CONFERENCE OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS (NOTES BY), ON CRITICISMS, SUGGESTIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE REPORT OF THE DEFENCE EXPENDITURE COMMISSION.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1918 Session I-II, H-19d

H.—l9d

Session 11. 1918. NEW ZEALAND.

CONFERENCE OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS (NOTES BY), ON CRITICISMS, SUGGESTIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE REPORT OF THE DEFENCE EXPENDITURE COMMISSION.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

I). 73/10. Headquarters, N.Z. Military Forces, 17th October, 1918. MEMORANDUM FOR THE HON. MINISTER OF DEFENCE, WELLINGTON. Conference of Officers of Defence Department, for Consideration of Criticisms, Suggestions, and Recommendations contained in the Report of the Defence Expenditure Commission. I have the honour to submit herewith notes on the criticisms, suggestions, and recommendations contained in the report of the Defence Expenditure Commission. These notes were considered in detail at a Conference comprising officers of all Departments at General Headquarters, of the four districts, and of the Expeditionary Force training-camps. The notes were fully discussed, and in their present form were almost unanimously agreed upon. The personnel of the Conference clearly understood that its function was not to criticize the report of .the Commission, but to offer explanation and information, and, where necessary, to indicate action taken or about to be taken in regard to the report. A. W. Robin, Major-General, Commanding New Zealand Military Forces.

I—H. 19d.

H.—l9d

2

CONFERENCE OF OFFICERS OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT. CONSIDERATION OF NOTES ON CRITICISMS, SUGGESTIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED IN THE REPORT OF THE DEFENCE EXPENDITURE COMMISSION. Wellington, Tuesday, 20th August, 1918. Presiding. Major-General Sir A. W. Robin, K.C.M.G., C.8., (d), Commandant, New Zealand Military Forces. , Present. 1. Department of the Chief of the General Staff: — Colonel C. M. Gibbon, C.M.G., p.s.c, 1.G.5., Chief of the General Staff. Lieut.-Colonel J. L. Sleeman, 1.G.5., Director of Military Training. Captain (temp. Lieut.-Colonel) A. F. Roberts, 0.8. E., Director of Artillery (Field). Major R. B. Sinythe, D.5.0., p.s.c., Director of Military Operations. Lieutenant (temp. Major) J. A. Wallingford, M.C., Inspector of Rifle Clubs, Drill-halls, and Rifle Ranges. 2. Department of the Adjutant-General: — Colonel R. W. Tate, C.8.E., Adjutant-General. Colonel J. R. Purdy, M.8., (b), Director of Medical Services. Lieut.-Colonel T. A.. Hunter, Director of Dental Services. Major C. E. Andrews, Assistant Adjutant-General. Major J. Osborne-Lilly, Director of Personal Services. Major N. Francis, C.M.G., Director of Base Records. Captain A. J. Mel. Cross, Director of Organization. Captain (temp.) D. C. W. Cossgrove, Director of Recruiting. 3. Department of the Quartermaster-General: — Major (temp. Colonel) J. J. Essori, C.M.G., Deputy Officer in Charge Administration. Major (temp. Lieut,-Colonel) M. M. Gard'ncr, D.5.0., p.s.c., (g)., Inspector of Coast Defences. Major T. McCristell, Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores. Major H. M. Griffen, Director of Financial Services. Captain (temp. Major) H. C. Nutsford, Director of Movements and Quartering. Major (temp.) F. E. Ostler, Director of Supplies and Transport. G. C, Rodda, Esq., Officer in Charge War Expenses Branch. 4. Auckland Military District: — Colonel G. W. S. Patterson, Officer Commanding Auckland Military District. Major Sir Robert Walker, Bart., General Staff Officer. Captain W. V. Wilson, Assistant Quartermaster-General. Hon. Lieutenant (temp.) E. J. Browning, Assistant Adjutant-General. 5. Wellington Military District: — Lieut.-Colonel (temp. Colonel) J. E. Hume, Officer Commanding Wellington Military District. Lieut.-Colonel T. W. McDonald, General Staff Officer. Captain (temp. Major) ,1. T. Bosworth (d). Assistant Quartermaster-General. Captain W. E. S. Purby, Assistant Adjutant-General. 6. Canterbury Military District: — Colonel R. A. Chaffey, A.D.C., (d), Officer Commanding Canterbury Military District. Major W. C. Morrison, General Stall Officer. Captain (temp. Major), R. S. Matthews, Assistant Quartermaster-General. Lieutenant (temp. Captain) D. M. Robertson, Assistant Adjutant-General. 7. Otago Military District: — Colonel J. Cowie Nichols, A.D.C., (d), Officer Commanding Otago Military District. Major H. A. Cooper, 1.G.5., General Staff Officer. Major D. A. Hickey, D.5.0., Assistant Quartermaster-General. Captain G. Myers, Assistant Adjutant-General. 8. Expeditionary Force Training-camps: — Lieut.-Colonel (temp. Colonel) H. R. Potter, C.M.G., Camp Commandant, Trentham. Colonel C. R. Macdonald, C.M.G., p.s.c, 1.G.5., Director of Infantry Training, New Zealand Expeditionary Force Training-camps. Captain A. W. Brocks, M.C., Chief Physical and Bayonet Training Instructor, 9. Assistant Military Secretary: — Lieutenant (temp. Captain) D. I. C. Bryan, Assistant Military Secretary and A.D.C. to the Commandant,

3

H.—l9d

NOTES ON REPORT OF DEFENCE EXPENDITURE COMMISSION. Note.—Page numbers in these Notes refer (o page numbers in the Report of the Defence Expenditure Commission. Paragraph numbers are consecutive numbers for departmental reference, Page C. 1. Division of duties of General Officer Commanding and Quartermaster-General should be effected. Vide 122. Page 63. Page 6. 2. Training and Administrative Branches should be kept quite sejmrate and distinct. Vide 123. Page 63. Page 6. 3. Too many officers on 'pay-roll of District Staffs. Vide 47. Page 28. Page 7. 4. Administrative appointments not to be given to " combatant " officers, but to specially selected and trained men. The "combatant" officers available are almost entirely Territorial Force officers who have had civilian training. There were, and are, practically no professional administrative officers available for employment. To have specially selected and trained administrative officers before sending them out to districts would have been most desirable, but the war was commenced without adequate notice to enable this to be done, and nearly all the officers doing administrative work were in civilian occupations on one day and plunged into administrative duties the next day, learning as they progressed. To now carry out the above suggestion would entail the employment of a large number of understudies at great expense. This would immediately be condemned as unwarranted waste of money. Page 7. 5. overcentralization at General Headquarters. With an untrained staff working on problems suddenly produced by the war, there must of necessity be more centralization than would be the case in the routine of peacetime. More and more powers have been delegated and more and more decentralization is taking place as regulations securing uniformity of policy have been issued. The success of the Defence Department's organization is fully emphasized by the actual results attained, which have been summed up in the final conclusions (vide page 67) at the end of the report. After all, results constitute the essential test. Page 7. (i. Desirability of an officer at General Headquarters with a full and intimate knowledge of the camps. Vide 67. Page 38. (a.) The necessity of having an officer of the General Headquarters Staff with a full and intimate knowledge of the camps has been fully appreciated from the commencement of the war. This has always been the duty of the Chief of the General Staff. (b.) The General Staff Branch at General Headquarters is not large enough to admit of frequent changes; moreover, the work requires experience and knowledge if it is to be carried out with efficiency. Efficiency could scarcely be attained under conditions of constant changes. (c.) C./.-67. Page 38. Page 7. 7. Artillery awl Engineer Brcmches suffer from lack of experts at General Headquarters. Vide 116. Page 59. The Field Artillery inspectional duties have been efficiently carried out by Lieut.-Colonel Roberts since the commencement of the war. The Garrison Artillery and the Coast Defences have suffered perhaps from lack of expert inspection. This has now been remedied by the appointment of Lieut.-Colonel Gardner, R.N.Z.A., who has recently returned from the front. He has had experience with mobilized Coast Defences in the United Kingdom. The Engineer training of the Territorial Force is of necessity elementary under the present war conditions. Lieut.-Colonel Sleeman is fully competent to carry out the inspectional duties. The Engineer Reinforcements in camp are now so few in number (at present only nineteen per draft) that the employment of an officer as Director of Engineer Training at General Headquarters would not be justified. The Chief Engineer Instructor in Trentham Camp is fully competent to train the men under him. Page 8. 8. Insufficient conferences. Vide 149. Page 66.

