ARMY COMMISSIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 99, 23 October 1942, Page 4

ARMY COMMISSIONS

OFFICERS' AGE LIMIT

GENERAL PUTTICK EXPLAINS

Full responsibility for setting the age limit for newly-commissioned officers at 30 years is taken by Lieuten-ant-General E. Puttick, Chief of the General Staff. "This is my own personal decision," he stated in an interview, "and it is in more or'less common application throughout the Empire." It was essential, he said, that a second lieutenant should be young and fit. He had to live with his men, he had to have the same physical endurance as his men, and when his men were resting it was his job to scout around and see to their comfort. When a man got past 30 he started to slowup, though he knew of older men in exceptional cases who were remarkably fit for their age and able to keep up with their men. "Though I have fixed this limit," said General Puttick, "I leave it to the divisional and district commanders to select men for officer training over the age limit, provided always that they have those qualities of leadership and character to justify their selection. As a matter of fact, probably 30 per cent, of the men in the present O.C.T.U. are over the age limit. Our object is to get the best leaders we can. There is no favouritism, no sympathy vote in selecting officer cadets —they have to have the proper qualifications, because bad leaders in a battle may cause tragic results. If these men are not up to a satisfactory standard we have to get rid of them." "Would you say that all the commissions granted during the last few months have been fully up to standard?" the general was asked. "No," he replied. "Never yet have a hundred men selected for one job been 100 per cent, correct." He pointed" out that in the early days the army was faced with a big shortage of officers, and they had to get men in quickly to train and command the thousands of men who were joining the forces. He added that there was, of course, no real age limit for some types of officers. There were men over 60 who were doing a first-class job, and a man in his fifties might be the right man to make commander of a large camp, because he would be more likely than a younger officer to have the broad experience and judgment necessary for that position. "Given the proper leadership the New Zealand > soldier is easy to train, and our policy is to give him that leadership by proper selection of his officers," said the J ge.n.eral«-