THE TERRITORIALS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 114, 6 July 1911, Page 2

T HE TERRITORIALS.

OUR NEW CITIZEN ARMY. ESTABLISHMENT ON A WAR BASIS. Composition of Units. The provisional establishments of the military forces under the new scheme have just been issued by headquarters. The establishments of units of the Territorial Force, except in regard to a few minor details, arc constant, and based on Imperial war establishments. Now that registration has ceased the Territorial Force will be able to recruit up to full strength. The establishment of the R.N.Z.A. (Permanent Force) is to be 255 of all ranks, 155 officers and men being in the Garrison Artillery and 100 in the Field Artillery. The distribution is to bo as follows;—Auckland, 61; Wellington, 81; Lyttelton, 22; Christchurch, 15; Port Chalmers, 21; Hamilton, 10; Napier, 10; Nelson, 10; Dunedin, 15; Invercargill, 10. Garrison Artillery. The establishment of a company of Garrison Artillery (Territorial Force) will he 150 of all ranks. There will lie live company officers, twenty-two non-coms., and 123 rank and file. Auckland and Wellington will each have three companies; Lyttelton, Westport, and Otago one each'. The Wellington companies will be numbered three, five, and nine. Divisional Troops. A mixed division will consist of a divisional headquarters stall, one mounted rillles brigade, one infantry brigade and the following divisional troops: One field artillery brigade, including ammunition column ; one field company engineers; one squadron inounte.il. rifles; divisional transport and supply column; one mounted field ambulance and one infantry field ambulance.

The composition of the Wellington division will he as follows: Divisional headquarters; Wellington Mounted Rifies Brigade, consisting of the second, sixth, and ninth mounted rifles and the Wellington Motmted Signal Company; Wellington Infantry Brigade, of fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh regiments and Wellington Infantry Signal Company; divisional troops as follows: Wellington Field Artillery Brigade, brigade headquarters, I) and F Batteries, ammunition column, No. -1 Company Field Engineers, a squadron of mounted rifles, divisional transport and supply column, No. 8 mounted field ambulance, and No. 4 field ambulance. The composition of a mounted rifles brigade consists of headquarters, * three regiments of mounted rifies, and one mounted signal company, while an infantry brigade consists of headquarters, four infantry battalions and one infantry signal company. Field Artillery. A field artillery brigade will be composed as follows; Headquarters, five officers and twenty-five noncommissioned officers and' men; two batteries (including attached), consisting of ton officers and 290 non-com-missioned officers and men, and an ammunition column of five offieqvT and 165 uon-commissioned officers, rank and, file: total, 500 . There will l>e 470 horses, 133 for riding and the balance draught. Mounted Regiment.

A regiment of mounted rifles 'will consist of: Headquarters, 14; machine gun section, 22; four squadrons, each consisting of 127 officers and men, the total being 26 officers, 69 non-commissioned officers, 449 rank and ,file: total all ranks, 544. There Will be 600 horses. Infantry Battalions. li; d Each infantry battalion will consist of 1024 officers and men, made tip as follows : Headquarters,' 42 ; macMHe gun section, 16; six companies each of an establishment of 121 and two of 120, giving a total of 966 officers and men for the eight companies. FiEld Engineers. A company of field engineers will consist of 207 of all ranks, 48 moi.ntcd and 159 dismounted. There will be six officers, one artificer, tight staff-sergeants and sergeants, two trumpeters, and 190 rank and file. Miscellaneous. A mounted signal company will have a total of 31 of all ranks, and 1 an infantry brigade, signal company a total of 62 of all ranks. '1 he establishment of a mounted field ambulance (two sections), for the accommodation of 50 patients, will consist of 116 of all ranks. A field ambulance (three sections), for accommodating 15Q patients, will have an establishment of 251. A company of senior cadets will he the same as an infantry company, viz., 120 of all ranks. The temporary establishment of the New Zealand staff corps is as follows: —Colonels, 3; lieutenant-colonels, 6; majors, 13; captains, 26; lieutenants, 52; total, 100. A SUMMARY. The following is the summary-of the establishments for the Dominion, excluding army service, veterinary, ordnance, railway and post office corps, pay department, and chaplain’s department, the details of organisation for those sections' not yet being available;—

REGISTRATION. There seems to he an idea am one; many people, says the “Now Zealand Times,” that since the time for registration under the Defence Act has expired application for registration will not he accepted hy the Defence Department. On this being mentioned to General God by he said that the impression was quite a mistaken one. “Though summonses are being prepared and will be issued,” lie said, “against those who have neglected their obligations that is no reason why I applications for enrolment should ho withhold. Wo would much prefer to

enrol the lads than to take these proceedings, and they can still spare themselves inconvenience by sending in their names or making personal application at the drill halls. I would like it stated on my authority that enrolments can still, he made by those who are liable tor service. ”

s S *3 US §12 Officers, tr, § if H S X.Z. Staff Corps ... 100 — 100 R.N.Z.A, 11 244 255 f)iv. headquarter,s 41 144 188 Mounted Rifles Brigade headquarters 12 100 112 infantry Brigade headquarters 8 84 ■92 Mounted Rifles 312 6348 6660 Field Artillery 80 1920 2000 N.Z. Gar. Artillery 51 1305 1356 Engineers 24 804 828 Infantry 448 15920 16368 Signal Companies ... 20 400 420 Medical Corps 64 1028 1092 Totals 1174 28297 29471 The horses allowed for annual training are as follow:— Draught Riding, pack. 11. Mounted rifles ... 6624 192 6816 Field artillery 400 544 944 Engineers 56 88 144 Infantry 80 96 176 Signal companies 176 80 256 Medical corps 88 112 200 Totals 7424 1112 8536