APPEALS MOUNT

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21242, 12 October 1940, Page 6

APPEALS MOUNT

HAMILTON OVER 1100 HIGHEST IN DOMINION? HEARINGS AT EARLY DATE Morning mails brought another large number of appeals against men being called up in the first ballot for*compulsory military service with the Territorial Army, and today the ! number received from the No. 4 i (Hamilton) military area by the j National Service Department, Hamil- s ton, reached more than 1100. Today 1 is the final day for the lodging of j appeals, but any bearing today’s post mark will be accepted next week. It is apparent that the Hamilton area will have the highest number of appeals in the Dominion. Auckland is the only area which had a quota as large as Hamilton, and appeals there have so far reached about 580. The task for the National Service Department in Hamilton is, therefore, a formidable one, but it is hoped that the sorting of appeals will be completed early next week and inquiries into the position of each appellant will be expedited. Hearing Of Appeals Owing to the need to have some men available for mobilisation as soon as possible, it is expected that an early fixture will be made for the Hamilton District Manpower Advisory Committee to consider appeals. Appellants living in Hamilton will probably be considered first. In the Paeroa area there were about 40 appeals received this morning and the total has reached 750. the majority being on account of farm workers. Paeroa’s percentage of appeals is also large, as the quota in the ballot was only 1350. Probable Encamping Time Details of mobilisation are being considered by the Army authorities in the Hamilton area. Men will not encamp before next Friday, but mobilisation may be expected shortly after that time. To enable the draft- , ing to be handled smoothly and exj peditiously, an order of priority has ! been arranged by which units now | in camp will have their shortages | filled in a fixed sequence. ! In the Hamilton area the require- ! ments of the 7th Medium Battery, ! New Zealand Artillery, which is in • camp at Claudelands, will be satisfied first. Then men will be chosen for the Ist Battalion of the 16th Waikato Regiment, with the needs of the Waikato Mounted Rifles filled later. This latter unit does not encamp for its intensified training until January and the bringing of the force up to war strength is thus not immediately imperative. 57 Per Cent Fit Medical examinations conducted in the Hamilton area during the week resulted in 57 per cent of the men being passed fit for active serI vice. This is a slightly better record than that of the majority of the other areas in the Dominion from which returns have been announced. So far 508 men have been examined, 289 passing fit, and 219 being classed as either permanently or temporarily unfit.

At Huntly on Thursday 24 men were examined, 13 being fit, and 11 either permanently or. temporarily unfit. The results of Te Kuiii boards have also been announced. On Tuesday 30 men were examined, 12 passing fit. On Wednesday 29 men were examined at Te Kuiti, 13 passing fit, and 16 being in the other two classes. Results from Te Kuiti have been below the area average, only 42 per cent having passed fit. The standard of medical fitness required for the Territorial Army is similar to that for the Expeditionary Force. It is considerably above the standard required in the last war. 500 IN CHRISTCHURCH (By Teleg-rapn..-Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Saturday Five hundred appeals against the ballot for territorial servite have been lodged with the Manpower Committee in Christchurch. (This was up till noon today, and many more are expected today, the last day. It is hoped to make a beginning with the hearing of the appeals toward the end of next week.