THE DEFENCE FORCES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2551, 27 August 1915, Page 5

THE DEFENCE FORCES

ANNUAL REPORT DIFFICULTIES OF TRAINING^ The a/iiiual report of the Command■ant of tho New Zealand Defence Forces (Brigadier-General A, AV. ; Robin) was presented to Parliament on Tuesday. Generally the report is a recital of good results attained under difficulties in the training of Territorials, t'ho chief difficulty oeing the shortage of officers and instructors owing to "the heavy demands made by the Expeditionary Force. Tho Commandant states that tho suggestions : made 1 by General Sir lan Hamilton on bis ■ recent visit , to New-Zealand are being steadily carried out as far-as the. war emergency which now exists will permit. He pays . j a generous' tribute to the splendid and 1 loyal work of all ranks of tho military, civil, and clerical staff of the Defence Department. Following are a few extracts from the report:— ■ ' . . Tho total attendance in the annual camps was 21,245, or 54.34 per cent. This, compared with 83.31 per cent, last year is satisfactory,'particularly .when the scarcity of labour 011 account of' the war is considered. The cause of tho high percentage of attendance and tho exceptionally high standard of discipline must be traced to the patriotic and soldierly spirit engendered by the war. Rifle Clubs. ■ There are now 240 Defence Rifle Clubs in tho Dominion, with a total enrolled strength of 8770. Of this number of clubs thirty-three have been accepted since tho commencement of the war. Permission has been accorded for tho registration of Mounted Rifle Clubs. Notwithstanding-the fact that the outbreak of war has necessitated the curtailment of tho sujpply of rifles and ammunition to Rifle Clubs, yet the keenness of members has in most cases proved so great that more attention lias been paid to training than in the past. In general much interest has_ been evinced throughout the Dominion by members in drilling and fitting themselves, as far as possible, to take tho field if required. As many of t'ho younger members have recently had somo form of. volunteer training, and others liave_ recently completed their term of Territorial training, a fair measure of efficiency is becoming apparent. Most clubs have been put through in rifle oxercises, p'atoon drill, and ex-tended-order work, in many cases, with very satisfactory results. , Other Sections. 1 During tile year tho general training section'has been drafted into Territorial units. Experience shows that touch has not always been kept with, the men of the general training section, and many men have been- lost. 111 the. Wellington district 2554 men were on tho roll at, tho outbreak of the'war, but 1294 only were obtained when they were called up. The behaviour and attendance of Senior Cadets during the year have shown a decided improvement, and the interest taken in the work shows a better spirit. This is-probably duo to a large extent to the war. The steadiness of-, most of the companies is most encouraging. A large number of officers have been lost to tho Expeditionary Force, and a considerable number of now appointments have been made to fill gaps thus caused. The training of the cadets residing in towns lias progressed, but that of ihose in the smaller centres Has deteriorated, for the reason that sufficient instructors liavo not been available. Medical Services. From experience gained in organising tho medical services for the Expeditionary Force, controlling and training them in camp, utilising them to the best advantage for tho requirements'of recruiting, and keeping paco with the developments ' of -the Territorial Forcc, it has bec'omc evident that the time has'arrived for tho appointment, of a permanent modioal officer ou tho Headquarters •fltilff .tfl,»',!%. M .thesisitpf Ejicefe

tor of Medical Services. The satisfactory performance of these duties , re-1 quires the undivided attention. and all ] the available• time of an,officer, of,-,the highest qualifications. Uiider the' present conditions of a small annual remuneration, tho Director of Medical Services can hardly be expected to sacrifice, his private practice, which represents the 1 major portion of hist income, nor is the Department in a.position ;to demand more than an equivalent of his services. The Registrations. The total number of registrations for military training recorded since the inception of the scheme of universal service up to April 30, 1915, is given in detail hereunder:— Terri- Senior District torials.. Cadets.- Total. Auckland 9,677 13,419 : 23,096 Canterbury ...... 6,G56 13,411 i -22,132 Obaso •6,406- 10,701 17,110 Wellington .8,804 .18,155 . 26,959 Totals 31,573 57,724 .' . 89,297 Thanks are due to the police for assisting to trace those wlio were evading service duriug the year. been instrumental in procuring vconvictions of approximately 600-shirkers who were untraoeable by the Defence. Department. Purchase of Horses. •Horses have been transported with an average loss amounting to less than 2 per cent, of the total number. This result must be considered highly satisfactory, and constitutes a performance most creditable to all concerned. '.Rio class of horses purchased for service with' the Expeditionary Forces lias been, on the whole, eminently suitable for the purpose in view; and no great difficulty has been experienced in sc'curing sufficient, numbers. In this connection mention must be . made of the excellent services rendered by Inspectors of Stock appointed from the Department of Agriculture as purchasing officers, and also by certain veterinary surgeons in private practice, to whom the Department's thanks are due for' their great assistance in enabling such ■ large numbers of liorses to bo assembled. The New Zealand _ Farmers' Union, through their executive officers, rendered invaluable assistance in rapidly obtaining large numbers of :liorses in- the early days of the war; To tho donors of gift horses it is desired also to expr<ws sincere appreciation. >