H.—l9d

4

Page 8. 9. Officers at General Headquarters too busy to see subordinates from districts. A Staff Officer from a district: can always, be given an appointment at General Headquarters and be seen if he writes beforehand to say he is coming. Sometimes, in the press of an urgent piece of work or an important conference with another officer or officers, it may be impossible to drop everything to see a chance visiting officer at the precise moment he may happen to arrive, but even under such circumstances it would always be possible for him to' arrange an interview later in the day. Page 8. 10. Suggestions not encouraged, by General Headquarters. Vide 15. Page 9. Page 8. 11. The method of accounting for stores at small camps was not good. The method of accounting objected to was changed in June, 1917, after the witness referred to had left the service. The present method of accounting is found to be satisfactory. Page 9. 12. Officers in command Administrative Branches at Headquarters not consulted, and no say in appointment of subordinates. Vide 52. Page 33. (a.) This allegation is incorrect as regards military subordinates. All Administrative Branches come either under the Adjutant-General, or the Quartermaster-General. Recommendations for appointment are almost invariably made by the subordinate officers in charge of branches to the Adjutant-General or Quartermaster-General respectively. The former places bis recommendations before the General Officer Commanding for approval. The latter approves of the Quartermaster-General's appointments in his dual capacity of General Officer Commanding and Quartermaster-General. Probably some misunderstanding in regard to evidence given by the Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores gave rise to such an erroneous opinion (c.f. 52. Page 33). (b.) Members of the Civil Staff arc appointed by the Public Service Commissioner, but if found unsuitable the head of the branch (the Director) is at liberty to advise the Secretary to the Public Service Commissioner that any particular individual's services are no longer required. Page 9. 13. The Adjutant-General and the Chief of the General Staff have to do with appointments in branches outside their control. Neither the Adjutant-General nor the Chief of the General Staff has to do with appointments to administrative branches outside his control, and it is difficult to understand how this incorrect finding could have been arrived at, especially as no question was asked either the Chief of the General Staff or the Adjutant-General on the point when they gave evidence. Neither officer has anything to do with appointments or promotions in other branches, beyond in their capacity as members of the monthly conference of all heads of branches in regard to promotions. At this conference all proposed promotions are discussed. This gives branches an opportunity to say whether a promotion proposed in one branch is likely to give rise to anomalies and discontent in other branches. The conference lias no power to veto a proposed promotion being put forward, but it lays an obligation on the officer in charge of the branch concerned to put forward any objections raised by the branches when his proposal is put before the General Officer Commanding. All proposals are placed before the General Officer Commanding by the Assistant Military Secretary, who is the secretary to the conference. Since this conference was instituted by the General Officer Commanding in 1917 there has been a distinct diminution of difficulties on account of promotions. Page 9. 14. Administrative officers to be trained before being sent out to districts,. <&c. Every endeavour has been made for some time past to train officers in the branches at general Headquarters prior to sending them out for duty in districts. Page 9. 15. Suggestions not encouraged. Sufficient attention not pnid to suggestions of subordinates Vide 10. Page. 8. Suggestions from subordinates are not discouraged, but, on the contrary, are encouraged. When important changes are contemplated it is an almost invariable practice to call together subordinates and ask for suggestions. In other cases proposals are passed round for suggestions. There are occasions when suggestions made have been found after careful consideration to be impracticable, and one is forced to the conclusion that more has been heard of the impracticable suggestions not accepted than of the practicable suggestions which have been adopted. Page 9. 16. British Army methods should, be discarded in favour of more direct methods. Page 64. The opinion of the Defence Expenditure Commission advocating practically a clean break from "English Army methods" would appear to be diametrically opposed to the

5

i±.—i9d

principles worked out by the Committee of Imperial Defence in conjunction with the Imperial Conference held prior to the present war. The same principles of uniformity of organization have again been stressed at the Imperial Conference held last year in wartime. We shall never attain a strong British Empire, in a military sense, if each portion is to work on different lines. It is interesting to note that, where New Zealand has effected a great saving by the camp organization which differs from that in force in the United Kingdom recruit camps, the Defence Expenditure Commission have condemned it apparently without proper investigation of the pros and cons. They advocate the battalion system, which would undoubtedly be costly to initiate and extravagant to work. King's Regulations must necessarily be adopted in regard to the administration of discipline under the Army Act. Adaptations of the regulations to New Zealand conditions have been made in the New Zealand Defence Regulations and Camp Standing Orders. A uniform military system of discipline and principles of administration is essential for. the Army of the Empire composed of units from all its peoples. Page 10. 17. Adjutant-General's Branch, split up between Administrative Department and the Branch of the Chief of the General Staff. Vide 124. Page 63. Page LI, 18. Reorganization, of Adjutant-General's Branch will reduce establishments so that all can conic under one roof. Vide 140. Page 64. If the branches of"the Defence Department involving large record-rooms (notably the directorates of Base Records and Recruiting) were housed under one roof, considerable economy and added efficiency would be attained. This subject has been considered and discussed on various occasions; the full measure of economy and added efficiency cannot be attained unless all Record Offices are gathered under one roof, and that necessitates housing the whole Defence Department in one building, which up to the present has been found impracticable. Page 11. 19. Decentralize Branch, of Director of Recruiting to Groups. It is maintained that creating a Recruiting Branch as it was created was not unwise. The problem was a novel one, and it was necessary to gain experience before it could be known exactly what actions should be centralized at Headquarters and what actions could be decentralized to Groups. From the beginning the Groups did and still do the bulk of the work, and every endeavour is and will be made to divest the Recruiting Branch of everything the Groups can do, on the principle that control should be centralized and administration decentralized. The following shows the actions centralized in the Office of the Director of Recruiting and the actions decentralized to the Groups :— Centralized in Director of Recruiting. , Decentralized to Croups —continued. 1. Notifications of men called up for military service. B. Arrangements for transport of men to Appeal 2. All questions regarding appeals. Boards. 3. Notification of Government Statistician of volun- (i. Issue of warrants and orders to men whose appeals teers attested. have been dismissed. 4. C 2 Board work. 7. Calling up men for medical re-examination on f>. Recording medical re-examinations. authority of Director of Recruiting. (i. Regularizing employment of men on homo service. 8. Granting extensions of leave on authority of Mili7. Preparation of returns and reports. tary Service Boards and Director of Recruiting. !). Arrangements for transport of drafts to camps. ~ , ~ 10. Issue of warrants of arrest for deserters from Decentralized to Groups. concentration. 1. Issue of warrants and orders to parade for medical 11. Tracing defaulters. examination of men called up. 12. Arrest and despatch of such men to camp. 2. Medical examination of such men. 13. All action regarding volunteers from the time of 3. Issue of warrants and orders to concentrate of men | their attestation to their final disposal either to passed fit. camp or on leave without pay. 4. Attendance at hearings of appeals before Military j 14. Calling up and despatching to destination of all Service Boards. men for home-service employment. Page 12. 19a. Hiatus between pay and, pension. There is no hiatus, because when a soldier is recommended for discharge and pension ■a claim form is filled in on the soldier's behalf at his Medical Board, signed by him, and submitted to. the Commissioner of Pensions. The result is that on the first day of the month following date of discharge the soldier receives his first pension instalment if considered entitled by the Pensions Board to a pension. To prevent delay the Pensions Board make a provisional grant in cases where the application cannot be definitely determined. Previously delays were mostly occasioned by the omission of the soldier to fill in and -forward to the Commissioner of Pensions the claims form handed to him by the Defence Department representative at the Medical Board. Page 14. 20. Audit of expenditure in Egypt and Europe not satisfactory. Branch of Audit Department should be established in London for prc-andit and post-audit. Vide 125. Page 04.

H.—l9d

6

Page 14, 21. Payment of allowances, dr., to be made for periods of twenty-eight days, or one-twelfth of the total annual payment monthly. Vide 131. ' Page 64. Page 14. 22. Officers Commanding Districts have power to spend up to £:>i>, but they are so hampered that they do not use it. The £25 is provided in case of emergency in which the Officer Commanding District has insufficient time to indent in the ordinary way or to meet unforeseen or extraordinary contingencies. It is not intended for ordinary expenditure. If these principles are observed Officers Commanding Districts would experience no difficulty in subsequent approval. Page 14. 23. Representative of Government Auditor in districts for pre-audit and post-audit. Vide 126. Page 64. Page 15. 24. Pay instructions not clear. A Board dealing with the question of pay and allowances is at present sitting at Headquarters, and it is advisable to await the result of their deliberations before making changes in existing regulations and instructions. Page 15. 25. Districts to audit capitation allowance internally'at odd times during the year. It has been arranged that these accounts shall be inspected periodically under arrangements made by Officer Commanding District. Page 15. 20. Lack of co-ordination of Director of Financial Services and War Expenses Branches. The branches should be interlocked and worked as one. Vide 145. Page 65. Page 15. 27. The Officer in Charge of War Expenses to be allowed to return to the Treasury. It is hoped that the Treasury will again be able to spare the services of Colonel Esson, C.M.G., for duty in the Quartermaster-General's Branch. If this can be arranged the return to the Treasury of the Officer in Charge War Expenses Branch will be considered. Page' 15. 28. Rates of pay very anomalous. The whole question of pay and allowances is being dealt with by a Board of Inquiry, which has been sitting for some considerable time. The recommendations made by the Commission are being carefully considered in detail, and every attention will be paid to them in order that existing anomalies may be removed. Page 17. 29. Field allowances not called for in New Zealand. Vide 31. Page 19. Vide 134. Page 64. Page 18. 30. Increased pay of Staff Lieutenants in New 'Zealand. Vide 130.' Page 64, Page 19. 31. Field allowance and groomage to be cancelled in New Zealand camps. Vide 29. ' Page 17. Vide 132. Page 64. Vide 134. Page 04. Page 19. 32. Staff mess allowance to be cancelled. This question is under consideration by the Board of Inquiry now sitting at General Headquarters. Page'l9. 33 Flat rate of 2s. per diem to be paid to all officers in camp as camp allowance. Vide 135. Page 04. Page 19. 34. Flat rate of ss. per diem field allowance from date of disembarkation overseas. Vide 135. Page 04. Page 19. 35. Adjutant's pay to cease. This question is under consideration by the Board of Inquiry now sitting at General Headquarters. Page 19. 36 Professional pay to cease when officers drawn in ballot. Vide 133. Page 64. Page 25. . . - 37. Separation allowance to be called " married allowance. This proposal was given effect to some time ago, and is now in operation.

