H.—l9

4

6. Officers, Mounted Rifles and Infantry, for twelve months training in England or India. 7. Cadet service, maximum age increased to eighteen years. Minimum age for those at high schools and colleges retained at thirteen years. 3. Manoeuvre camps, four days to be paid service pay. 9. Further control of units by Officer Commanding Divisional and Battalion Staffs as to uniform, equipment, and ammunition-supply. 10. Capitation may be earned individually and not dependent on a company being above the minimum at the end of the Volunteer year. 11. Increased scale of payment for daylight parades to adult Volunteers. 12. Payments to Cadets for daylight parades. 13. Horse-hire for officers other than Mounted Rifles when required to be mounted. 14. Groomage-allowance for mounted officers' horses. 15. Increase of free annual ammunition-allowance. 16. Reduction in price of an additional 100 rounds to each efficient member of the Defence Forces. 17. Volunteer becoming sick or injured caused by military duty, and unable to attend parades, may still earn capitation. 18. Rail passes to Volunteers within a distance of ten miles from company or battalion headquarters to attend drills. 19. Rifle clubs more ammunition and 100 rounds at reduced price; can earn marksman's badges. Rail passes 100 miles. A Supervising Officer appointed. 20. Formation of Reserve corps from existing corps. 21. Formation of corps reserves to existing corps. 22. New corps accepted to be given field-service uniform, cost to be deducted from capitation in three years. 23. Annual allowance of £25 to battalion bands. 24. Rank and promotion of honorary chaplains. 25. Widening the conditions for the earning of personal payments and badges by Garrison Artillery (Regulation 414). •>6. Service of Volunteers reduced from three years to one year (in last year's Act, but not in regulations). Department op Chief of the General Staff. Organization and Equipment. Hitherto no general system has existed for guidance of officers commanding districts. The responsibility and sphere of the O.C. District is much enlarged, and more initiative allowed him. The Defence Forces in each district are now classified into, — (a.) A Coast Defence Force (fired defence), composed of the Permanent Force, with the Garrison Artillery Volunteer Divisions and Submarine Mining Volunteers directly linked to them. (b.) A Mobile Field Force, composed of the various other branches of the actively serving Volunteers. (c.) Reserves to the above Forces, composed of— Reserves (new regulations.) Defence Cadets. Rifle Clubs. All will have specified duties assigned to them. The mobilisation regulations quoted elsewhere will contain all information as to how these various bodies will act and assemble in case of need, or for manoeuvres. This organization will assist the task of instruction, and insure the disposition of the Forces in emergency as provided for in the general defence schemes for the colony. An amount is being asked for separately for an equipment to enable a sufficient Force at short notice to be rapidly mobilised to take the field in each district. The enrolled strength of the Defence Forces was as follows at the end of the last two Volunteer

1905-6. 1906-7. No. of Corps. Headquarters Staff ... District Staffs Permanent Forces, R.N.Z.A. and R.N.Z.E. Garrison Artillery Volunteers ... Field Artillery Submarine and Field Engineers Mounted Rifles Infantry Field Hospital and Bearer corps Defence Cadets Rifle Clubs ... Garrison Bands ... Active unattached officers 6 40 359 900 445 508 4,190 7,045 162 3,125 3,079 138 73 8 45 361 929 461 470 4,189 6,88.1 211 3,094 3,141 142 101 '"& 9 6 6 72 118 5 58 126 5 Grand total 20,070 20,033