THE CITIZEN ARMY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144146, 16 July 1913, Page 2

THE CITIZEN ARMY.

• VALUABLE TRAINING DONE. THE SCHEME FLOURISHING. * ~ BT TELEGRAPH, —OWN CORRESPONDENT. WELLINGTON, July 15. The report of the General Officer Commanding the Defence Forces was presented to Parliament to-day. The report states that 18,687 officers and men have now been trained at an animal camp (17,831 of them for two years), and nave performed the number of parades and drills required throughout the year, some by means of extra time in camp. These officers and men have now all a rudimentary knowledge of field training, and 15,852 of them have fired at least ono course of musketry, and some have done more. In case of emergency it would be possible to augment the units from ,the ex-vol-unteers and ex-South African contingenters, by about 2500 specially selected officers and men, who have all had some experience of soldiering, and thus place about 21,000 men in the field. Their efficiency to meet a possible enemy must be measured by the amount of training they have received, so the most has been made of the time. The organisation in which they would take the field is complete and satisfactory, and the camps for the year have, to a great extent, been held in the higher organisations. The supply of rifles, ammunition, and personal equipment is adequate and satisfactory, and the only serious deficiencies as regards material would be transport, which has not yet bee.n organised, and- which would have to bo improvised locally, and certain items of technical equipment and stores. Eight batteries of up-to-date modern artillery would be available. ORGANISATION NECESSARY. “It must be remembered,” continues the report, ‘ ‘that the army is on a very different footing from that on which it was before the introduction of universal training. Wo have now to arrange toi deal with citizen forces, the strength of which will shortly be 30,000 territorials, 40,01)0 senior cadets, and 25,000 members of rifle clubs, as against some 10,000 volunteers, 3000 defence cadets, and 3000 rifle club men, in the volunteer days. Further plans for an expeditionary force for the defence of the Dominion, for mobilisation, for coast defence, for the mapping and reconnaissance of the Dominion, for the examination and education of officers, for manoeuvres, schools of instruction, camps, staff, tour, etc., have been undertaken on a scale never before attempted, and the instruction and organisation of the forces has been carried into remote parts of the Dominion, which were not touched under the old scheme. The provision of arms, equipment, clothing, and material of all kinds has been quadrupled; wireless, aviation and many other things which before had not to be thought of now demand our attention, and the advance of military science, and the demands which it now makes upon officers make it impossible that an army can hope to hold its own or to meet a possible enemy without being efficiently trained and administered by an adequate staff. Prior to the introduction of the scheme of universal training, little or no attempt had been made to establish the organisation necessary to enable the forces to take the field, but this, with the exception of transport,' has now been done, and as in any other business, demands an adequate staff to maintain it.”

’ STAFFING ACTIVITIES. ' In dealing .with the staffing provisions, the report soys the group officers were now practically in the position of officers commanding a sub-district. In each of the four military districts the organisation and administration of the forces will bo thereby much assisted, and the group officer, being freed from adjutant’s duties, will be better able to devote his attention to the posting of transfers, etc., of all men in the group, to 'the training and instruction of the cadets and rifle-,ciubs, and the general control of his group. The strength of the'New Zealand Staff Corps had been raised to 74,. but the warrant and non-commissioned officers promoted were of such an age that there was no risk of their blocking the promotion of the cadets now at the Royal Australian Military College or of blocking the supply of candidates for the college necessary to fill the eventual establishment of 100. It was impossible to continue working so short-handed as regards permanent officers. Though every effort was made to do so, there was still a duplication of many duties, and there was not a single spare officer to replace a casualty, and some units were without adjutants.