RECRUITNG.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7708, 15 April 1916, Page 2

RECRUITNG.

THE PRIME MINISTER’S APPEAL WAIPAWA ROLLS TO BE REVISED. When the first circular issued | jr the Recruiting Board came before tlu the Waipawa Borough Council it w - ;[( decided, after some discussion, to tab no action thereon, the general opiniJ being that volutarism had failed and that it was the duty of the Govern, ment to face the question and on fore. Conscription. This decision drew from I lie Prime Minister, chairman of m Recruiting Board, the following ] ( .J tor, which came before the Council last evening:— I have received (he letter writt* by your town clerk on the 13th i„J informing me that no action is to L taken by your Council with respect (. the new recruiting scheme. I must express to you my profoug| astonishment, and regret that yoi Council should he so unable to app* < iate the gravity of the present as to still refuse to assist in a voij which vitally affects every citizen d the Dominion, because it must fa obvious to you that all will benefl or suffer equally according to tin success or failure of our efforts g this world struggle. We can onh hope to achieve success by the stoat fast and combined efforts of all. I would again ask your Council jj remember that the Board’s schcm* and particularly the personal <anvg| provided for under it, are desigmj not only to secure the flow of recruit necessary to keep our Expedilionar Force at full strength, but also ti enable the information contained i the National Register to be roliab! checked, so that due provision may! made for an equitable adjustment c (be quotas allotted to each militar district and for any contingency o the future. It must be obvious | you that the enforcement of compd sory measures has been freely advt cated throughout the Dominion, ai this work of the personal canvass j in itself an absolutely necessary pu liminary to any system of eompk sion, should the time ever arrive I bring it into force.

The Recruiting Board earneslj asks that the personal canvass shonj not be relaxed until every man « military age who is on the Register! who should be on the Register in been accounted for. This does n necessarily mean that every man it has been approached has enlisted! offered to do so, because the Bon quite recognises that there are mu men with family and other obligate who are not yet called upon to sen But it is in the interests of these m themselves that the Board slioul have nil the information conccrnii them that is now locked up in tl National Register under the seal! confidence imposed by Statute. 11l is the reason why local authoriti have been asked to organise u supervise the work of the person canvass in their districts, as it a only be done by those who possess I knowledge of local men and coni tions. W. F. MASSEY, Chairman The Mayor said the position k not changed materially since the qM tion was last before the Council, < cept that it was more than ever? dent that conscription was inevitak Cr. Hunt thought the Council onf to do something in the direction ini cated by the Prime Minister whetl they were in favor of the volun* system or compulsion. When tl appeal was first made the need foil recruiting campaign was stronjl emphasised, but since then the (* urn ment had shifted their ground* now specialised on the need for** plcting the rolls, and the Council* iainly ought to assist in that di* tion. Cr. Rathhone was of the s* opinion. The Council, he said, * practically the only body in Hafkß Bay that had not gone into* scheme. The Mayor: The only body wJB said it could do nothing. Others foB promised to help and have dfl nothing. B Cr. Rathhone suggested that* town clerk and the overseer sin* revise the rolls. The Mayor: That has already W done. ,B The town clerk said he had W through the lists and added aW* names. H Cr. Hunt said they wore at tncpj ing of the ways between voluutaij and conscription. Personally h* V in favor of compulsion. Cr. Bloor said he knew of tion where there were ten or men employed. Only one of V number bad enlisted, and l> considerable difficulty in away, being asked to stay f° lambing, then the shearing, a' l " S the harvesting. The f ern would never meet a ease ot H kind. . ■ Cr. Pellow favored einplovujM returned soldier as recruit inf olD ™ Cr. Brewer said that in what Cr. Bloor had said that simply be a waste of time. J™ of one man, who was getting ll *™ years and employed four or ”!! j* yet be had let every one go. a neighbor, a young man, e®P 1( a-similar number, and not one* them had gone from bis farm. Cr. Witherow said it was who were able to pay fancy keep their men who caused aU * trouble. A resolution was passed the fact that the Council was mously in favor of con scrip authorising the town clerk an , seer to continue the revision rolls.