H.—l9d

7

Pave 27. 38. Travelling-allowances of Lieutenants and Captains to be increased to 12s. 6d. per diem. Vide 137. Page 64. Page 27. 39. Too much being paid to returned, soldiers in offices. Too much is not being paid to returned soldiers in offices as a rule, but cases occur where married and children's allowances create anomalies in favour of married men. A system of grading exists whereby both civil and military staffs are classified according to the duties undertaken, to ensure as far as possible a similar rate of pay for similar class of work. Page 27. 39a. Instances of anomaly in orderly's pay. Very few married military "orderlies" have been appointed since married and children's allowances were payable.; and it must be remembered that if the civilian messenger has to work overtime he would receive Is. Oil. per hour for this work, whereas the military orderly has to work whenever required without overtime, and in most cases, particularly in the earlier days, put in over six hours' overtime per week, which made his pay often less than the rate received by the civilian. Government civilian messengers are supplied with a uniform, so that the military orderly has only a small advantage in this item. Page 28. 40. Employment of returned, soldiers at military rales alongside of Public Service employees likely to create trouble. Experience has proved that trouble can and is avoided by good office management, Paoe 28. 41. Officer of high rank of pay doing work that could be done by subordinates. Although in tho early part of the war it was necessary to accept the services of officers offering irrespective of rank, for a considerable time past no senior officers have been accepted for work that could be done by juniors. Occasion has also been taken to replace senior officers as far as practicable by junior officers returned from the front. Page 28. 42. Constant revision of returned men to enable, fit men to resume service. Vide 153. Page 00. Page 28. 43. Too great a, tendency to employ returned soldiers in jobs that even a woman could do. Vide, 113. Page 59. There are very few, if any, instances where returned soldiers are employed by the Defence Department in positions which might be filled by women. It is just possible that there may be some clerical cases where a woman might be employed if it were possible to get a sufficiently experienced woman. Returned soldiers are employed almost entirely on work which often has phases unsuitable for a woman's presence. Page 28. 44. Returned soldiers to be sent back to civil life, as soon as possible. Vide, 113. Page 59. Page 28. 45. Looseness of establishments. Vide 151. Page 60. Page 28. 46. All staffs of the various Record Offices in Wellington to be entirely civilian on Public Service rates of pay. Vide Am. Page 57. Vide 141. Page 04. (a.) So far as the actual record-rooms are concerned, a'Civil staff could probably do the work as well as a combined Military and Civil staff, provided that experienced clerks as " foremen " in various subsections were available, and rises in pay were given to those showing extra ability and keenness to get through all possible work in ordinary office hours. It is desired to point out, however, that many experienced clerks unfit for active service are anxious to do some war service and volunteer for home service, coming on the strength as privates at 55., plus 45., per day, whereas their ability and experience would enable them to draw salaries from .£3OO to £500 per annum in civil life. The experience of -the Base Records Branch was that until it took on military clerks it was impossible to obtain the number of capable clerks required. (b.) The problem, however, goes further, as the branches concerned are not merely Record Offices, and a certain amount of military knowledge is imperative in the executive staff and the sections of the offices dealing with returned soldiers, recruits, &c.; it is not considered possible to carry on the Base Records and the Recruiting Branches with a civilian executive and staff, unless a proportion of the staff is well versed in military procedure. In military offices dealing with soldiers if is found that troublesome men are most easily dealt with by a non-commissioned officer in uniform. Page 28. 47 Too many officers on pay-roll of District Staffs. District Staffs to be reduced. Vide 3. Page 0. There are not too many officers on District Staffs. They were recently reduced as recommended by Officers Commanding Districts, and almost immediately requests were made

H.—l9b

8

for increases. A very small proportion of the District Staff is occupied with training. The majority of the officers arc administrative officers employed in connection with the administration of the Military Service Act, returned soldiers, and the Defence Act. At the annual conference at General Headquarters with Officers Commanding Districts the question of a reduction of staff was considered. Page 32. 48. Names of successful tenderers, with prices and conditions of supply, should, be, published. As regards the question of publishing the names of tenderers, <fee, the Minister in Charge of the Munitions and Supplies Department made an announcement to Parliament in his report dated the 10th June, 1917, as follows : — " During the currency of the business under review I have frequently been requested to give information to unsuccessful tenderers; and in this connection I have to report that my advisers, at my request, went fully into this matter, with the result that I decided — (a) To give the price only, quoted by successful tenderers, to any unsuccessful tenderers for the same supply; (b) not to disclose the price quoted by an unsuccessful tenderer; (c) not to disclose the name of any successful tenderer without his consent, " The reason for acting as indicated in (a) above is to satisfy unsuccessful tenderers that their quotations were not the lowest. It has apparently been the practice of Government Departments for some years past to give this information, although it is not the practice of mercantile houses to do so. " The reason for (6) above—namely, not giving the prices quoted by unsuccessful tenderers —is that such information would possibly reveal to successful tenderers opportunities for quoting higher prices the next time they were invited to tender for similar supplies. "The reason for (c) is that direct importers' who for business and patriotic reasons desire to quote for military supplies hesitate to do so in competition with the wholesale customers, and consequently in such, cases heavy loss can be sustained by the Government unless the most economical purchase is made by the Department. Then, again, a successful tenderer is ofttimes in a better position to conduct his buying operations if his rivals in trade arc not aware of the fact that he is a successful tenderer for military supplies. This protection to tenderers has had the effect of encouraging business houses to tender more freely, and has been much appreciated by contractors. " In cases where quotations are made on samples submitted or direct purchases effected by the Department, the office system inaugurated enables me to at any time look into particular cases with a view to justifying the action taken before orders are confirmed by me." In considering the method of dealing with the business as has been suggested by the Commission, the Board has advised the Minister that they see no reason for departing from the principles on which they have conducted their business in this respect; as a matter of fact, their experience during the last twelve months in particular confirms the Board in its opinion, in which the Minister in charge concurs, and therefore it is not proposed to make any adjustment. Page 32. 49. Business man representative of Supplies Board, acting with, each of the four District Headquarters. Action has been taken to appoint local representatives of the Minister in Charge of the Munitions and Supplies Department at Dunedin, Christchurch, and Auckland. The gentlemen appointed are as follows : — C. J. Miller, Esq., commercial broker, Auckland. W. R, Gordon, Esq., care of Messrs. Neill and Co., Dunedin. J. L. Royds, Esq., care of Messrs. Royds Bros, and Kirk, Christchurch. They, as occasion arises, confer with District Headquarters, particularly with the Assistant Director of Supplies and Transports. Page 32. 50. 2SIJ/ rifles deficient in districts to be written off. Steps have been taken to write these rifles off. Page .33. 51. Title of "Director of Equipment and Ordnance, Stores" changed to "Director of Army Stores," and his functions should, be, extended to include Engineers, Army Service Corps, and Medical Stores. Vide 143. Page 04. Page 33. 52. The Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores has no say in the appointment of his men, which is at, the. root of his store troubles at Headquarters and in the, districts. Vide, 12. Page 9. This is a misconception of the facts. The Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores, as head of the New Zealand Ordnance Corps, is solely responsible, under the General Officer Commanding, for the selection and appointment of all Ordnance Corps officers, N.C.O.s, and men employed in the Ordnance Offices and Stores, both at General Headquarters and in the districts." The Commission have apparently confused the Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores' evidence in regard to> the appointment of unit quartermaster-sergeants (vide 54. Page 33).

9

H.—l9d

Page 33. 53. Personnel, of Department, of Director of Equipment and, Ordnance Stores should be appointed by selection or examination and be carefully trained. So far as war conditions admit, the Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores selects and trains the personnel for the Ordnance Corps to best advantage. Page 33. 54. The Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores has no control over the appointment of quartermaster-sergeants to units; consequently estimates and forecasts from districts are usually worthless. The Commission has apparently confused regimental appointments such as quartermasters and quartermaster-sergeants, who at no time formed part of the Ordnance Corps. They are appointed on the recommendation of districts, and are responsible for the care, custody, and accounting of equipment on issue to regiments and Groups. It would be unjustifiable centralization and interference for such appointments to be made by Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores at General Headquarters. The districts are gradually being made to realize their responsibilities in the matter of men for these appointments, and improvement is being effected. Page 33. 55. Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores not even asked whether he has m,en in his corps he can promote, or what sort of men he needs. This again appears to be based on a misconception of the evidence given by the Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores in regard to the appointment of the unit quartermaster-sergeants. The Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores was not referring to the Ordnance Corps, over which he has full control. Districts cannot be expected to look on the Ordnance Corps as the sole source of administrative non-commissioned officers. Page 33. 50. Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores should have full control over all officers discharging duties in connection with his branch in camps. The Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores has always had full control over the selection and appointment of camp Ordnance Officers. Up to the present the personnel of the camp Ordnance Sections lias been provided from home-service men in a similar manner to all other sections of the camp staff. A proposal for the personnel to be provided by the Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores is now under consideration. Page 3,3. 57. On account of untrained conditions of some District Representatives of the Stores Branch many instances of poor purchasing and double-banking have occurred. Such cases have occurred, but the position has greatly improved during the past twelve months by the gradual provision of a trained staff. Further trouble in this direction is not anticipated. Page 33. 58. Small items like rubber stam.ps, shelves, &c, to be obtained locally by District Staffs. This question is being dealt with, and necessary arrangements are being made to admit of local purchases of small articles required to meet unforeseen contingencies. Page 34. 59. Unnecessary expense in dealing with broken and, condemned articles in districts. If instructions are complied with, unnecessary expenditure such as that referred to should not occur, because such breakages or damages should be dealt with under certificate from the responsible officer in charge stating that " Damage has not been caused either wilfully or through the neglect of reasonable precautions." Page 34. GO. Variation in clothing and boots, or allowance in lieu, should be made, to suit difference in climate and nature of occupation. The Home Service Section is supplied with renovated clothing, which reduces cost. The manufacture of special clothing would entail the diversion of looms from the manufacture of the standard clothing for New Zealand soldiers. Variations in the New Zealand climate are not sufficient to necessitate the issue of special clothing for different localities throughout the Dominion. It may be noted that the uniform issued to the Police is of one standard throughout the Dominion. The boots issued to the New Zealand soldier are not too heavy for wear in office, and the soles need not be nailed. To manufacture special boots would entail similar difficulties of manufacture as in the case of clothing. Page 34. 01. Clothing supplied to officers should be smart and well, fitting. Clothing for officers is at present being made according to personal measurements. Page 36. 62. Clothing and equipment to be branded. Vide 139. Page 64.

2—H. 19d.

