ENROLLING THE ARMY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1086, 27 March 1911, Page 8

ENROLLING THE ARMY.

HOW IT IS TO BE DONE. AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT, THE OFFICIAL PROGRAMME. The "official programme of events'' — if one may, with all proper respect, so express it—in connection with tho enrolment and registration of the Dominion's new army of home defence, has just been announced by the General Staff at headquarters, in the shape of a memorandum by Lieutenant-Colonel T. Burnett-Stuart, Director of Military Operations and Intelligence. Apart from ilia general interest which attaches to.the memorandum, tho document furnishes .an instructive insight to the extreme ■ care and system which mark the work of the officers of the Now Zcalajid Section of the Imperial General Staff, in carrying out their important duties. This Week's Programme, Tho memorandum promulgates "special instruction for carrying out the registration, enrolment, and.posting of those now liable to military training under■ the Defence Acts," and goes oh to state that from tho present (late till April 3 next the business of the Headquarters Staff will Iro to arrange with tho police authorities to furnish the area sergeant-majors with

"lists of those under the age of twentyone on March 1, 1011, resident.in each area who have- been convicted of any disgraceful crime, or found by ■ any Court of Justice to bo. of notoriously bad character, such persons not being eligible to bo trained or to serve."- Officers commanding districts at the same time will "publish, in orders and in every newspaper the exact ■ boundaries 'of areagroups and areas, giving. the. official addresses of tho officers in charge of areagroups and. of area sergeahtrmajorE, so that all persons registering may know where to send their registration forms when filled in." They will also "inform the public, by whatever means may be considered most effective, that all persons claiming exemption from service owing to permanent mental or physical defect must attach a certificate td that effect, signed by. a clergyman or Justice of the Peace, to their registration form." ■'

.On April 3 tho proclamation' will be i posted throughout the Dominion, all recruiting for. the Territorial Force under the prcisnt conditions will area-group officers and area sergeant-majors will bo at their posts, and registration will' co'niuience. . ■ . The Passing' of the "Volunteer." Officers Commanding Districts will-, during this stage, have rolls , .prepared showing both by units and by areas all volunteers other than officers who are willing to continue to servo in the Territorial Force. In these rolls, volunteers will be shown under tho following category:—. (a) Those who were over eighteen and under twenty-one years of age on November 2, 1910, and were enrolled in terms of a General Order of February 6,; 1911. These must, before reposting to the Territorial Force, be medically examined ill tho respective areas, in the same manner as men who have not served at all, but will, if accepted, bo reposted to their present unit, if such unit is still in existence and is furnished from tho area in which they rbside; it being, understood that those in this category, if over twenty-one years of age on.March 1, 1!)11, may still, if they so desire, claim their discharge, since they aro. not liable to servo under tho proclamation. But if they elect, to serve, they must complete their service in the Territorial Forco and the Reserve up to the age of thirty inclusive, as prescribed by , tho Defence Acts. A space will bo provided in this category to record tho result of the medical examination.

(b.) Those who were over -the -.ago •>'of, twenty-one on November 2, 1910, and were serving in the volunteers befpre that date. These need not 'bs medically amined, and will, be re : postcd to their, present, units if such units are still in existence, and aro furnished from the area in which they, reside. They will bo held to serve under the conditions of the Defence Acts, as set forth in the regulations, but may remain with the colours up to.fifty years of age, so long as there, is room for them on the establishment of their unit. But they will (unless they aro N.C.O.'s of any rank whoso services their CO. wishes to retain) bo liable for discharge or transfer to the reserve according to their, age at "Miy time if, on the completion of .the 'registration, there, arc any young men. awaiting absorption in their unit. .

