MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, 29 June 1914, Page 3

MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

, BT SEKTEiEIi. - ' ■% The general officer commanding has ra.'-si. that officers and other ranks absent from training on sick leave, certified in accordance with paragraph 445 or 446, general regulations, 1913, should not thereby be debarred from becoming "efficient.' The annual inspection of arms by lb* armourer begins on August 3. At lbe arms of each company of each unit ha-, to bo examined individually, the inspection will not be concluded until the close of the year, the armourer having to travel throughout the whole of the Auckland .military district. In order to give non-commts;K>ncd "dicers a better chance of successfully corn peting at the forthcoming examination '.or first appointments to commissions, wLi:u begins on Tuesday, July 7, a 10 days' cot. tinuous course of instruction ha* been arranged for tbo benefit of the candidate-.-. This courso commenced on Monday It?', 2nd finishes on Wednesday evening. Cor didates have found it of very great askance to them. It is regretted that the Department cannot assume responsibility for .e vai<:9 of uniforms or other personal irrvau affects which may bo accidentally destroyed by fire in quarters, camp?, r'r f-lf- - where. It must be clearly understood, therefore, that officers and' non-coamn* sioned officers, etc., of the New ZeaLauj Staff Corps, permanent staff, and P.tyi - ,ew Zealand Artillery remit be mpj i sible for the insurance of their o—n y. sonal Sects against fire, and that ii-= Department cannot admit claims for \au where insurance had not been effected c. articles accidentally destroyed by h:t. A Case occurred in this district r. wa territorial verbally informed an ar»» sergeant-major of his' change of randesc The latter took no action, but paletwi the man to his regimental adjutant, ibi result being that he man esea;.e<i traimr „* for some months. In future when a roan report to any permanent cffic.r or nr.-. commissioned officer, the man's na®. regimental number, unit, last pla'e >.f residence, and other particular* bv win'. -i he can ho identified are to be Uteri. ica a report is to be made to the lval stvxp officer who will ensure that :1k- particulars are forwarded to tho proper quarter An obligator, - course of in«liwt/.n -i six days' duration, for officers r,f t;,,--ritorial force and unattached Ist mi..v.; for promotion in August net', w;,| I*.held at Auckland, commencir.'C or. Hon day, August 3, and terminating or. tUfollowing Saturday. Pay and s:;f;«.vc s will be issued according to rcjuki'ios'' The staff for this course will c'msiit of the following officers :Commandant. Caj tain H. C. Nutsford, N.Z.S.C.; staff ofii cer, Captain W. W. Alderman, C "minor,wealth military forces; assistant irjftn • tors, Captain C. L. Hawkins iN.Z.S.C ), J. A. Wallingtord .Z.S.C.t. Captain W. Q. Kewish (R.X.Z.A.;, and Lieutenant G. E. Daniel (R.N.Z.A.J. to gother with as many additional offlo and non-commissioned officers of the p<r nwnent staff as may be required. With reference to district order N • 335, dated August 26, 1913. there appea.f to be some misunderstanding regarding the exact position of senior cadets being trained as specialists. The following regulations are to bo observed regarding them : —(1) Although prematurely potted as specialists to ccrtain units, they are m. no account to be struck off their cad«i romnany roll until they reach their 18th birthday, when they are transferred to the general training section. In other wop's they are simply attached lor training .<■ territorial units until finally pocked, and are on no account to bo included in the numbers of tho territorial unit. (2) They will never attend camp. (3) They are tv be clothed as territorials. The district staff will in futuic be responsible for the registration, porting, and issue of equipment, etc., of the pemwH of the Post and Telegraph Corps. Where there are sufficient numbers of territorial* or cadets in the Post and Telegraph Corp* in one centre to form a separate company, these are to be trained separately by themselves. When such is not possible, th* personnel will be trained with the local territorials or cadets. Officers of tho post and Telegraph Corps, whether territorials or cadets, will, on their first appointment lo a commission, be on the same footing as officers of the territorial and senior cadet forces. In pursuance of the Defence Depart Kent's policy of promoting men from tho ranks to commissions in tho territorial forces, as far as possible, the second an anal examinations for non-commissioned officers seeking advancement will bo held throughout New Zealand at the L«adquar ■ tars of each district on July 14. In 1913 .hero were about 160 entries for the exam nations, but the results disclosed were jisappointing. This year much better remits are anticipated. The entries received 'rom tho different districts arc as follows: -Auckland, 60; Wellington, 38; Canterbury, 66; Otago, 61 : total, 225. The jxamination papers will be set on the iame lines as those of last year, and it is loped that a sufficient number will paw 0 relievo the shortage of territorial ufillers that -exists. Tho- recant manamvres in the Firth of ?or'-h have emphasised tho fart that the leroplane is invaluable and indispensable o a fleet or to a defending base. The lubmarines which wero attacking were looted on each occasion by aircraft, and iut out of action. It now remainn for .eroplanea to prove their superiority over lirships, when they will undoubtedly l*> he dominant factor in warfare. Tbo aeroplane has great difficulties to contend rith in combStuig an airship. She cannot, any so much weight in offensive ma orial, nor can she climb so fast' as .irship; but she can travel faster, and f once a shell or bomb is found that will ixplode on contact with airship fahr. , here wi'l be no more use for tbe airship ixcept for a very short time for the ,ttack of towns at night. The aeroplane. iowever, is perfecting its means of fly in,' it night, and with a reliable engine is aa iffectivo for the work as an airship. Although the political troubles in the Chinese Empire have for the time inter ered with the placing of orders fop rn-.r hips of war, and the proposal to obtain , naval mission from England has betu leferred. the Chinese Government is per isting in training personnel (kvs the and Military Record). It has naval chools in existence now at Chefoo, Nan ing, Foochow, Canton, and Woosung "he most notable of these institutions is ho naval college at Chefoo. Ihe buildng, spacious, well-equipped, and possessng ample grounds, lies about one mile nd a-half to the east of the foreign quar er of Chefoo. Students of 12 to 16 years f age are admitted, and the whole courie f training in free. A superintendent :i a charge, and in addition there are a* istants, inspectors, and teachers, number ng 16 persona in all. Provision is mador 192 students or cadets, The collarurriculum includes English, gcogra;>!.;■ aathematics, sailing, rifle and pin pra ices, astronomy, and sundry other ?ut> ects. The China Year Book for 1913 inludes in the list of the Chinese Nanhe training cruiser Shaoho, of 2200 lisplacement, built in 1311 by Vi> i*er«, arrying a oinplement of 230; as we ! »t he. composite training-ship Kincrh.n-, milt at Foocbow in 1884. ni I'jOS torn lisplacement, carrying a complement <>'■ 102. There is also the steel tniniug-ih.t. i'ungehi; 1900 tons, built a» _Foccb''W a; enal in 1894, complement 155. Not oni.v s the Chinese Government training off :ers for the new navy which is to v :reated as soon as the political conditio! -. 11 the Emoiro permit, but tho studert:ncludo voting officer* who are to tc [rafted into the mercantile marine, Peentially China is one of the richest c«un.rica in the world, and the new Govemnent is evidently convinced that, oiu* lolitical conditions become stable, a great uturo lies betoro China on tho seas.