H.—l9d

10

Paoe 37. 63. Shortcomings in camps due, to too much, nursing of Camp Commandants and, other officers. The Camp Commandants have a very free hand in the control of their camps. There are certain matters, however, which cannot be left in their hands— e.g., enlistment, discharge, and transfer of personnel. Such matters as these require co-ordination'throughout the Dominion. Page 37. 64. Lack of application of true, principles of organization. The adverse criticism of the camps on I he ground of "lack of application of the principles of organization " is considered to be unwarranted in view of the smoothness with which the camps have run, the conditions existing therein, and the results achieved. The camps were organized without previous experience in the Dominion, and, for the greater part, the staff was created from untrained officers and men. The Commission have apparently found no waste of public money, of food, or of materials in the camps. If the " true principles of organization " had been so disregarded, could such results have been achieved? With the exception of the outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis in 1915, the camps have never been a source of anxiety or even of trouble. Paoe 37. 05. Training-period in New Zealand could, be reduced, by one-fourth. Vide 73. Page 39. Vide 104. Page 54. Page 37. 00. Drafts from New Zealand are not fully or uniformly trained. The evidence brought before the Commission that the standard of the Reinforcements on arrival in the United Kingdom " generally was found to be good " is full confirmation of the correctness of the policy of the Defence Department. It is true that men have been embarked short-trained on various occasions during the war, owing to the necessity of filling ships, combined with shortages of drafts on mobilization, or caused by sickness. Reports received from General Richardson and other responsible officers in regard to all drafts despatched from New Zealand during the past ten months have been uniformly most satisfactory. Page 38. til .Difficult to think the camps satisfactorily conducted when bi-weekly visits from an officer at General Headquarters necessary. Frequent visits to the camps are necessary, not in order to interfere with the Camp Commandants and Chief Instructors, but to maintain that, "full intimate knowledge" which the Commissioners themselves consider so necessary for the Officer at General Headquarters dealing with the camps to have (vide 0. Page 7). The Chief of the General Stall does not personally look after everything done, more than is necessary for him to keep in touch with what is going on. Page 38. 08. Camp Commandants have, no responsibility for training, and their time is occupied in comparatively 'unimportant work. The Camp Commandants have always been responsible that training was properly carried out on the programme laid down by General Headquarters. Standing Orders have, however, been amended so as to define the responsibility more clearly in this respect. Page 38. 09. // troubles and difficulties arise in the camps there is probability of trouble, through 'division of control and vagueness of responsibility. Any possibility of vagueness of responsibility has been removed by orders already issued which clearly define the Camp Commandant's responsibility. These orders will be included in the new edition of Camp Standing Orders, which has been in press for some time and which is shortly to be issued. Page 38. 70. At Sling Gamp Instructors are clianged every six months. The importance of constant fresh Instructors at Sling is fully recognized and acknowledged. There the detail of modern fighting is taught. The latest, lessons of the trenches are essential. In New Zealand the training is on broad lines, the principles and even the methods of which have changed little since the war began. Drill, musketry, and discipline remain the same. Bayonet fighting alone has altered much, and for instruction in this subject experts have been obtained. Although there is not, therefore, the same need for constant change in the staff of the recruit camps of New Zealand as in the more advanced training-camps of the United Kingdom and France, constant drafts of assistant Instructors from Imperial schools are periodically obtained. Page 38. 71. The system of camp administration too centralized and expensive. Vide 127. Page 04. Page 39. 72. Officers in high, positions in New Zealand do not fully understand the difference between going to France and, going into the firing-line. The Staff in New Zealand arc fully aware that men are sent from the United Kingdom to Etaples for further training.

H.—l9b

11

Page 39. 73. Great saving to be, effected under system of reduced training-period, in New Zealand. Vide 65. Page 37. Vide 104. Page 54. Page 39. 74. There is not sufficient knowledge in New Zealand of training in the United Kingdom and France. Officers in, charge of training should be sent abroad. The total number of officers on the Training Staff who have not seen service in the present war is nine. The work on which these officers arc employed is of an elementary nature, the principles and methods of which have been unaffected by the war. There are probably few recruit-instructors, if any, of the armies of the world more capable than those of the training-camps of New Zealand. Of the nine, only three are fit and eligible for service. One of these three officers has already been to the United Kingdom, and was specially returned to New Zealand to carry out instructional work. One belongs to Class C of the Second Division, and the third is on loan from the Imperial Army. All vacancies in the Training Staff since the early period of the war have been filled by returned officers only. Page 39. 75. Much could be learned from American methods of mobilization and administration. Officers —-e.g., ('amp Commandants — might be sent, to America. The suggestion to send the Camp Commandants is not considered practicable. It must not bo forgotten that America has had to obtain the services of British officers to assist in the instruction- of her troops. Page 40. 70. Camp interchange of troops carried, on without, reason, involving large expenditure, direct and indirect. Vide 79, 80, 81. Page 40. Page 40. 77. Purchase of site and establishment of a rifle range at Featherston. A rifle range can always be constructed at Featherston when necessary, but it is not considered that the expense would be warranted in war-time when Trentham ranges are available. At present the after-war organization is not yet approved, and unless and until it has been decided that Featherston Camp is to be continued after the war for the Territorial Force use a range is not justified. Page 40. 78. The distance of a, rifle range from a camp is nothing when training for war. The opinion put forward that in "training actually for war" the distance of the rifle range is immaterial cannot be agreed to. This is purely a training question, on which the Military authorities are probably more capable of forming a correct judgment. Marching to and from a range is time wasted. A range five miles distant means ten miles marching —a minimum of three hours lost for each day's shooting. Page 40. 79. Medical, authorities refuse to endorse inter-camp moves. Recruits must be segregated at Tauherenikau Camp for a month after mobilization by order of the Medical authorities. There must, therefore, of necessity be a move into and out of that camp. Drafts are mobilized at Trentham, and are then moved to Tauherenikau. The reason for this is that the Infantry are embarked from Trentham, and it simplifies the accounting for equipment, clothing, &c, if the camp which issued on mobilization also writes off on embarkation. Page 40. 80. Better organization -would overcome the necessity for inter-camp.moves. The organization is designed to deal with the moves efficiently. Men learn to look after themselves when moving; it is a part of their training. There are many reasons in favour of the present system, which works as a normal routine. Page 40. 8,1. Inter-camp moves involve the employment of at, least fifty, -possibly a hundred, -men in administrative -work. It is an exaggeration to say that fifty to a hundred men could be cut out from the camp staff if inter-camp moves were possible to be abolished —five to ten would be a more probable number. Page 40. 82. Staff of camps very large. Vide 128. 'Page 04. Page 40. 82a. Thirty-four of the officers of the camp staff have not had present-war service. Only nine of the thirty-four belong to the Training Staff (vide Note 74). On the Administrative Staff fifteen have had present-war service and twenty-five have not. Several of the latter have cither proceeded to the front since the sitting of the Royal Commission or arc under orders at present. Of the remainder, none are liable for service under the Military Service Act; they are either unfit or above the age-limit. These officers have already done, or are doing, excellent work. They have acquired great experience in their

H.—l9d

12

respective appointments, and to change them unnecessarily would inevitably entail loss of efficiency and considerable waste of money. All vacancies which may occur have been and will be filled by returned officers. Page 41. 83. Co-ordination of Chaplains would, save expense. The number of Chaplains of different denominations employed in the camps is a question for Government policy, but any reduction is to be deprecated, since the Chaplains do an immense amount of good. Page 41. 84. Sergeant-major Drill Instructors. The case of the Drill Instructors has been fully "inquired into and satisfactorily cleared up. Page 41. 85. Men should, be embarked -with one suit of uniform, and two suits of denims instead of two suits of uniforms. Men are embarked with one denim jacket, one pair denim shorts, and one pair denim trousers. These are worn on board ship. Two suits of uniforms arc also issued in accordance with Imperial Army requirements for all troops proceeding overseas to base. Not only do we comply with Imperial requirements, but we effect economy. Clothing which goes as personal kit goes free, while if sent as cargo incurs heavy charges. Page 41. 80. Knives, forks, &c, if issued, on board ship, should, not be, issued, to the soldier. There never was and is not now a second issue of knives, forks, &c, to soldiers aboard ships; at the present time the shipping company supplies the cutlery for use on the voyage. Page 41. 87. Reduce the ration, scale on a, basis of experience to a fairer unit, to work, on. There are three ration scales in force in New Zealand— (a) For the New Zealand Expeditionary Force camps, Home Service details and mobilized troops in forts, guards for prisoners of war; (b) for Maoris and Islanders in the Narrow Neck Camp; (c) for Territorial camps. It is a well-known fact that when troops first arrive in camp they eat the full ration, and after a, time in camp they eat less. Secondly, in large camps, such as Featherston and Trentham, where there is a great amount of leave given, there naturally must be a saving in the ration scale; but in small detachments, forts, &c, where the numbers are small,'invariably the full ration is drawn and eaten. It must be borne in mind that though the scale of rations laid down is a liberal one, it must not be inferred that the full quantity of diet is actually drawn. Page 42. 88. Information on comparative costs of rationing in different camps should be, published, from time to time — say, monthly. Arrangements have been made to publish costs monthly through the medium of General Orders. Page 42. 89. Publication of costs of Territorial Force camps are too much delayed. Normally there is no undue delay. The cost of Territorial camps, which usually terminate in May each year, are incorporated in the Annual Report of the General Officer Commanding, which is issued in June, so that only a month intervenes between the report of the General Officer Commanding and the conclusion of annual camp. However, the costs will in future be also published in General Orders. Page 42. 90. Some men who draw 2s. per diem in lieu of rations also obtain meals in camp. The allegation that men in receipt of 25.-per-diem allowance in lieu of rations also obtain meals in camp was fully investigated early in the present year. Little grounds for the allegation were forthcoming. Strict precautions are always taken. Page 42. 91. Suitable explanation not forthcoming for including cost of fuel and straw in rations. Paragraph 254, New Zealand Allowance Regulations, is as follows : " In regimental, battery, or unit camps no rations or forage will be issued by the A.S.C. As regards rations, an allowance of 2s. per head per diem will be allowed in lieu of rations in kind, including both the day of arrival and departure; and O.C.s units will make their own arrangements for feeding their men. It is to be clearly understood that the 2s. per day is to include all fuel necessary for cooking, wages of cooks, waiters, Ac." This was pointed out to the Commission as the reason for the inclusion. Page 43. 92. Possibility of sending Professor Kirk, to deal, with flies in Egypt and Palestine. Professor Kirk's services were offered for work abroad, and were declined. Page 43. 93. Professor Kirk's work should extend to Trentham. Professor Kirk's work will extend to Trentham.

13

H.—l9b.

Page 43. 94. Fly staff should receive extra-duty pay in common -with sanitary -men. This matter will be considered by the Board of Inquiry now sitting at Headquarters in regard to pay and allowances of the New Zealand Military Forces. Page 43. 94a. Sanitary squads should be under the Camp Principal Medical Officer, and not under the Camp Quartermaster. 1. The purely technical sanitary squads, such as fly sanitary staff, disinfectors, &c, arc directly under tho Camp Principal Medical Officer and belong to the New Zealand Medical Corps. 2. The sanitary squads employed by the Camp Quartermaster are performing nontechnical duties, such as working destructors, burial of nightsoil, road-scavengers, &c. Their work is best controlled by the Camp Quartermaster. The inspection of the work is, however, carried out by a specialist Sanitary Officer who is on the staff of the Camp Principal Medical Officer. 3. The excellent health record of the New Zealand camps, which compares so favourably with that of any other camp in the world, is evidence that the existing sanitary system works efficiently. A change is not considered necessary. Page 44. 95. //; is going to pay the camps to run their own canteens and cut, canteen profits. Featherston and A.wapuni Camp canteens are already being run by the Defence Department. When the present contract for the Trentham Camp canteen expires the Defence Department will take over that canteen also. Page 51. 96. Regulations governing hospital stores too voluminous and, vexatious for temporary and casual men to administer. The regulations for hospital dieting are easy and simple to grasp if the instructions are carried out. Hospital equipment is dealt with by the Ordnance Department. Page 51. 97. Value of some hospital returns more seeming than, real—e.g., separate, returns for food, consumed by staff and by patients. This refers to an occasion when, owing to the lack of accommodation at Hanmer, the hospital staff, and patients pooled their rations and dined together, which is contrary to regulations. This, when attention was drawn to it, was remedied, the staff there, as elsewhere, dining by themselves. Page 52. 98. Stricter discipline should be enforced at, Roiorua, even if the hotels must be placed out of bounds. Close attention has been and will be given to this matter. Page 52. 99. Provide light, duties out of doors for convalescent, patients. Rules have been drawn up for this purpose. Page 52. 100. When convalescents leave military hospitals care should be taken to establish close, touch bet-ween them and, the Health Department. Since (lie onus of looking after discharged soldiers has fallen on the Defence Department instructions have been issued to secure medical attention for convalescent soldiers on their discharge through the Superintendents of Hospitals and Assistant Directors of Medical Services of districts. Page 53. 101. Reduce lay. members of Medical Boards from five to three. • ' Vide 129. Page 04, Page 53. , 102. Medical re-examination should be, made by a full Board, of three officers. This is a subject which has given the Defence Department a great deal of consideration and anxiety. The head of the Medical Services is responsible that unfit men do not go into camp or do not leave New Zealand, and that fit men are not incorrectly passed as unfit, and so practically exempted from their obligations. In the past control has been kept by the head of the Medical Services himself reviewing such cases as were put before him and ordering re-examinations, and in some obvious cases reclassifying. This placed a great deal of routine work upon the head of the Medical Services, General Henderson, and solutions of the problem were sought in.'vain under the circumstances then existing. Recently a complete reorganization has been made in the medical side of the Headquarters of districts, and it has been found possible to throw upon the Senior Medical Officer of each district (the Assistant Director of Medical Services), the responsibility for re-examinations in all cases. Re-examinations will in future initiate with the Group Commander. The District Assistant Director of Medical Services will be the judge as to whether the re-examination will take place or not; the person to bo examined will be called up for re-examination through the Director of Recruiting; in ordinary cases the re-examination will be made

H.—l9b

14

by a Special District Medical Board of two members, and in cases where men have been through the hands of the C 2 Board any re-examination will be conducted by a Board of three members, of whom the Assistant Director of Medical Services will be one; no man will be dealt with except through that Group Commander who is responsible for the man as a recruit. It is believed that the reorganization of the Medical Services in districts which was occasioned by the assumption by the Defence Department of the work of the Health Department in regard to returned soldiers will prove very valuable in many other respects beyond that for which it was specifically effected, and a solution of tho re-examination difficult}- is one of the firstfruits of the reorganization. Page 53. 103. Gazette names of -men finally classed " C 2." Vide 130. Page 04, Page 54. 104. The cost of having a small proportion of unfits returned is very much less than the cost, of longer training for the whole. Vide 05. Page 37. Vide 73. Page 39. It is the policy of the New Zealand Government to train Reinforcements in New Zealand as far as possible prior to embarkation. . Training cannot be cut; down and yet remain efficient if the present policy of granting final leave prior to embarkation is to be adhered. to, Approximately 9,000 men have been discharged as unfit out of approximately 90,000 embarked from Now Zealand camps. Not only would the embarkation of those unfit men,' which would have boon inevitable under a system of short training, have cost a large amounl, but 10 per cent, of the Now Zealand Pcinforcements for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force would have been worthless, and the scale of Reinforcement would have had to have been increased accordingly. The question of the efficiency of the Force is of first importance. The present period of training cannot be reduced without increasing largely the numbers of useless men sent from the Dominion to the front. Page 54. Io4a. The " Arawa's " returned draft. The statement that of 485 men returned by this ship 108 should never have left New Zealand is not correct. The facts arc that 622 men returned by this ship, of whom 85 had not seen service at the front. Their cases were investigated, when it was found that 25 men should not have left New Zealand. Page 56. 105. Payments to Chair-men of Military Service Boards should be reduced to salary plus £100 per annum plus travelling-expenses. Vide 138. Page 64, Page 56. 106. Consider necessity of Military Representatives with Military Service Boards. In country districts the work might, be, done by the Group Commander, and in the cities by some other officer to represent the, Department. When the Military Representatives were appointed they were selected as legal practitioners, and were given military rank only for the technical purposes of giving weight to their military orders. It was considered that it would tend to smooth the working of the Military Service Act by employing as Military Representatives professional men of some experience, absolutely independent, free from the ordinary military prejudice which is inclined to regard every man not serving as a shirker. It was believed that the employment, of Military Representatives, rather than allowing Group Officers possessed of no legal experience to appear before the Boards, would avoid much friction which otherwise would have arisen. Some time before the Royal Commission was ,set up the question of continuing their employment was reviewed, and. the Chairmen of the Boards were consulted in conference, when they unanimously disapproved dispensing with Military Representatives. Later, on the Isth March, 1918, the question was referred to the Chairmen of the. Boards as to whether they could dispense with the Military Representatives and employ the Group Commanders. The Chairmen, with one exception, disapproved the use of Group Commanders, and desired the retention of the Military Representatives, and testified as to the practical value of their services. Tho correspondence comprised a considerable volume of evidence; and, as he was asked no question on the subject, the Adjutant-General tendered the evidence to the Commission, which they refused to take, informing him that they were satisfied on the point. Again, on the 15th August, 1918, the Chairmen of the Military Service Boards were consulted, when, with the same single exception, they disapproved dispensing with Military Representatives and testified again to the value of their services. It is not desirable to dispense with Military Representatives. Page 56. 107. Military Representatives should not wear uniform. The Military Representative gives orders as an officer; all officers at present wear uniform. No comment has hitherto been made as to Military Representatives wearing uniform, and discontinuance would be an invidious distinction. It may be noted that in the majority of cases the Military Representatives are entitled to wear uniform by virtue of their being commissioned officers before they were appointed.

15

H.—l9d

Page 56. ; 108. Unfortunate situation created, by position of officers unfit, for military service, yet not sufficiently unfit to be a charge on the Superannuation Fund. Every endeavour has been made to overcome the difficulty, and alternative schemes are now being investigated with a view to an amendment of the Act. Page 57. 109. No -necessity to put clerks into uniform at the expense of the public. Vide 141. Page 64. Home-service clerks in Wellington are drilled in a soldier's "duties and obligations," which work is undertaken outside the ordinary office hours. The value of a good clerk may not depend on his " top button " being open, but discipline for civil staff is equally necessary, and a civilian clerk would in few offices be allowed to work without his collar and tie, although such might, not interfere with his work. Page 57. 110. Many men drawing military pay for clerical work in excess of what they could earn in civil life. It is considered that as a general rule the pay of each member of the staff is well earned, and that, there are more members underpaid than overpaid for the work they do. The Commission appear to overlook the fact that temporary work of any nature is usually paid at a higher rale than permanent work, and Defence Department soldier-clerks are liable to discharge at any time, and can certainly not look to a permanent job. Owing to the war, experienced clerks can obtain high wages, particularly those willing to temporarily fill the places of employees on military service who have been promised a return to their old positions upon discharge. The case specified of a soldier earning £3 per week before the war and now drawing £297 as a Regimental Sergeant-Major, with wife and three children, is probably unique. To hold this rank the individual specified must be doing important work and have proved himself a capable administrator, lid is probably doing work which a civilian clerk would expect to obtain about £300 per annum for if he is in charge of a large section. Page 58. Iloa. Returned, soldiers employed, at original rank. Non-commissioned officers returned from the war are not taken on home service at their Expeditionary Forge (foreign service) rank; they enlist as privates, and only receive promotion according to the importance of the work done. Page 58. Iff. " Pay for rank "produces many anomalies. There must be some basis for pay, and " pay for rank " is the present basis. This does not apply in the cases of officers on loan from the Imperial Army under special contract, The whole question is being carefully considered. Page 58. 112. Desirable to reduce, the uniform issue to discharged, soldiers. An amended scale of issue has been approved, and will shortly be published in General Orders. Page 59. 113. Soldiers should, be returned to civil life, as early as possible. Vide 44, Pago 28. Every endeavour is made to discharge soldiers so that they may be returned to'civil life as quickly as possible. Page 59. 1 14. Before, putting soldiers on the land, their fitness for the. work should be tested. This matter was referred to the Department of Lauds and Survey, and the UnderSecretary, after a consultation with tho Director-General of Agriculture, under whose control are tho State farms at which returned soldiers obtain training, has replied as follows : — Settlement of Discharged Soldiers under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, 1915. Each applicant is required to fill in a form giving particulars of his farming experience and capabilities, together with a statement of his capital and other assets he may have at his command for the working of the land applied for. This application is considered by the Land Board of the district, which carefully scrutinizes his qualifications, and endeavours to ensure that land suitable to his farming experience, &c, may be allotted to him. The lack of money does not bar a man from obtaining land, as the Government may advance up to £750 to enable him .to effect improvements on his land, creel, a house, secure stock, farming implements, &c, (under departmental supervision). Provision is also made by which the Government may either advance money on mortgage to the soldier who desires to obtain freehold property, or may purchase the property itself and allot it to him. It is, however, essential that the applicant shall be able to work the land in a proper manner. The Annual Report on Discharged Soldiers Settlement for the year 1917, particularly paras. 19, 20, 21 29, anil 30, shows in detail the view of the Government on this matter. General Question oe Settlement of Returned Soldiers on the Land. This has on several occasions received consideration by the .Board of Agriculture, which has also conferred with the National Efficiency Board on the subject. The joint Boards have made representations to the

H.—l9d

16

Government as to the best manner of dealing with the question, and their representations have received every consideration. The Department of Agriculture itself is offering every facility on its experimental farms for the training of returned soldiers who wish to take up farms and have not much knowledge of agriculture or farm work. So far the response has been small, but the Department in every way is endeavouring to meet the requirements of the soldiers in this respect, and arrangements have been made by which all applications will receive immediate and careful consideration. In the South Island the Canterbury Patriotic Society arranged with the Government to take over tho Homebrook Estate, in the Southbridge district, for utilization as a trainingfarm for returned soldiers, but as soldiers did not take advantage of the opportunity the society were reluctantly compelled to abandon the idea. The position is, therefore, that provision has been and will continue to be made by the Government for (he training of returned soldiers, in order to afford them an opportunity of becoming sufficiently experienced to.work to the best advantage any land they may take up. Page 59. 115. Apparently little, justification for the formation of the Discharged Soldiers' Information and Employment, Department. This is a question for the Now Zealand Government. Page 59. 118, The Defence Department should, have an Advisory Engineer Officer. Vide 7. Page 7. In addition to the valuable assistance afforded us by the Public Works Department, the Engineer Works officers in the training-camps are always available to give expert advice when required. An Engineer officer at General Headquarters is not at present justified. Page CO. lICa. Territorial officers called into camp for whom there are no vacancies in commissioned rank in Expeditionary Force. 1. In the latter part of 1917 a reduction of Reinforcements produced conditions under which more Territorial officers were available than could be efficiently absorbed in Reinforcements. 2. The Defence Department took the stand that the surplus officers were liable for service under the Military Service Act in the ranks of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. 3. The officers in question disputed the attitude of the Defence Department, and decided to contest the legality of the ruling. This action resulted in considerable delay. 4. A final decision was obtained from the Supreme Court in August upholding (he original attitude taken by the Defence Department. 5. Of the officers who were held in the training-class in Trentham Camp pending the decision of the Supreme Court the majority were absorbed in existing vacancies in the Reinforcement drafts. 6. The present policy of the Department is to take all Territorial officers into camp in a training-class as non-commissioned officers. On completion of the course of training, which lasts some three months, the most suitable will be selected to till vacancies existing in the Reinforcement drafts. 7. Present arrangements are that out of twenty-seven Infantry officers required per draft, seventeen are to be furnished from the United Kingdom. The remaining ten vacancies will be filled by Territorial officers. This will admit of 130 officers, in addition to the twenty-nine officers who have already been absorbed this month since receipt of the decision of the Supreme Court, being granted commissions in the Expeditionary Force Reinforcements during the next twelve months. No officers will, however, proceed from New Zealand in higher rank than 2nd Lieutenant. Page'6l. 117. Whilst Lieut.-Colonel Cummin g receives military pay at a rate double his civil salary, other Territorial Force officers have some, cause for grievance. Lieut.-Colonel Gumming was specially returned to New Zealand by orders of the General Officer Commanding New Zealand Expeditionary Force for employment on the Instructional Staff. Whilst in the United Kingdom he was sent to several schools to learn the latest methods of training. Lieut,-Colonel Gumming has performed his duties in New Zealand in a most efficient manner. As soon as a sufficiently qualified officer becomes available to replace him Lieut.-Colonel Gumming will be set free to proceed on active sei-vice. Page 62. 118. Excessive use of telegrams should be rigorously cut down; urgent telegrams restricted. Telegrams are restricted as far as possible, and further reductions will be made as far as efficiency will permit. Page 62. 119. Desirable to institute, a check on Defence, Department telegrams by Post and Telegraph Department. The Post and Telegraph Department was approached with a view to ascertaining whether a practical check could be effected. The Secretary, Post and Telegraph Department, in commenting on this paragraph of the Commission's Report, states as follows : — " I beg to state that it is not proposed to suggest the imposition of any check by this Department on telegrams, as it is considered that it would be quite beyond the functions of the Department to subject telegrams handed in by your Department to review or criticism."

17

H.—l9d

Page 62. 120. Anomalous that highest character on discharge only attainable, with two and a half years' service. In March, 1916, cable inquiries were made from England and Australia to ascertain if any departure was being made from King's Regulations, paragraphs 415 to 419, in assessing characters on discharge-certificates of members of an Expeditionary Force. The replies showed that King's Regulations were being followed. The Australian Defence Department also forwarded copy of Instruction No. 334, issued on the sth August, 1915, that if no report of misconduct existed, and there was no record of character available, the character was to be stated as " good "on the discharge-certificate. In December, 1915, in endeavouring to overcome the difficulty of correctly assessing characters at the time of discharge when the soldiers' conduct-sheets were not available in this country, it was decided to issue a discharge-certificate without assessment of character at the time of discharge, and when the conduct-sheets arrived to issue a special conduct-certificate. After a very short experience this system was found impracticable, as men discharged with bad characters only procured their certificate of discharge when applying for employment on which no character was shown, and the good-conduct man was found to be at a disadvantage with the " incorrigible." It was therefore decided in June, 1916, to follow the Australian custom, and this continued in force until some alteration appeared necessary on account of the longer period of service and the fuller conduct reports then available at the time of discharge. As so many soldiers had been discharged with "good" character it was not considered desirable to award " very good " to those with similar service, consequently it was decided that two and a half years' service was necessary before a "very good" character could be shown on the discharge parchment. Any other action would have necessitated the calling-in and reissue of all discharge-certificates after a reassessment of character. It would appear that the Australian Defence Department has found its original system unsatisfactory, and still does not have sufficient information available at the time of discharge to correctly determine a man's character. Two recent Australian dischargecertificates issued at Melbourne and Sydney show no conduct, and the following announcement is stamped across certificate: "The practice of including a statement of character or special qualifications on the discharge-certificate has been discontinued from Ist December, 1917." From this it would appear that the procedure adopted in New Zealand is justified, and that our discharge-certificates enable employers at any rate to distinguish the good-conduct men from the bad-conduct men, which would be impossible if no statement of character were furnished. Page 62. 121. The soldier's discharge-certificate should shoiv how and why the, different conduct grades are awarded. The present discharge-certificate does show that no character better than " good " can be awarded to soldiers with less than two and a half years' service. When a " fair " or "indifferent" character is awarded on account of military offences which should not affect civilian life the reason is so stated on the certificate of discharge, several lines for this purpose being available on the certificate. Page 62. 121 a. Cabling minor ailments. Minor ailments are not cabled, and, with one brief exception, which was stopped as soon as London Record Office could be so informed by telegram, never have been. On the other hand, minor casualties, when received by mail in hospital reports, are notified to next-of-kin on a printed memorandum form. The necessity for this notification is that many minor casualties necessitate several weeks' treatment in a hospital or convalescent home, during which time a soldier often does not write home. Some other soldier, who is a better correspondent, knows of such soldier's treatment in hospital, and informs his own people, who forward the information to the sick soldier's relatives. The result used to be indignant or anxious letters from parents requiring full information and a reason for no notification of their relative's illness. Since the institution of the reporting of minor casualties by mail no similar complaints have been received, nor has one objection to the system been notified to the Department. Page 63. 122. The organization of the Defence Department on its administrative side is faulty. Vide 1. Page 6. The desirability of decentralizing some of the work falling on the General Officer Commanding in his dual capacity of Commandant and Quartermaster-General was recognized early in the war. Colonel Esson, C.M.G., was specially ordered to return to New Zealand in the middle of 1916 to take up the appointment of Deputy QuartermasterGeneral. Unfortunately he had subsequently to be allowed to return to the Treasury Department, to which he belongs. It would be of the utmost advantage to the Defence Department, and would remove many of the criticisms of the Commission, if his return to take up the appointment of Quartermaster-General can now be arranged. The question is now under consideration. Page 63. 123. Training and Administrative Branches to be kept quite separate and distinct. Vide 2. Page 6. Training and administration are and always have been separated. Duties relating to personnel, however, do not cover everything, and the General Staff is entrusted with

3—H. 19d.

H.—l9d

18

many functions beyond training, such as strategical and policy questions, intelligence, censorship, &c. In these relations the duties of the responsible branches must inevitably overlap slightly. It should be noted that discipline is not a function of the General Staff, but of the Adjutant-General. Page 63. 124. Adjutant-General's Branch split up between an Administrative Department and the Branch of the Chief of the General Staff. The Adjutant-General has no branches which are not administrative. The Commission confuses " administration " with the functions of the Quartermaster-General, whereas " administration " comprises the functions of both Adjutant-General and QuartermasterGeneral. The following diagram, so far as personnel is concerned, will serve to express it:— Training Administration J 1 C.G.B. | | (trains the man). A.G. Q.M.G. (all dealings with men outside (all dealings with subjects that training — e.g., recruiting, are not men — e.g., stores, medical, &c). &c). All that is not administrative falls under " training," and these two are never mixed ; and though transferring some of tho Adjutant-General's duties to the Chief of the General Staff would be impracticable rather than impossible, a situation without parallel in British Forces would be created by such a transfer. The work of the Quartermaster-General and of the Adjutant-General could be combined in two sections under one head, but the extent of the work in New Zealand during the present war would make supervision impossible for one man. As a matter of fact, the administrative duties of an Adjutant-General and Quartermaster-General were in pre-war days combined in the New Zealand district commands, but a very short experience of war caused the separation of the two spheres even in the districts, where the work is necessarily much less than at Headquarters. The appointment of a General Officer in Charge of Administration would not dispense with the necessity for the performance of any of the duties of the Adjutant-General or of the Quartermaster-General, and any attempt to dispense with those officers and throw the whole responsibility upon the General Officer in Charge of Administration would inevitably break down on account of the magnitude of the work involved. An Adjutant-General is a usual and necessary part of a Military Staff, performing definite functions, and existing in all armies of the great nations of the world. Page 64. 125. Establishment of the Audit Department, in London. Vide 20. Page 14. This matter has been under consideration for some time past. Arrangements have now been completed to send agents of the Auditor-General to Europe at an early date. In the meantime the General Officer Commanding New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the United Kingdom has set up a small Military Audit Branch. Page 64. 126. Appoint, a, representative of Audit, in each Military District. Vide 23. Page 14. There is already a representative of the Government Auditor in each district, The above recommendation will be placed before the Auditor-General with a view to a possible extension of the duties of his officers. It must, however, be borne in mind that pre-audit of accounts introduces an element of delay in settlement. Page 64. 127. Change, brigade system for battalion system in camps. Vide 71. Page 38. It is regretted that the Commission did not go more fully into this problem. No officers of the staff at General Headquarters were called to give evidence on the subject. It is denied that the camp organization is too centralized and expensive. The results attained show that the organization is good. The cost per head shows that it is not expensive. The size of the staff compares most favourably with that of any other camp of which particulars are available. The system is economical, efficient, and is best suited to meet local conditions of provisions of trained Reinforcements. The battalion system is essentially a fighting weapon; the New Zealand camp system is essentially a machine for turning out Reinforcements. Page 64. 128. Reduce camp establishments. Vide 82. Page 40. It is regretted that this question was not given more consideration. Little evidence was called for from officers concerned. It must be remembered that Medical and Dental Corps alone account for 20 per cent, of the camp staff. The New Zealand camps compare extremely favourably with the camps in the United Kingdom as regards size of staff. The

19

H.—l9d.

strength of the camp staffs is, however, constantly under revision, and every effort is made to effect reductions. Comparison or Sling and Trentham Camps Staffs. Sling. Trentham. (a.) Average camp strength, period June, 1.917, (a.) Average camp strength, period January, 1918, to March, 1918 .. .. .. 4,600 to August, 1918 .. .. .. 3,927 (6.) Permanent staff, average strength.. .. 583 (6.) Permanent staff, average strength ~ .. 822 For purposes of comparison must be added For purposes of comparison must bo dcto (6) —■ ducted from (6) —• (c.) Temporary staff of unfit employed men doing (c.) Trentham staff employed on duties performed duties performed In Trentham by perma- in Sling camp by Imperial Army or not ncnt staff .. . . .. .. 338 required .. ' .. .. . . 309 Total of (6) and (c) .. .. 921 (6) less (c) .. .. .. 513 Proportion of staff to camp strength — 921 : 4,000 Proportion of staff to camp strength = 513 : 3,927 (i.e., 1 : 5). (i.e., 1 : 7-0). Page 64. 129. Reduce lay staff of each Medical Board to three persons. Vide 101. Page 53. This is a variation, of a suggestion to dispense with the whole of the lay members of the Boards, which was very fully considered and discussed. The suggestion was submitted to the Group Commanders, the majority of whom pronounced adversely on it. The present suggestion will be submitted to the Group Commanders as soon as possible, and their opinion obtained, but it would appear to be impracticable. The Group staffs have been reduced, and there arc occasions when concentration and training refresher courses would absorb the whole Group staff. It is known that in some Groups the staff could not be spared for this work, and it is believed that the proposition would produce an immediate demand from the Groups for more staff to meet the situation. A. small saving would apparently be made. In five Groups the apparent saving would be £15 16s. lid., or £3 3s. sd. per Group per ballot. If the suggestion be found practicable, there still remains the consideration whether it would be worth while to dispense with the services of men who understand the duties required of them to effect the small saving involved. Page 64. 130. Gazette names of men finally classed C 2, giving reasons. Vide 103. Page 53. Lists of names for gazetting under section 46 were prepared last year, but the setting-up of the C 2 Re-examination Board caused publication to be held up pending revision. New lists are in course of preparation, commencing with the First Division, but these lists will not show disabilities. Page 64. 131. Payment of allotments, separation allowance, &c, should be lunar, or for one-twelfth of a year , instead of by calendar month. Vide 21.' Page 14, Steps are being taken to investigate the proposal with a view to effecting any changes which may be considered necessary. Page 64. 132. Abolish groomage, allowance. Vide 31. Page 19. This question is under consideration by the Board of Inquiry on Pay and Allowances now sitting at General Headquarters. Page 64. 133. Abolish professimial -pay in certain cases. Vide 36. Page 19. The policy of granting professional pay to Medical and Dental Officers serving in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force was adopted at the commencement of the war, before the passing of the Military Service Act, and has been kept up ever since. The matter is now under the consideration of the Board on Pay and Allowances. Page 64. 134. Abolish, field-service allowances in standing camps. Vide 24. Page 17. Vide 31. Page 19. Page 64. 135. Establishment camp allowance and. field, allowance on flat rate. Vide 33. Page 19. Vide 34. Page 19. This matter is also under consideration by the Board on Pay and Allowances. Page 64. 136. Increased pay of Lieutenants on Staff work in New Zealand. Vide 30. Page 18. Page 64. 137. Increase travelling-allowance of Ca,ptains and, Lieutenants. ■ ■ Vide 38. Page 27. All four questions are under consideration by a Board of Inquiry on Pay and Allowances now sitting at General Headquarters.

H.—l9d

Paoe 64. 138. Reduce fees of Chairmen of Military Service Boards. Vide 105. Page 56. This is a matter for decision by the New Zealand Government, The rales of pay were not fixed by the Defence Department. The Defence Department has nothing whatever to do with the Military Service Boards, which are judicial bodies constituted under the authority of the Military Service Act. The remuneration of Chairmen and members was not fixed by the Department, but by Government on the recommendation of the National Recruiting Board. It was originally intended to ask for honorary service on these Boards, but as it was considered that such a proposal would unduly restrict the choice of selection and of representation of different interests, it was finally decided to fix the fee at one guinea per diem and the travelling-allowance of £1 per diem, and pay Chairmen and members alike. The position of the Stipendiary Magistrates appointed as Chairmen was specially considered, and it was decided to place them on the same footing as Stipendiary Magistrates who are appointed members of Commissions set up under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, except that in the case of the Military Service Boards the total amount of fee and travellingallowance was fixed to coincide with the amount paid to other Chairmen and members. Page 64, 139. Brand clothing and equipment to prevent pilfering. Vide 62. Page 36. All uniform clothing ami equipment is branded with the New Zealand Government brand. Page 64. 140. Transfer Branches of Director of Recruiting and Director of Personal Services to Government Statistician. Vide 18. Page 11. It is, of course, realized that the organizing ability of Mr. Malcolm Eraser would be of considerable value if it were decided to combine the Branches of Recruiting and Personal Services with the registration-work at present undertaken by the Government Statistician, but it must not be overlooked that highly technical, legal, and military duties arc performed by the Directors of these branches as at present constituted, which could not, without previous experience, be carried on by the Government Statistician, The Commission's assumption that the work, at present necessitating the employment of 254 clerks, could be successfully undertaken with a maximum of 100 and probably only fifty is difficult to understand, because they do not propose to reduce the work now done in these branches. It is admitted that if extensive amendments were made in the Military Service Act, 1916, and an entirely different system were evolved for carrying out the various duties under this Act, some reduction in the clerical staff might be made; but it must be remembered that when the present system was instituted the Defence Department was faced with the putting into operation of a system which had never previously been tried, and the difficulties for the carrying-out of which could not be foreseen. The Branches of the Directors of Recruiting and Personal Services were not formed until 1917, when, on account of the large number on active service, male clerical labour was very scarce, and experienced clerks unobtainable from Government Departments to take charge of the various sections. The result was that the clerks employed even in important positions were almost entirely inexperienced, and, although every endeavour has been made, it had not yet been possible to obtain a really efficient staff. If the Government Statistician were to undertake the duties as suggested by the Commission he would be faced with exactly similar difficulties in the quality of the staff he had to employ, and it is difficult to believe that under these circumstances the work could certainly be done with less than two-fifths and probably one-fifth of the number now employed. Had the Defence Department been able to obtain a building in which all its branches could be housed there would have been a reduction in the number of clerks in all the newly created War Branches, but as this has so far been found impracticable a certain amount of overlapping has been necessary, although every possible care is taken to reduce this to a minimum by careful co-operation between the various branches. Page 64. 141. Administrative Staff to be in mufti. Vide 46. Page 28. Vide 109. Page 57. This, it is presumed, is intended to refer to the rank and file employed on home service, although the report deals with it " irrespective of rank." It would not be desirable that the Quartermaster-General, the Adjutant-General, the Director of Movements and Quartering, the Director of Base Records, &c, should always be in mufti, but consideration might be given to the demilitarizing of the whole of the clerical staff. There are cases where experienced clerks go on home service for the purpose of taking up military work in uniform. The fact also must be faced that troublesome soldiers are much more easily dealt with by a non-commissioned officer in uniform. The subject requires the most careful consideration, because whatever advantages are to be gained will be achieved only at the cost of the certain loss of many men whom the Defence Department cannot afford to lose, loss of disciplinary powers, and the creation of a new era of overtime expenditure. Tho advantages, except in the direction of cutting out married allowances to certain married men, are not so obvious. The proposal, however, will have careful consideration.

20

21

H.—l9d

Page 64. 142. Military nomenclature to be simplified. If the Forces of the British Empire are to be enabled to act together, standardization and cohesion are absolutely necessary, and this has been stressed at Imperial Conferences on more than one occasion. Our nomenclature is based on that of the British Army for the purpose of standardization, arid is understood by any Staff Officer in Britain, India, Canada, _ Australia,, South Africa., and in the greater of the Allied countries. Any of the appellations commented on by the Commission would convey to such a Staff Officer a knowledge of the duties performed by the person so named. On the other hand, a local nomenclature, even if it achieved the improbability of popular understanding, would mean nothing in the other parts of the Empire, and an extension of such a species of initiative would produce chaos. Our nomenclature is either precisely the same or based with slight variation upon the nomenclature adopted by the British Army. The "Director of Personal Services," the "Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores," the "Director of Movements and Quartering," the "Director of Supplies and Transport" are either exactly or substantially the same terms as arc used in the British Army for the officers performing the duties which our officers so named perform. Page 64. 143. The, functions of the Director of E quipment'and Ordnance Stores to be extended, to embrace Engineer stores, Medical supplies, and Army Service Corps stores, including forage and food. Vide 51. Page 53. The scope of the Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores does include certain Engineer stores and all Medical, Dental, and Veterinary equipment except surgical instruments and drugs. Drugs and perishable articles such as food and forage should not be included in the scope of his duties. If these were included two distinct systems of accounting would be necessary. • Page 64, 144. Work of the Director of Movements and, Quartering to be handed to an expert on, shipping. The Director of Movements and Quartering actually has little to do with the technical portion of the preparation of charters. The success of his work is fully borne out by the Commission themselves in their report on transports (vide page 45 et seq.), and in their final conclusions (page_67); but in any case the work of the Director of Movements and Quartering in connection with transports will be very largely reduced owing to the fact that practically all the New Zealand ships have now been commandeered by the Shipping Controller at the Admiralty. Page 65. 145. Lack of co-ordination' of Director of Financial Services Branch and War Expenses Branch. Both branches should be amalgamated and worked as one under officer to be called the Chief Paymaster. • Vide 26. Page 15. Although the Officer in Charge of the War Expenses Branch is a, civilian on loan from the Treasury Department, he is subordinate to the Director of Financial Services. Page 65. 14G. Present Director of Financial Services to be transferred, as not sufficiently qualified for the control of Financial Services Branch and War Expenses Branch. The present Director of Financial Services is perfectly competent to carry out the duties of his appointment. He has been in his present position practically throughout the period of the war, and he has discharged his important duties efficiently. Page 65. 147. A Board should make recommendations for appointments and promotions to the Minister. The Board should include, the Public Service Commissioner. It is not considered desirable that a Board should be set up to represent appointments and promotions to the Minister. This is a function of the General Officer Commanding, and no Board could exercise the function as efficiently as the General Officer Commanding can do. A Board would be quite inapplicable in the case of appointments which may be made to any of the various portions of the service; no Board could possibly know the requirements of those various portions in the same manner as the General Officer Commanding, supported by his technical advisers as to the particular portion of the services concerned. Improper appointments would be much more easily accomplished through a Board than through the General Officer Commanding, whose knowledge of every part of the service is intimate. A Board already exists in regard to the promotions, not for the purpose of making them, but for the purpose of co-ordinating them. This Board has been in existence for a long time, and its work has been found beneficial, and is of considerable assistance to the General Officer Commanding, upon whom the responsibility for the promotion finally rests. _ The suggestion that the Public Service Commissioner should be a member of the Board, either for appointment or promotion, is undesirable. He could not possibly have the knowledge to make his presence of any value, and his inclusion in such a Board would only have the effect of whittling down the responsibility of the General Officer Commanding.

S.—l9d

22

Page 65. 148. Administrative officers should be changed, round occasionally. This probably applies to all officers. The New Zealand Regulations already provide for terms of appointment of four to five years, but it is not considered advisable to adhere strictly to this regulation during war-time. When accentuated by shortage of available officers, changes invariably involve an interregnum of inefficient work; as a matter of fact, changes have resulted throughout the Defence Department owing to the necessity of replacing officers in order to set them free for service at the front. Page 66. 149. Insufficient conferences. Vide 8. , Page 8. Conferences between the heads of branches and the directors of branches at General Headquarters arc of very frequent occurrence, and conferences with other Departments or officials from other Departments are also of frequent occurrence. Quite a considerable portion of the time of heads of branches and directors is taken up with conferences. Conferences with officers from districts arc less frequent, but nevertheless often occur. An annual conference of Officers Commanding Districts is always arranged by the General Officer Commanding, but, in addition to this, special conferences have been held with Officers Commanding Districts. Frequent conferences with all District Staffs are difficult to arrange on account of the expense involved and the taking of district officers from their work. Page 66. 150. Too -much value placed on, Courts and, Boards of Inquiry. Boards are only held when there is matter for consideration owing to responsibility not being clearly defined, or to charges being demurred to by the person held responsible. Page 66. 151. There is a lack or looseness in. establishments; at, -present definite establishments should be provided for all units and be fixed by Order in Council. No alteration should be madti without reference to the Board charged with appointments. Numbers of definite establishments exist, and though the report says " The Director of Organization deals with . . . establishments . . . ," this officer was never called to give evidence. Existing establishments are set out in the attached list, divided into " A," those made prior to the outbreak of war, and " B," those made subsequent to the outbreak of war. Those in regard to the Permanent and Territorial Forces are fixed by Order in Council, but it is unnecessary and undesirable that the establishments of temporary war arrangements should be fixed by Order in Council. Those on the accompanying list were all in force before the Commission sat, and it is one of the duties of the Director of Organization, in addition to seeing that establishments exist, to ensure that appointments are not made in excess of establishments. Establishments (exclusive of ExpEniTioNARY Force Training-camps). A. Prior to outbreak of War. —Prior to the outbreak of the present war establishments existed for— (1.) The New Zealand Staff Corps. ] (2.) The Royal New Zealand Artillery. I The Permanent Forces. (3.) The New Zealand Permanent Staff, j (4.) All units of the Territorial Force. These establishments have not been departed from. B. Subsequent to the outbreak of War. —Subsequent to the outbreak of war provisional establishments have been fixed for— (1.) Army Ordnance Corps. j (2.) Army Pay Corps, - I Permanent Forces. (3.) Army Service Corps. ) (4.) All departments at General Headquarters, as under :— (a.) Department of the Chief of the General Staff. (b.) Department of the Quartermaster-General, comprising— (i.) Branch of the Director of Movements and Quartering, (ii.) Branch of the Assistant Quartermaster-General (Coast Defences), (iii.) Branch of• the Director of Supplies and Transport, including Brigade Supply Depot and Staff, " X " Shed, (iv.) Branch of the Director of Equipment and Ordnance, Stores (Army Ordnance Corps), (v.) Branch of the Director of Financial Services (Army Pay Corps). (c.) Department of the Adjutant-General, comprising—■ (i.) Personal Staff. (ii.) Branch of the Director of Medical Services, (iii.) Branch of the Director of Base Records, (iv.) Branch of the Director of Recruiting. (v.) Branch of the Director of Organization. (vi.) Branch of the Director of Personal Services. (vii.) Branch of the Director of Dental Services. .... (viii.) Central Registry, (ix.) Military Police. (x.) Guard, Somes Island Internment Camp, (xi.) Wanganui Detention Barracks, (xii.) Awapuni Camp (Staff).

23

H.—l9d

(5.) All districts, as under :— (a.) Auckland Military District, comprising--(i.) District Headquarters, (ii.) Group 1. (iii.) Group 2. (iv.) Group 3. (v.) Group 4. (vi.) Group 17. (vii.) Guard, Motuihi Internment Camp, (viii.) Guard, Awanui Wireless Station, (ix.) King George V Convalescent Home, Rotorua. (x.) Sanatorium, Rotorua. (xi.) Waikato Sanatorium. (xii.) Auckland Garrison Dispensary and Medical Stores, (xiii.) Medical Boards. (b.) Wellington Military District, comprising— (i.) District Headquarters, (ii.) Group 5. (iii.) Group 6. (iv.) Group 7. (v.) Group 8. (vi.) Group 18. (vii.) Group 19. (viii.) Group 20. (ix.) Wellington Medical Stores, (x.) Wellington Permanent Invaliding Board, (xi.) Medical Boards. (c.) Canterbury Military District, comprising— (i.) District Headquarters, (ii.) Group 9. (iii.) Group 10. (iv.) Group 11. (v.) Group 12. (vi.) Group 21. (vii.) Queen Mary's Convalescent Home, Hanmer. (viii.) Medical Boards, (ix.) Ripa Island Internment Camp (since abolished), (x.) Garrison Dispensary and Medical Stores. (d.) Otago Military District, comprising— (i.) District Headquarters, (ii.) Group 13. (iii.) Group 14. (iv.) Group 15. (v.) Group 16. (vi.) Quarantine Island, (vii.) Medical Boards. (viii.) Garrison Dispensary and Medical Stores. (6.) The New Zealand Expeditionary Force camps: These establishments, although not promulgated throughout the Dominion, were issued early in the war to Camp Commandants and to heads of branches concerned, and revised editions have been issued at frequent intervals since. Page 66. 152. It should be, impressed on officers that they are trustees of public money. This has always been thoroughly, understood by all officers of the Defence Department. Page 66. 153. There, should, be, a stern combing-out of the Defence -Department of fit men. The combing-out should be repeated at intervals of six months. This is already the practice. Combing out the Defence Department is constantly going on, but the fit men are few. In order to keep up the pressure, periodical medical examinations for employed men were ordered some time ago. Retu-ned soldiers discharged for wounds or ill health who become fit are not liable for service, if not so discharged they are caught in the ballot, and the revision is automatic. Page 66. 154. The principle of the amalgamation of the administrative position should also take place in connection with the district commands. The notes on 124 apply equally to this suggestion.

Approximate Cott of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (1,000 copies), £25.

Authority : Marcus F. Mauks, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9lB.

Price 9d.]