(c.) Those who are not willing to continue .to servo in tho Territorial Force. In tho case of men who come under categories (a) and (b), Ihe (act of their names being sent in on their company, etc., rolls for the purposes of this return will bo 1 accepted instead of registration; but those rolls must contain all the information required by the. registration : form. Serving volunteers will, if accepted for service in the,Territorial-Force, be.supplied with'record books in,due course: All those volunteers now serving who are not willing to continue to serve in the Territorial Fores—category (e)—will bo considered, if not within the. age of liability as described in the proclamation, to be discharged on May 3, 1911,' and will hand in their arms, accoutrements, and clothing as directed by O.C.'s districts. Senior Cadets. Officers commanding districts will send out the officers attached to their staffs as inspectors of senior cadets, to study' the present and future organisation of the senior cadets throughout their districts in the light, of the instructions they received at the Tauherinikau camp. These officers will submit a report to their district headquarters by June 2, showing the result of their inquiries and the proposals for organising the senior ctulets into companies. They will also explain to headmasters of schools, which contain boys liable to service in the senior cadets, that such boys can bs registered by sending a nominal roll- to the area sergeantmajor of the area in which their school is situated; but such nominal roll must contain all the information required by the registration form. .' Progress Reports. .. Officers commanding districts will submit a progress report, which should reach headquarters, New Zealand Military Forces Wellington, by May 3; officers in charge of area groups are to send progress report every Monday to district. headquarters; area sergeant-majors are to enter particulars of registration forms received in registration roll book, issue exemption certificates to those certified as. obvioUsly unfit for service owing to permanent mental or physical defect,, and send progress reports evcVy Saturday to the officer in charge of tho area group. i The Next Stage. During the next or "third stage," from May i to June 2, registration will still go on. The Headquarters Staff will now be in a position to arrange With district headquarters for a medical officer to proceed to the headquarters of each areagroup on June 2, to 'make preliminary arrangements for the medical, examination of all those who register, and of serving volunteers who' were under twenty-ono on November 2. 1010. The officers commanding the districts will at tho same time sort out (lie rolls of serving volunteers and distribute them to officers in charge of tho area-groups, so thai the necessary data may be at the latters' disposal for medical examination and posting when ordered, and inform officers in charge of area-groups as to the total numbers of men tor the different arms of the Territorial Force (including serving volunteers) which their groups will probably have to supply—i.e.. for mounted rifles, field artillery, garrison artillery, engineer.-;, infantry,- signal companies, and medical corps. ,Jlen will not. be enrolled for the Army Service Corps or other Departmental corps at present. .The work of the. officers in charge of area-groups, and the area sergeant-majors-during, this stage will be the same as during tho second stage.

June 2: "Registration Ce3scs." At 7 p.m. .on ..Tune. 2 registration, will ccaie; the area fsrgeant-mnjors willnow complete their registration'■ roll books, , and from theso rolls they will make out (in triplicate) returns to show:— (i.) Tho number of those who havo rcEistered but Kare beeu .eseiapttd as onrio.usly unfit>- ...

I (ii.) The number of those who nre reported by tho police as not being eligibio to serve; (iii.) The number registered for enrolment; in the senior cadets, il being understood that boys who. though over fourteen years of nge, aro still at a primary school and are receiving primary education—i.e., a State, school nt which primary instruction is given—are not, liable to 1)0 enrolled in the senior cadets until they leave that school, or. cease to receive such primary instruction. (iv.) The number (exclusive-of serving volunteers) registered for enrolment in the Territorial Force, subdivided into— (a) Those who havo a horse, and aro willing to serve in the mounted rifles; (b) Those who have no horse, and f.o must 1)3 posted to some oilier arm; (c) Those specially qualified or desirous to serve in the artillery, engineers, signal companies, or medical corps; (d) Railway, excluding railway workshops and post office employees. The enrolment of these men will be governed by special instructions. These returns must be in the hands of officers in charge of area groups by Juno 15.

