TERRITORIALS.

Evening Star, Issue 17484, 15 October 1920, Page 5

TERRITORIALS.

|"By Skirmisher.]

„C'and D Companies, 4th (Qtago) Regiment, under Lieutenants' Ivenrick and Swan, fired -the instructional practices of the musketry course at the Peliehet Bay rifle range oh -Saturday last. The weather was fine, Imt a strong rear\wind was blowing. The shooting, was very good, although no hirrn scores were made. The average of the companies, however, was higher than that of previous years. The classification practices will not he fired for sortie time, as other units have the use pf the'range up to December.

Resides Major S. J. Bolton, officer in charge of New Zealand Forces in Great Britain, and his staff of four non-com-missioned officers.-there are still remaining in England (savs a London correspondent) six jundemohiiised members of the 'Dominion Forces. These consist of five men in St. Dunstnn's Hostel, who are blind, and one mental case. One blind soldier will return next month, but the others are still under treatment, and they will remaai at St. Dunstan's until discharged by the medical authorities, after which the matter of providing them with the necessarv guardianship oh their homeward voyage has to be arranged. Major Bolton's work of examining claims and settling accounts In connection with the troops while in Egypt. Fiance, and the Unite! Kingdom is a matter which moves largely in accordance with the will of the Imperial War Office, and he does not expect to be able to_ hand matters over "to the Commissioner for some time to come.

A British Army order provides that any temporary commission in the regular army granted during the war. and held bv an officer who has been released from actual military duty, unless previously tcrnvnited. shall be terminated as from the date of the official termination of the war. as defined bv statutory authority. A pet'tioh was recently presented to' the House of Representatives bv Mr G. Mitchell /Wellington. South)', signed by WilIhm Linenrd. L'eiiteniint-colonel Roberts, Onti-'n "-inert Man- Cantairi G. Preece. a"d Captain H. W. Northeroft, holders of the New Zealand Cross who prnv for an innuirv into the circumstances under which a resident of Auckland had besi owed upon h : m the decorat'on of the New Zealand Cross. It was stated that a committee of the House had reported in 1899 that from the evidence thev were of opinion that the person mentioned was not entitled to the Cross. In 1906 another committee reported favorablv on a similar petition. In 1918 the € Xew Zealand. Cross, which had always Keen included in lists of orders next to the Victoria Cross, was omitted from the Army Council list. Petitioners contended' that it was owing to the degradation of the order that it had been removed, and thev felt this so. keenly that if action were not taken to remedy the wrong referred to it would be better for the petitioners to request the Government to allow them to return their decorations, so that the person named should be the 3ole wearer. This matter has exercised the minds of holders of the New Zealand Dross for manv years, and it is honed that as a result of the present petition the matter will be hilly investigated an<J justice done.

_The following is the personnel of the New Zealand representative rifle team to meet the British and Australian teams for the Empire Cuo in Melbourne in November:— R. J. Kinc (Opaki). L. Lovedav [Ohnra). W. If. Masefield (Soirads), Major P. Donall (commander of te'atn). E. Bolton (Onaki), R. C. Brakle (Suburbs). D. J. Guinev (Petone). W. K. Williams (Ohirra), H. V. Croxton (Karoril, W. H. West (Blenheim),- and D. Roots (Hawera). -The teap were to leave Wellington to-dav. It is_ expected that they will reach Sydney in time to take part in the New South Wales jiflo meeting, and afterwards in the Victorian meeting, where the Empire match will be fired. H. V. Croxton, L. Lovedav. and W. H. West came over with the British team, and are,- already in Svdnev.

The report of Lord Esher's committee en the Indian Army' recommends closer relations, between the Commander-in-Chief in India and the Imperial General Stiff, and also between the Indian and British Armies, by a, fusion of the officers of permanent regimental establishments. The ■report recommends that the Commander-in-Chief be relieved of many duties, and military councils substituted. Other recommendations deal with improvements tn the conditions of the life of the British iropps in India, improvements in the conditions of Indian officers, and the creation of a Territorial force.

Colonel Sleeman's Lecture (continued).— District Concentration Camps: The obvious solution is to have convenient concentration camps at which country trainees en attend at convenient periods,' and where they can receive the best possible inst-i'ction from Defence experts. Ifc is eomlly obvious that each district should possess its own concentration camp in order to inflict the least possible inconvenience upon those who attend, and also for reasons of economy and the creation of the_ necessary esprit de corps. The first essential is the provision of ample supplies of efficient and enthusiastic officers of the right type for both the Territorial and Cadet Forces. That the officers and n.c.o.s of the permanent forces should possess the necessary efficiency and qualifications goes without saying. * Fortunately the Dominion now possesses permanent officers and n/o.s who can be relied upon to carry out 'heir duties successfully, and whose value in war can be indicated by the large percentage decorated for distinguished; service in the Great War. Some think that the concentration cf men in military camps is bad from many points of view. Wefe masses of men taken into camps, neglected bv their instructors, and left to their own idle devices, this would loubtless be the' "case. In district concentration camps every precaution would be taken to see that the instruction given made for' strength of mind, body, and .character, and the prevention of idleness in every particular. Probably the number of men in camp at any one time would not be greater than the strength of one battalion (1,000 men)—little, if any, greater than the Territorial, unit camp, with the additional advantage of permanent hutments, "a picked Instructional staff, and the best supply of training equipment: With good instructors, interesting subhealthy games, and other interests, combined with the personal" example of the instructor's, who would all be specially selected officers arid camps could hot demoralise men: On the contrary; they would broaden their outlook, and the majority would unquestionably return to civil employment stronger mentally, morally,' and' physically than they had ever been before. During the reinforcement training in New Zealand opinions of competent officers, clergymen, doctors, and other responsible authorities were obtained regarding the physical and mental condition of recruits upon first entering camp and their moral' oulook upon life. The consensus of these opinions was unanimous that in the majority of respects military' training improved the individual nan and -strengthened" his character. If this were possible'when the majority of the best officers and n.c.o. instructors were ■serving with the Expeditionary ' Forces ibroadj it showswhat can be expected now that the whole instructional staff are available for peace training. Before a concentrated -svsteni of training could be introduced (Colonel' Sleeman continued) it woujd be necessary to establish a permanent camp in each military district, in order to ensure that, trainees entering camp would be comfortably housed in good sanitary surroundings, and that the necessary accommodation would exist for their instructioh in wet weather, and for the custody of their arms,"- stores, and equipment. "The provision pf these "camp's would not offer anv great difficulties or involve any considerable expense., for suitable premises for conversion "existed in each of the three military districts into which New Zealand was" to be divided for, the future. At the present time, however, •*ith the shortage of labor and the necessity for the erection of civil premises, it would be inadvisable to proceed with the establishment of these training camps, although" their necessity would be recognised bv all cognisant of the - requirements for efficient defence. (To be concluded next T *. v'• ■ . . -