THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16121, 9 July 1914, Page 8

THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Bx Sjuhtbi.

Officers should not miss the first lectare of the session m coniLection with the Duncdin District (Jflioers' Club. It is announced for to-morrow (Friday) evening, and the intimation that the lecturer is Colonel Jiauchop, and; his topic " Lessons from tlie Lute iirigade Camp," eeeme all that is mccsnaiy to justify the opening sentence oi tins paragraph. For the convenience of officers wnose attendance involve* the. use of trains, the lecture this year will be commenced at 7.45 .p.m. instead of 8 p.m. The president informs mo that the difficulty of fix.rig un dates for lectures frcm start officers irom Wellington has delayed the issue of the syllabufc, which it is expected will bo ready this week.

Thoughtful and systematic effort is gradually .swelling the numbers of the local branch of the New Zealand National Reserve. The doputationiemg of the various bowling clubs is bearing fruit. From the St. Kilda Club an enrolment of about 30 is anticipated. The first annual reunion and smoke concert in connection with the branch promises to be an imposing function, and one calculated to tax the resources of fche Early Settlers' Hail on July 15. Invitations have been extended to his Worship tlio Mayor, tho Officer Commanding tho District, and other, public men; tickets are being freely sold amongst members, and the privilege of attending js being extended to others interested, by whom tickets may be obtained from members.

Sergeant-major E. Purdon has been apt pointed second Lieutenant, N.Z. Staff Corps. i'he advancement is one that is thoroughly merited. As musketry instructor Lieutenant Purdon adds to an intimate acquaintance with the scicn-oe of his art tho zeal of an enthusiast.

Staff Sergeant-major W. 0. S. Colcloogh (W. 0.) has been appointed lieutenant. Other Gazette notifications —lth (Otago) Mounted Rifles-Lieutenant T. Graham and 2nd Lieutenant G. Hay. resigned: Lieutonant J. W. H. Bannerman, transferred from tho Unattached List (b) to the Bth (Southland) Regiment The deliberations of the recent conference in Wellington are not yet made public, but it is understood that proposals embodying the recommendations of General Sir laa Hamilton will be submitted to Parliament shortly for approval. It is understood! that in the important matter of home v. concentration camp companies will bo definitely " labelled " as home training companies or companies training at concentration camps.. The units training at concentration camps will bo as largo as possible, the minimum being a platoon. The broad idea, of course, is to introduce a more effective and less expensive method of training the country Territorials, and to save time and expense to the Territorial away from the centres. Some country Territorials have had to travel considerable distances in winter to attend parades, and in addition to the time consumed, have been put to expense as high as 5s or 6s for food for themselves and their horses before getting home again. It is claimed that the training will be of much, greater value, as it can be made progressive on the successive days in camp. As far as possible these concentration camps will be held 1 just prior to tho annual camps, the whole training of the units concerned being thus accomplished in one continuous period! There will be no Divisional camp this year, but in all probability Regimental camps -will bo the rule. Those camps may be hold simultaneously or otherwise, but it is understood the final camps will be at least a month earlier than was the case last military year.

Country cadets as well as country Territorials will be reqiiired to put in their training at concentration camps. In this way it is expected they will be brought upon a level with city cadets,' who havo better facilities for training. Hitherto the regulations have provided that no cadet (other than a defaulter) was required to attend camp.

Amongst the prospective changes is the substitution of the name "sub-areas" for "groups." The four adjutants of infantry regiments and the three adjutants of mounted regiments, with the staff N.CJ.O.'s and the brigade majors, will be realiotted, so that the smaller units may be trained more efficiently. The members of the staff will go back to their regiments when required in connection with camps. Arrangements lor the camp at the Heads in August for all Otago Territorials not efficient for 1913-14 are being mode. It is understood that about 700 throughout the district have made themselves liable for> attendance at this camp for shorter or longer periods. Some havo already received from the magistrate their orders to attend. Others will avoid the courts by complying with the notification from the Defence Department. Captain Bruce S. Hay will bo in command of the camp. With respect to Defence Rifle Clubs, there will be in future no such distinctions as "Active," "Junior," "Settlor" members, but all will be classed together as ordinary members.. The president of each club will se© that the training performed by members of the clubs and by members of the general training section attached is entered into the personal record books, and that the area officer is notified accordingly. The examination for Territorial N.C.O. candidates for first appointment to commissioned rank was commenced on Tuesday, the work going on, with intervals, from 10 a-m. to 0 p.m At Dunedin 21 out of 35 candidates whose names had been sent forward faced tl»e tests.

