THE TERRITORIALS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9653, 9 July 1919, Page 5

THE TERRITORIALS.

CHANGES IN STAFF.

WELLINGTON, July 8

Considerable interest is being evinced regarding the forthcoming changes in tho Defence staff. , ; . .

The ordinary training of Territorials and Seuior Cadets having Been interrupted on account of the war, it becomes urgently necessary to complete the former establishment of officers and n.c.o/s, so that the training of New Zealand's citizen army .may be fully redeemed by the: beginning of next year.- ■ '.' ; ■" "■• ' '■■•"•'■ -■ '■' ■■ ■ In order to do ithis, tho services of many officers and n.c.o.'s are required, •and as it is preferred that these as far as possible should be returned soldiers, it is expected that while a few temporary appointments to the Staff Corps may now be made, final appointments will not be determined until after demobilisation is completed, when all will go before a special board' of selection. It is reported that it is laid down that the officers commanding flfie four military districts shall be men with modern war experience, and that in pursuance of this Brigadier-Generals Melville and Young, now in England, have been cabled for to taKe command of the Wellington and Canterbury districts, respectively. ' Colonel Potter will remain temporarily in command of the Auckland district, while Lieut.-. Colonel Mac Donald, now temporarily commanding the Wellington district, will assume temporary? command of the '6tago district. : ; . ;. A section of the Territorial forces, is to be trained in the use, of the Lewis gun as well as the standard machine gun. In the later stages in France there wore 32 Lewis guns to every battalion, Sufficient machine guns equipment is to come from the United Kingdom and Fj-ance to New .Zealand to equip two divisions of infantry and one mounted. • * "