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on. (See Appendix IX.) Briefly, the Record Office is the place where a man's personal documents are kept; where all information regarding his military career is recorded no matter where lie may be serving, whether in peace or in war; and to which all inquiries regarding him should normally be addressed. The Officer in Charge of Refolds is f be person who deals with individuals —Territorials, Reservists. General Training Section, Rifle Club members, unci Cadets —in their civilian capacity. They come under military command only after he has called them out for service or training. He. more than any one else, should get into touch with the educational and Civil authorities and invoke their aid in matters of registration, changes of address, &c. (See Appendix XI.) Personal Records. 49. The existing duplicate record-book can, if a good deal of irrelevant matter is excluded, be easily adapted for use in Record Offices. One such book will have to be maintained there for every Cadet and citizen soldier liable for service in the Territorial Force. No record-books need be retained with units. * The record-books now in the possession of Cadets and serving soldiers appear to be of little value. In many cases they are not up to date; in some instances they are not even forthcoming. The work they entail is out of all relation to their usefulness, and I recommend their abolition in their present shape. Accurate information regarding a mans service can, if wanted, be obtained at any moment from his Record Office. On the completion of the citizen soldier's liability for service he might appropriately be presented with his record-book as a memento of his service. Statistical Returns. 50. Statistics affecting personnel should be made up in the Record Office. The Officer in Charge of Records is the man who is at all times in touch witii those liable lor service within an area. He records their addresses, postings and transfers out of or into his area, and, being where and what he is. he is sure, sooner or later, to get news of any casualty that occurs. He is, therefore, at all times in a better position than any one else to report accurately as to the actual strength of Cadets, General Training Section, and Reservists, as well as of the units, or parts of units, which recruit in an area. Statistical returns are, as a rule, required for use in the Adjutant-General's department at Headquarters, and unless there is any special reason for District Headquarters seeing them, they should invariably be sent from tin- Record Office directly to Army Headquarters. (See Appendix X.) Record Offices directly under Ihe Adjuia/nt-Qeneral. 51. On principle, the supervision of Record Offices should be undertaken by the Adjutant-General himself, or by a deputy of bis, and correspondence between Record Offices and Army Headquarters should, in all matters, be as direct as possible. Any intervening authority is superfluous. For instance, supposing sonic complicated question affecting an individual's registration, or exemption from service, arises, which for some reason or other the Officer in Charge of Records cannot himself decide, it is pretty certain that no one other than the Adjutant-General himself can give a definite ruling on the point. Reference on such a subject to or through a district office would be a meaningless formality. It represents so-many postage-stamps unnecessarily expended, and so-much energy wasted. Record Offices on Mobilization. 52. On mobilization, the calling-up of Reservists and men of the General Training Section for service and training would be effected in the Record Office. Forms for this purpose should be kept ready filled in in peace. Notices to Territorial soldiers to join their units for training and on mobilization should also be. sent out by the Officer in Charge of Records, who should be kept informed of changes of address within the area. He will send to units the names of men who have been exempted from training by order of a Magistrate. Record-work is of 'a highly specialized nature, and Record Office clerks, provided they are efficient, should on no account be transferred to other duties on or after mobilization. Depot Duties. 53. For purposes of command and training an area is in a sense a depot, of which every Cade! and every citizen soldier not actually embodied in a unit forms a part. The duties of a Depot Commander are the same all the world over. He clothes, arms, equips, feeds (if necessary), and trains all individuals brought under his command. These, then, are the chief duties that the Area Commander has to perform, both in peace and in war. as regards Cadets, recruits. General Training Section, and Reservists. In peace he supervises the instruction and training of these men. In war he must keep units in the field supplied with the batches of trained men required to replace losses and wastage. The necessary machinery I'M this purpose should be carefully elaborated in pence. Unit Command. 54. Commanders of Territorial units are responsible to their Brigadier, and, through him, to the District Commander. They are in no sense under the orders of the Area Commander. They must supply the Record Office or Offices concerned with any information regarding individuals— -e.g.. promotions, reductions. &c. —that may be needed, such information being oohveyed as a rule by means of regimental orders. In turn the Record Office will keep them informed of any postings to or transfers