SAMOAN MILITARY POLICE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20958, 22 February 1930, Page 19

SAMOAN MILITARY POLICE.

RECRUITS IN CAMP., SEVERE SYSTEM OF TRAINING. (Special, to Daily Times.) ‘ WELLINGTON, February 21. Trentham military camp, where the Samoan military police have been in training for the past week, is at present a busy place. There are 246 men in camp all told, made up as follows Five officers, 13 non-commissioned officers, and 228 rank and file. During the past week the greater portion of the time has been devoted to physical training, and the progress that has been made with the work is regarded as very satisfactory. Of the 228 recruits 40 have never received any military training previously, and of the 40 only 15 have lived in New Zealand during the period of which they were liable for training under the Defence Act. In addition to their physical training the men have been receiving infantry training. A very high standard/of physical 'fitness is demanded for the service in Samoa, which is likely to last up to 12 months, and a large number of recruits who offered themselves did not pass the stiff medical examination. To give an indication of the standard aimed at, the figures relative to the men recruited in Wellington are interesting. Of 146 recruits sent to Trentham by the civil police, to whom the recruits first applied, only 80 were accepted by the military authorities, and of these 80 who underwent the final medical examination 14 were declared medically unfit for the service.

Major N. S. IH'D. Weir, of Wellington, is the officer commanding, and he'.has the following officers G. Dittmer (Paeroa), Captain A. Bongard (Gisborne) , Captain A. W. Greville (lately of India), Lieutenant J. Y. M. Canty (Wel-< lington), and Lieutenant A, H. Fear (Wellington). Lieutenant Cauty holds a commission as captain in the Wellington Battalion, and with Lieutenant Fear has been appointed to two of the four commissions available for territorial officers. Captain Cauty, who resides at Silverstream, is a well-known rifle shot. He at present holds the Wellington Regimental District Rifle Championship. Lieutenant Fear was last year’s Welling-, ton nominee for the Rhodes Scholarship, and is a teacher at the" Roseneath School. The Education Department, on the recommendation of Mr W. B. Brown, head master at Roseneath, has given Lieutenant Fear leave of absence for 12 monthsHe was commander of A Company, 2nd Wellington Battalion. Thirteen instructors of the New Zealand Permanent Staff will be included in the police party.