H.—l9a

6

Officers' clubs are instituted in all the principal and many of the minor training centres. These exist mainly for instructional purposes. Lectures are given and war games held. Miscellaneous Military Institutions. 17. (a.) Rifle Clubs, being part of the New Zealand Military Forces, are governed by the Military Regulations. They are 204 in number. Membership of a club is limited to fifteen as a minimum and one hundred as a maximum, consisting of (i) Ordinary members, (ii) honorary members-, (iii) General Training Section attached. Ordinary members must not be more than fifty-five years of age, and are liable to serve as a secondary reserve in the Territorial Force. They must carry out the musketry course laid down. The General Training Section can do the training prescribed (para. 7) with the nearest Rifle Club. Rifles and spare parts are obtained from the Defence Department on very favourable terms. Each active member of ;i club is entitled to 150 rounds of ammunition, and 200 rounds more are obtainable at reduced rates. Members are carried free of cost on Governmeni railways to and from rifle practice, and to approved rifle meetings up to 100 miles distance. The cost of existing Rifle Clubs is approximately £20,000 per annum. (l>.) On the .'3lst March, 1914, there were 25,659 Senior Cadets, organized into 348 companies under Senior Cadet officers. The organization, administration, and training of all Senior Cadet companies is supervised by the Area Commander in whose area the company is situated. Excluding any expenses connected with their instruction, the cost of the Senior Cadets is approximately £21,000 per annum. (c.) A National Reserve is in course of formation. Its membership is voluntary, and includes all who are no longer liable for service in time of peace and who have served in a naval, military, quasimilitary, or police capacity, or who belong to any organization — e.g., the St. John Ambulance Association —which could render useful service in time of war. No uniform is worn. (d.) In time of war the Public Health Department undertakes to receive the sick and wounded in the general hospitals. An Army Nursing Service is in process of formation, the Matron-in-Chief being the Assistant Inspector-General of the Public Health Department. It will consist of qualified muses willing to undertake the nursing of the sick in time of war in hospitals and under control of the Medical Officers of the New Zealand Medical Corps. (c.) The Dominion Rifle Association exists for the encouragement of rifle shooting in the Dominion. It receives an annual giant from the Government. A umbers trained. 18. The following figures show the strength of the military forces during the past ten years. Prior to 1911 there was no compulsory training.

Note. —The establishment is shown in paragraph 10 and Appendix V as 626 : the actual strength appears, therefore, to be 48 less than establishment. The apparent shortage is made up as follows :- Imperial officers on temporary loan (not included in above table) .. 18 Imperial non-commissioned officers on temporary loan (not included in above table) 18 Under establishment: Officers . . .. . . .. .. .. 5 „ Permanent Staff . . .. . . .. 5 R.N.Z.A. .2 Total .. .. .. .. .. ..48 Cadets numbering 26 (not included in the above table) are undergoing training at Duntroon, and eight of these will be available in 1916 for service in the Dominion.

Year. Strength of Permanent Forces (including N.Z. Staff Strength of Volunteer or Corps, R.N.Z.A., and Territorial Force. Permanent Staff). . 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 m 395 13,492 386 13,306 379 12,704 361 12.474 325 14,058 314 14,249 .. i 427 Transition period (no record). 500 22,614 557 23,804 578 25,902