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be officered by professional men educated as architects, civil mechanical or mining engineers, or surveyors ;or who shall have some special qualification. Such a company would be material from which an engineer company could be raised whenever the Government may be in a position to find special instruction for this arm. Without special instruction, the Board can only consider a volunteer engineer corps as a rifle company, taking precedence without sufficient qualifications. The necessity of special instruction applies also to torpedo and signalling corps. The Board consider engineer, torpedo, and signalling corps, with a school of instruction for all branches, to be component parts of the scheme for defence set forth by Colonel Scratchley. These items are therefore not dealt with beyond provision being made for material for such corps in the constitution of No. 1 company in each infantry regiment, and in the retention of a naval brigade in the second line. The Board make an urgent recommendation for the establishment of such a central school of instruction. Officers commanding Administrative Eegiments and Adjutants. Officers will be nominated to the command of regiments and districts by His Excellency the Governor on the recommendation of the commandant. The Board recommend the constitution of three districts in the North Island, and the same number in the South Island. In each district it is proposed to establish the head-quarters of a regiment of infantry with one or more batteries of artillery of three guns each, and, with the exception of Nelson and Wellington, a squadron of cavalry. The adjutant of the infantry regiment would also act as staff officer to the district in which he is stationed. It is necessary for the efficient and harmonious working of the scheme that the officer commanding an administrative regiment must also have the district command combined with it, in order that the services of the adjutant and permanent staff should be fully available for all duties under a united command, and thus all chance of friction and want of harmony would be removed: difficulties would be more than likely to spring up had the adjutant to work under two distinct heads, i.e., a separate officer in command of the district and another in command of the regiment. The working of the proposed combined command could very appropriately be arranged for by making the adjutant bear that designation while in the performance of all regimental duties, and by conferring upon him the designation of district staff officer when performing general or district duties. United and complete control would thus be secured under one head, and a clear and sufficient distinction drawn between the different duties. The Board, in closing their remarks upon the permanent staff, unanimously urge upon the Government that if a rule was instituted and promulgated that commissioned and non-commissioned officers of this branch of the service would, after an approved service up to the full age of fifty-five, have a claim upon the Government, that would be recognized, to suitable employment in the civil branch of the service, they would do more to retain these officers in the steady performance of their military duties to the full time than any other measure save the granting of a pension could do. Unattached List. The Board recommend that an unattached list should be formed, on which all officers who from age or other cause could not or would not be employed under the new system, might be placed with the honorary rank of the position they held before being placed upon it, available for occasional service if called upon. This list would not be available for officers who failed to pass examinations. These, if they did not qualify within the period provided by the regulations, would be removed from the force. This list would be available for officers retiring from the force after nine years' consecutive service. Commandant. The Board have reason to believe that the general administration of the Volunteer Force in conjunction with the Armed Constabulary is not satisfactory; they therefore recommend the appointment of a commandant, who, in addition to the command of Volunteers under the Governor, would act as military secretary to the Defence Minister. This officer should be procured from England, in communication with the authorities at the War Office. It is considered desirable that, if possible, an officer of the Eoyal Artillery should be selected, as the main defence of the ports of New Zealand must consist of permanent batteries, to be erected as proposed by Colonel Scratchley; and in connection with such defence an artillery officer would be the most valuable as an adviser to the Defence Minister, and organizer of operations when needed. Adjutants. The Board have allotted an adjutant to each of the six administrative regiments, and in a former paragraph have pointed out how, in their opinion, his dual duties should be performed. They have suggested that his pay should be £300 a year, together with travelling expenses. Officers who have served in the army, now residents in the colony, may be appointed, provided they are in possession of a certificate from the School of Musketry at Hythe; otherwise they should be procured from England. They should not be more than forty-five years of age on appointment, and should not hold the appointment after the age of fifty-five, unless in exceptional cases. The Board cannot but see that, with respect to these appointments, there is a difficulty both as regards the officers appointed and the Government. As regards the former, their position would be that their prospects each year, as they neared the limit of their term of service, would be getting worse instead of improving, for their pay would not be sufficient to enable them to save, and at the age of fifty-five they would be cast adrift without any pension. It is therefore to be feared that officers from England might avail themselves of these appointments to get free passage to the colony, hold the appointment until they could see some opportunity of bettering themselves, and then throw up the appointment. It is in this latter view that the Government would suffer, as it would constantly be