NATIONAL RESERVE OF NEW ZEALAND.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13718, 23 June 1915, Page 4

NATIONAL RESERVE OF NEW ZEALAND.

To-morrow night the first general muster of the local branch, takes place at the . drill Jiall, as notified m this issue. On Monday evening the commandant, Colonel Poi-ter, C.lk, met the executive committee oi , admuaistrai^ion, - presided over by his Worship the Mayor. Detaila of the organisation wei'e fully explained., and a -further meeting of the executive was. convened to carry out and give renewed impetus v>£b the patriotic movement, .^and it. jsyexpected ' after, to-,; morrow night enrohnents throughout Ujtf district wul. be rapid. 'Liie East O4V district, of which (gisborne is the hea^

?[uarteiy centre, has now been divided oft' rom Jfapier (No. -7 group) and becomes No. 7c, to be separately administtred by its executive of twelve members, includino- tlie. President, vice-President, and treasurer, also 1 a committee of two retired officers with the commandant as chairman -under -rule r 3 of the Qovew4ment Instructions will now be aDpoihted to cany out 'the military organisation necessary' under the regulations. Generally the movement throughout the 'Dominion is maJdng great and enthusiastic '; strides ' m the forniatioii ' of this third-reserve line 1 for home defence. The approximate aggregate strength 'throughout the Dominion at the present time exceeds twenty 'thousand m the combined, four -military districts of Auckland^ Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. The organisation of the .Wgllington Headquarters' District into military, units is>nowf' airly (complete under the various army v branches of the. service 1 - with «a '■ sitenfeth'iri ithe^No»'*'S group only of 35,000, ; and the first genr eral-j muster is to- take place at lingtbn,"On the 3v6Yprdx, and to march past the HonJ> Defenc© Alinister,.' Prime Minister, 'and '•, Commandant of the Forces^ The * Ptitiie Minister ■ and Sir Joseph^^ Ward '^oir^ed as private members/ and were 'Natopointed" honorary colonels ' of the Ist an<i 2nd -Wellington 1 Regiments. Three - other Ministers are enroued as privates ■m different arms^ engineers, ammunition column -arid medical corps. The; Welungton Military District, of which this is part,, now comprises eight group r districts, administered b^ the executive, and on' completion s of ; enroimente is estimated not to be less than fifteen thousand, fully organised, ■ under military conditions, to take their phwies in< supporting -^he Territorial -line Of Defence, y in concert with the commanders of* coast defences. -•■■'■••■.:

The officers already appointed m tlie. Wellin'giion- Beadcfuartera iSrpup" number 69, from lieutenants to majors, and all the units aire i m It fair state of training m drill ahd target) practices. ; The Defence -^Cmster is ;to intivoduce this session a- clause recognising the; National Reserve 1 uhder the Defence Act as a voluntary"' reserve." ■ ' " 1>: