OFFICERING SECOND DIVISION

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9756, 4 September 1917, Page 3

OFFICERING SECOND DIVISION

MINISTER FOE DEFENCE EEPLIES TO SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE. The Central Executive of the Federated Second Division Leagues recently made representations to the Minister for Defence, pointing out the unciesiraweness of officering the drafts of married men ■with, youths, and a reply has how been received from Sir lames Allen as follow^: ‘T am in receipt of your letter of tno 23th August, conveying copies of resolutions (2; passed by the National Second Division Leagues at a meeting held on 23rd instant, respecting the officering ot Second Division drafts. In reply I have to inform you that in respect to the. first resolution the officers will consist of a proportion of Territorial officers who are themselves in the Second Division, and of mature age and experience. As is the regulation at the present time, no officers of the Territorial Force who; have had loss than twelve months’ service and are under 23 years of age will be appointed as officers for Second Division drafts. “Respecting tbe second resolution: In June last the General Officer commanding the New Zealand Expeditionary Force was given authority to return from the front twenty officers per month who have been tried actually in th e firing line, to assist .in the training of reinforcement drafts in New Zealand and to command units proceeding on active service. These officers are now becoming available regularly, and as the establishment of infantry officers' per reinforcement draft is thirty-one, there would appear to be no necessity to establish, a special officer training class at once for the training of Second Division officers. “In addition to the twenty returned officers per month, a certain number of commissions are granted to returned noncommissioned officers and men on the approval of the General Officer Commanding the N.Z. Expeditionary Force, which number will be further augmented by the appointment to commissions of noncommissioned officers of the Second Division prior to departure from New Zealand.”