H.—l9.

3

8. The Necessity for an Adequate Staff. It must be remembered that the army is on a very different footing from that on which it was before the introduction of universal training. We have now to arrange to deal with citizen Forces the strength of which will shortly be 30,000 Territorials, 40,000 Senior Cadets, and 25,000 members of Rifle Clubs, as against some 10,000 Volunteers, 3,000 Defence Cadets, and 3,000 Rifle Club men in the Volunteer days. Further, plans for an Expeditionary Force, for the defence of the Dominion, for mobilization, for coast defence, for mapping and reconnaissance of the Dominion, for examination and education of officers, for manoeuvres, schools of instruction, camps, staff tours, &c, have been undertaken on a scale never before attempted, and the instruction and organization of the Forces has been carried into remote parts of the Dominion which were not touched under the old scheme. The provision of arms, equipment, clothing, and materiel of all kinds has been quadrupled; wireless, aviation, and many other things which before had not to be thought of now demand our attention; and the advance of military science, and the demands which it now makes upon officers make it impossible that an army can hope to hold its own, or to meet a possible enemy, without being efficiently trained and administered by an adequate staff. Prior to the introduction of the scheme of universal training little or no attempt had been made to establish the organization necessary to enable the Forces to take the field. This (with the exception of transport) has now been done, and, as in any other business, demands an adequate staff to maintain it. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, Alex. J. Godley, Major-General, Wellington, 20th June, 1913. Commanding New Zealand Forces. SECTION I.— THE DOMINION SECTION OF THE IMPERIAL GENERAL STAFF (FIVE OFFICERS). The Chief of the General Staff and Director of Staff Duties and Military Training. A representative at the Headquarters of the Imperial General Staff, War Office, London. The Director of Military Operations. Two subordinate officers attached to the General Staff. This section is responsible for information about the Dominion and neighbouring countries; preparation of plans for local defence and strategical distribution of the Forces; Expeditionary Force; mapping and reconnaissance of the Dominion; war establishments and war organization; application of the principles laid down in the "Field Service Regulations"; intelligence duties; Staff tours; plans for mobilization; Staff organization; record of officers suitable for Staff employ; instruction and training of the Military Forces for war on the lines laid down in the " Field Service Regulations"; education and examination of officers; training-manuals; arrangements for the examination of candidates for the British Army and Royal Australian Military College; manoeuvres; questions of leave and exemptions from training; musketry; Rifle Clubs; estimates for and allocation of training and manoeuvre grants; wireless; aviation; military libraries; editing of the New Zealand Military Journal. Our representative at the War Office, in addition to supplying the Chief of the Imperial General Staff with all information in connection with the above, and reporting to the Dominion on all matters in connection witTi the progress of Military affairs at Home, advises as regards the instruction of New Zealand officers at Home, and acts as Military Adviser to the High Commissioner in all matters connected with the purchase of guns, equipment, stores, &c, for the Dominion. 9. Drills. In the case of both the Territorial Force and Senior Cadets, there is still too much repetition of mechanical drill, and too much use of drill-halls. The work must be varied, and the drillhalls should only be used in the winter and in wet weather. On summer evenings all drills must be in the open, and, as I have said before, there is no reason why the rendezvous of a company for its summer-evening drill should not be on a convenient hill-top on the outskirts of a town. The attendance has, on the whole, been good, but it is again noticeable that it is better in the country districts, where the difficulties of getting to and from parade and drill are far greater than in the towns. 10. Parades. Much useful work has been done on whole-day and half-day parades, and in some cases, notably in the coast-defence commands and big centres, the co-operation of all arms in combined field operations for a day has been satisfactorily practised. I hope to see still more of this most necessary practice during the forthcoming summer; and for the purpose of affording scattered squadrons and companies, regiments and battalions the opportunity of periodically assembling for whole-day parades, I have recommended that a sum of money be allowed for the specific purpose of meeting the rail and coach fares and other expenses necessary for their assembly.