (Mr W. Radcliffe), Councillors E. R. Isaac, J. T. Norton, W. Toy and M..'J. Miller, and the noes Oouncillorß T. Hempstalk, W. T. Foster and O. Johnston.