Lads enrolling as Senior Cadets do not undergo medical examination. At the beginning of the present scheme cadets were medically examined, but such is not the practice now. Before pussing. into the Territorials, however, cadets must be medically examined. In the caee of a cadet of a Territorial applying for exemption oa medical grounds a certificate is finst obtained from any medical man, and the cadet or Territorial is then examined by a board of medical men appointed by the military authorities. This board decides for or against exemption.

About 140 members of the 4th Regiment, including representatives of tho Ist Battalion and the Coast Defence Detachment, under Captains Sandle and Fraeer, attended the three-hours' parade called for Saturday last at St. Kilda as on opportunity for those absent without permission from the King's Birthday parade to mate up the deficiency and avoid prosecution. In fine weather a useful afternoon of training was put in. Those who were notified and did not attend probably wclwied men who observe Wednesday half-holiday. All who did not attend w.ili tiherelore be warned to attend a Wednesday parade, and failure to do so will involve prosecution. In future officers on the unattached list serving with Senior Cadets will not bo requuod to attend annual camps. O.C Districts will, however, afford such officers ae may wieh to carry out' this training every opportunity of doing so by attaching them to Territorial units.

The following addition has been made to paragraph 332 of the regulations:—"No oiheer is eligible to eit for promotion until ho has completed a year ui his existing substantive rank, and has performed his obligatory training for tho year."

The King, accompanied by the Queen and Princess Mary spent four days in May with tiie troops at Aldershot. Cavalry, infantry, and artillery quarters were all inspected, and then their Majesties were shown what catering for an army means. The Army Service Corps' butchers' issuing department had on view 65 sides of homekilled and five quarters of frozen beef hung side by side to enable the King and Queen to make a comparison between the two sources of supply. The home-killed meat represented one issue to 27,000 men. It was explained that slaughtering look place on three days a wedk, and 90 head of oxen were thus accounted for. They all came from Norfolk, were inspected by an officer, and slaughtered under veterinary supervision by Army Service Corps butchers. _ The largest bullock shown to the Royal visitors was 11431b clear dead weight. The bakery was tho next place of call. Here batches of loaves were being scaled and moulded, ovens were being drawn, and quantities of dough coming down tho hoppers. The Queen, on questioning the master baker, learnt that 23,000!b of bread, in 21b loaves, ore baked per day, and that the output on the occasion of manoeuvres has been worked up to 99,0001b, and could in emergency be raised to 155,0001b. Twentysevom bakers are daily employed. Her Majesty was curious to know how such quantities of dough were prepared, and was informed that th" mixing was by electricity, save in respect of about 25 per cent., which was done by hand, the object of this being to keep the men's hands in for field work in case of need. The bread store showed a capacity of 44,800!b, which is cleared every day, and there *re now about 20 tons in store.

Large additions to the cavalry force are to bo made to cover the Army Council's abandonment of "mounted infantry." An early Gazette will announce tho organisation of a Fifth Cavalry Brigade, with headquarters at York, and with Colonel Sir Philip Clietwode, nf the 19th Hussars, its brigadier. The men for the brigade are at hand in the regiments- lately o/fitartered in South Africa, and a sixth brigade is needed if tho doctrine of the General Staff is to be carcaried out. When all cavalry have returned from South Africa there will be nine regiments in India, one in Egypt, and 18 at Home, besides tho Household Cavalry, which form one regiment on service.