Medically Fit for. Service, The officers in charge area-group will then go through these returns and tho rolls of serving volunteers with tho medical officer referred to above, who will make his filial arrangements lor the medical examinations to be carried out. The returns will then be sent back to the area sergeant-majors, together with tho rolls of serving volunteers. Tho arrangements for the medical examinations in each area, with the names of the officers who will conduct them, will then be communicated to each area sergeant-major, who will, in his turn, send out a postcard form, together with a personal record book, to each person who has registered (including serving volunteers), and a duplicate record-lwok in respect to each person except volunteers. who wero over 1!1 on November 2 last) to the medical officer or nrnjtitioncr who is to examine him. In "the case of 'serving volunteers who wero over 21 years of age on November 2, 1910, the duplicate record-books will be sent direct to the officers in charge of the area-group. In the case of schools or other organisations where boys aro collected together from time to time under a recognised head, a single notice may Iμ sent to tho hecdmastcr or sneb'other recognised bend, stating when and where the Ixiys under his charge may be medically examined, but a record-book must bo sent in rcspsct of every boy. The medical examination will then be carried out and the. necessary entries mnde in the record-boots in accordance with the regulations. The examination shoujd be completed and tho duplicate recordbooks again iii the hands of tho area E-arecant-majors by June 30.

The nrw. sergcint-mniors will then complete their registration-roll books (in which the names of all serving volunteers will apnear) by entering the result nf the modical examinations against each name, nnd by allotting registration numbers. Upturns, roll-books, and recordbooks will be returned to U>e officer in clnrge of the nrea prnup:- thp volunteer rnlh will also ho. returned, with tb» result of tho medical examination and the registration number allotted entered against each name. Counting up tho "Spoil." The officer in charge group will now have in his possession—(a) The rolls of volunteers willing to serve in the.Territorial Force and passed fit for service, (b) The returns snowing tho number of those registered who have been passed fit for service in the Senior Cadets and Territorial Force, (c) The duplicate .record-, hooks of all those who have registered in iiis group. From these data he will propare two statements—(l) A statement showing thn numbers accepted for servicn in the Senior Cadets in his group, arranged by localities. (2) A statement showing—(a) the numbers required to be furnished from his group for service in Territorial Force, according to the establishments laid down and the distribution of units as received from the O.C. District; (b) tho numbers available for enrolment in thp, Territorial Force as shown by the registration results and tho Volunteer Force rolls, also arranged by localities.

These, statements should reach district headquarters not later than July 15, When they will be summarised and forwarded (not later than Jnly 31) in tho form-of a single report, with any remarks or suggestions by the officer commanding tho district, to headquarters, Wellington. . -These final returns should b? ; accompanied--by a separate ■ report, compiled from the reports .of the staff officers for Senior Cadets, showing the proposed organisation of the Senior Cadets in the district.

As soon as possible after July 31 headquarters will issue instructions to districts as. to enrolment, and postinc, which will then lie proceeded with as laid down for a normal year. At. the fame time a proclamation in accordance with Section 38 of the Defence Act will bo posted'disbanding, existing Defence Cadet, Reserve, and Officers' Training Corps,.and giving instructions as to the handing-in of their arms and accoutrements prior to their reorganisation. The memorandum concludes:— Responsibilities Defined, "Throughout tho period from April 3 till tho enrolment and posting are douo it will be the duty of officers commanding districts to see that the services of brigade majors, officers of the Permanent Force (K.N.Z.A,) in districts, mounted rifle adjutants, and Permanent Staff instructors nro used.to the best advantage to assist those responsible for carrying out the registration.' It may bo necessary at times to double the area grou? and area staffs, and for this purpose the above officers and warrant; officers aro available.

It. must bo clearly understood that, tho responsibility lor carrying out tho registration lies with tho officers in charge of. tin; area groups and the am sergeantmajors alone. Officers and others detailed t.i assist will act under the orders of tho officers in charge of area groups. "Throughout the period of registration all members of the Staff Corps and tho Permanent Staff will hold themselves at tile disposal of territorial officers and o£ the public to assist in rendering tho necessary returns and fornix and to give all information in their power. They will nl;:o 'take every opportunity of instructing Territorial officer? and non-commissioned officers in their duties, especially with regard to the training of recruits, It will also bo the. duty of officers -commanding district?, assisted by unit and brigade commanders, to endeavour throughout this ucriod to select the officers required to complete the establishments of the Territorial units and senior cadet companies in their districts, so that they miy be ahlo to submit a sufficient number of recommendations for appointment to commissions as soon as the regulations aro issued."