THE DEFENCE BILL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14699, 6 December 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE DEFENCE BILL

COMPULSORY TRAINING. A TERRITORIAL ARMY. WKLUXGTOX. December 3. The Internal Defence Hill, which was introduced as the House was about to rise this morning, consists of 103 clauses, divided into 10 carts. The principal provisions, of couide. are those relating to compulsory training. The opening clauses provide for the appointnii'iit of a Commandant of the Forefn, and a Council of Defence, to consist of the Minister of Defence as president, the chief of the Ceneral Stall' (who .-■■ hall 1)2 responsible for the administration of maltdii relating to organisation, disposition, armament, and generally the maintenance of the Defence Forces),.; together with a finance member of the council. The ollice of Inspector-general of the Forces will under the bill be retained. With regard to tho scope of the authority to be invested in the Commandant- of the Forciri, it- is proposed that he shall bo ncspmisiMo for matters of discipline, training, and efficiency, administration of store.-, accoutrements, munitions of war, supervision of fortifications and magazines, transport, and in general the control of matters relating to the strategical defences ami mobilisation plans of the country. A TEIUUTOIJIAL FORCE. The Territorial Force which is to be established shall be liable for service within New Zealand, and is to be maintained and, if necessary, recruited by transfers from the general training section—i.e., there undergoing compulsory training. Such transfers' shall be mado either by ballot or by transfer. The new bill abolishes the selection of officers by popular election, and provides that ail commissioned officers in the Territorial Force shall be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of a Board of Selection appointed by the council in each district. It is insisted that officers' so appointed must pass prescribed examinations before obtaining their commis-

sions. PASSiNCI OF Till-: VOLUNTEER. All Volunteer corps, including reserve corps, shall under certain transitory provisions of the new bill, cease to exist on a day to be notified by proclamation, and on or before that day' all arms, clothing, and appointments issued to any member of any suoh corps arc to be delivered to an officer appointed for the purpose. All the assets and liabilities ■of Volunteer corps incurred prior to the date in question shall, after investigation, become the assets and liabilities of the Crown. At any time within the date so notified members of the corps referred to shall be eligible for enlistment in the Territorial Force with the same rank as previously held by them in the Volunteer Force. The machinery for the abolition of the Volunteer Force and the establishment of a Territorial Force is, generally speaking, on the same lines as that adopted in England for the establishment of the British Territorial Armv.

COMPULSORY TRAINING. The provisions in Hie bill regarding compulsory training are on Die lines ol the statements made in the Budget. The liability of mak inhabitants to be trained was fully stated in my message early this morning. It is also provided that should, it be found inconvenient, in any particular area to carry out the training of senior Cadets, or of the general training section, training with any defence rifle club except training in camp may bo accepted. It may be remarked, by the way, that the training of the junior Cadets appears to be mainly physical. Further, that junior Cadet officers will be permitted to come up for examination for- commissions.

EMPLOYEES AND TRAINING. Every person who prevents or attempts to prevent those of his employees who are liable for service in the senior Cadets' general training section or Territorial i'orce lrom carrying out E<uch service, or in any way penalises them for returnine; such service, whether by a reduction of wages or dismissal, is liable to a fine not exceeding £10. AH persons liable for service must, within three months after the coming into operation of the act, or in the month of January of tho year in which they become liable, present themselves for registration, failin" which they will be liablo to a fine not exceeding £5. Further, they will be disfranchised, and rendered ineligible for service or continued service in any Government department. Nothing j'n the act, it is stated, shall require any person to hear arms or perform or undergo military service or training if the doctrines of his religion forbid him to do eo. On the other hand he will be liable for service and training in such civil duties as may be prescribed by the Covernor-iii-Council.

TIIE MILITIA. On occasion of a national emergency the Council of Defence will be authorised to make whatever directions as it deems necessary for embodying all or any part of the Defence Fortes, and in particular to make such special arrangements as may be proper in regard to units or individuals whose services may be required iji other than a military capacity. Under these provisions all the male inhabitants of New Zealand between the ages of 17 and 55 are also liable for service in tho Militia, and in the event of war the whole of those called out and placed under arms may be organised in such manner as may bo directed by the Council of Defence. The Militia shall be divided into the following classes :—Class I, unmarried men, between 17 and 30 years of age; Class 11, married men, between 17 and 30 years, and unmarried men between 30 and 10 years of age; Class 111, married men between 30 and 55 years, and unmarried men between 40 j and 55 years of age.

THE PERMANENT FORCE. Generally speaking the Permanent Force remains as at present constituted, but authority is given to the Governor to insist on a prescribed number of those fit and able to he embodied. The Force will he liable for service in and beyond New Zealand. All persons embodied will bo liable for eight years' service—five in the active force and three in the reserve, —but it is provided that on payment of £10, and at any time during the two following years of £5, he may obtain his discharge at the end of three years, but he may be called upon at any lime during the remainder of his period of eight years to rejoin the Force. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. There appears to be no definite reference in the bill to such arrangements as will probably require to be made with regard to the payment of men whilst serving their compulsory period, beyond the single reference under the heading of " General Powers of the Governor," which states that regulations may be made for the pay, rations, and lodging of the forces. In the light of past experience with regard to the conditions which have governed seniority of officers, the following clause is of some interest: " Where any commissions of like rank bear the same date, the holders thereof respectively shall rank according to the dates of their prior commissions, and in case there are not such prior commissions, then the aforesaid holders shall take rank according to the order of merit obtained in the examination."