TERRITORIAL FORCE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1035, 26 January 1911, Page 6

TERRITORIAL FORCE.

AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT. ... STRENGTH TO' BE OS A WAR "FOOTING. Tho following; important statement, forwarded from general headquarters at Alexandra Barracks to officers commanding the several military, districts in New Zealand,. would . seem to indicate a significant change of policy with regard to the general training section provided foi- by the Defence Act of Inst session:— Nature of the Change. . • _ "I, am directed to inform you , that it has been decided to raise tlio establishments of the New Zealand' forces to, as nearly as possible, those of the Imperial war establishments (vide expeditionary force war establishments, 190U-10). Officers' commanding units may therefore ■recruit up to the .new establishments as. follows:— ' , \.-' . Officers. Men. Mounted Kifles .;..'........■ 25 529 Four-gun -Batteries (Field Artillery) ' .4 130 Field Troop ' Engineers("rjounte'd) ./ „. ' 3 78 Field Coy.-, Engineers fi. ... 206'. Invautry Battalion ~;..;....; 29 995 Cavalry Field (Ambulance)...' 6 . 70 Field Ambulance ...;..„. 10 182 "Further details concerning the establishments .will be subnlied later. The peace establishments previously gazetted 1 may. now be regarded as obsolete, save in; the case of Garrison Artillery. . In this branch; establishments' will remain Us they are for the present. ' Details as to , the establishments of mounted and. dismounted signalling companies will Be sunoHed later. At present one officer, and-'so'men .may be taken as a rough approximation".' Army service corps establishments ,will. not be announced until after the:arrival, in. New Zealand of the Director,.of Supplies and Transport. .. Enrobnent, .pending "registration, will be, restricted, as; a rule, to, men .between the ages of. 18. arid '21' year's. Exceptions will be nia'de only in .the case of desirable men, likely to "become useful noncommissioned officers. Suoh men wi.ll bo eligible for enrolment, up to- tho ago. of •2i, years. . All men, enrolled from'-now onwards will bo'required to serve until they bavo attained the. age of 25 years. , '■Capitation will in future be paid only iii. respect of men whoso names appear' on the 1910-11 .rolls. 'All men enrolled after February-28, 1911, will be equipped by the Defence Department. ;

! What of the General Training Section? It is an. open secret.that.the General Staff at Headquarters are u6t particularly .-enamoured .'of the' General Training Section,, which,, so far.as can be understood, from its,.pliice in tho .general scheme of defence, woulds lack !'that ' ! organisation which is 'to'"be'."the foundation of ; tho efficiency.'-of tho Territorial force proper: This aspect of,the' case, ■ !taken in conjunction with the foregoing memorandum, is interpreted by tlio.se , . in well-informed circles as a deatli-blow.. .to, the general .training section. Kpughly speaking, the number of." ineu who might bo expected to he' enrolled '.in tho ■general training section is something between seven and eight thousand, and by.raising tho establishment of tho Territorial .force to a war footing, one-half-*, of this ■-number would bo absorbed. As yet,, there is no indication* of /what policy' is . expected to bo'evolved, with'regard to the-remainder, , but these, it'- is. hazarded, might,easily fiiid .robin .iii. itlio. .Territorial. force- if provision' were, mr.de ■ whereby members of the force might be .'discharged.- ; after, say, three years"- service if, classed' sVs efficient,' ,in!itea'd ; of 'compelling them to servo tho;-full" term.of five' years. '■ .''*' 1 Under - such a scheme-there would l)o. provided a thorough training, for the eligiblo .young, men of the country, , - and ,the 'possibility of the ballot, with its attendant complications, ,would, be dispensed with. . . ■ -.-*■:. . :