DEFENCE STAFF.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16584, 25 July 1919, Page 6

DEFENCE STAFF.

A NEW ORGANISATION. (PRESS association telkcrau.) "WELLINGTON, July 24. In a "Gazette'' notice published this veek, many appointments in the l)e- ' once Department have boen abolished. Hicso reductions are,carricd out as pnrt )f a central plan of reconstruction, to :educo the staff to a Peace footing. Most of the appointments which havo jeeu cancelled ato those of directors ind deputy-directors of administrative iepariuients which were brought into I'XiSience miring tJio war, to ilea] with matters incidental to tho formation and maintenance of the .Now Zealand Expo ilitiouaiy i-oree. Tne matters dealt ivita were of considerable magnitude, und these branches of necessity rapidly in importance, but tho need for ineir existence has now passed. Tne departments of mo AdjutantGeneral and tuo Quartermaster-General are remodelled, and, with otner ndministrativo departments, aro brought under the dirujt control of tho General Oiiicer in Charge of Administration, liitnerto there have been throe staffs, viz., the General Stall, the AdjutantGeneral's staff, and QuartermasterGeneral's staff, and there has been a number of directorates under them. Under tlio new organisation there will bo no Adjutant-General and no Quar-termaster-General, but selected officers of the General Staff w»» be allotted to sections of the staff to perform duties which hitherto havo boen carried out by tho Adjuiont-Goneral and the Quar-tormaster-Goneral's departments, viz., (a) a section dealing with training operations am? intelligence; (b) a section dealing with personnel, and (e) a section dealing with thq supply and maintenance of tho Defence forces. Members of tho New . Zealand Staff Uorps employed in these soctions cither it general headquarters or at district" leaaquarters will bo designated "staff jfficors." All staff officers niny bo called upon to "perform administrative or training lutios and will be expected in future to work among troops as much as possible, and to assist regimental officers of the Territorial Forces in tho training md administration of their commands. They will therefore, require to maintain a high state of efficiency. .Many New Zealand Staff Corps officers liave had considerable experience in war, and many have rendered distinguished service, but there are not nnough qualified officers to fill existing vacancies causcd by tho numbor of Staff Corps officers who havo boen killed or rendered unfit by wounds or sickness during the war, or who liavo retired. Therefore, about. 40 or 50 officers of the Territorial Forco who havo served in the New Zenland Expeditionary Forco will shortly be selected for admission to the Staff Corps. , In ordor to onsuro combined efficiency of tho officers of tho Staff Corps, a course of instruction will be held annually, when each officer will be required to undergo training in its various branches, "both as regard drill and tactics and administrative staff duties. Only thoso who maintain ft high standard" will bo eligible for promotion. Tho object aimed these changes is economy and efficioncy. (special to "tub press.") "WELLINGTON, July 24. Some commotion has been caused at tho Defcnco headquarters by the latest orders relating to the reduction > of establishment. Tho reduction might really have been m&do long ago, for the establishment has been unduly large for months pnsfc for tho reducoa amount of "work to bo done. . A vory largo number of appointments have been abolished. The gravest concern of all has beon caused by the earning given by General Richardson, [hat in future no man need consider s; limself safe in a position in tho . staff ?orps unless he can prove in periodical jxaminations that ho is efficient, ana ay the other warning that staff officers ivill bo required t° do more work with troops than has been required of them hitherto. Those notifications, along witli the warning that Territorial officers with war service aro to be admitted to tho staff corps, must moan that some of the officers holding appointments in the staff corps will have to hand them over shortly to mon better qualified to fill them. Promise has often not been fulfilled in performance in reform of tho organisation of tho staff, but this last announcement seoms to mean business.