FIT MEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11927, 9 February 1917, Page 7

FIT MEN.

i THE MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS. , | GOOD AVERAGE RESULTS. | , I I iFROM Orn CORRTt.SrOKDT.NT.I j i WELLINGTON, February 8. j i New Zcalandcrs who have been sent j I into camp as a result of Ihc ballot are idoi.nr iust as well a* tho volunteer sol- j ! diers. and the country will bo glad to j ihcar, on ih© authority of the military; 1 officers in charge of training, that the j ! percentage of lit men among the com- j ; pulsorv drafts i* as high, if not a little ■ ! higher, than among tho volunteers. The I | exoerienco of the compulsory system ! has not been sufficiently long to '.nahU> ! the Deieiltio Department to R*t out idcimite da\a, but this is tn, ; generah ! comdusiou a.s a result oi medical hoant | : reports. ! When the voluntary .system was ui i full swing the I>ofonct; Department ' u-uallv <;ot A() per cent of the men who j attested? the others being eliminated by ! tho medical examination. Now. the I percentage of lit men. getting intocamp j from ballot drafts is said to he higher, j Tho Government has been allowing fori only one-third, of the men drawn in the I ballot getting into camp for service, j but this is too heavy an allowance, though while so many appellants have) been given time to fix up their affairs j ii will ho necessary to draw a big list j to keep up Reinforcements. When the ; men exempted for a term begin to go j ! into camp there will be, less need for heavy monthly ballots. _ ; Another reason for the big totals in ■ ihc current ballots is that there have j been accumulated shortages in the j Reinforcements raised under voluntary j methods. To fill these deficiencies, men have been transferred by hundreds to j a draft- one draft ahead of their own. j The best: trained and fittest- men have been selected, and they have been delighted to get away earlier in this way. Probably twelve hundred men have had this chance. When shortages, have been made good, and the partially exempted men begin ;:o go into camp, it seems as if a monthly ballot of from 3000 to :F)00 names will keep things going, and the exhaustion of tho First Division will be delayed two or three months longer than was at- first anticipated.