H.—l9

10

major ") who is responsible for the registration and training of every person within that locality who is of military age. The group is commanded by the senior officer of the Staff Corps present in the group, who controls the area officers and the Permanent Staff sergeant-majors allotted to him as his group staff. His duties may be classified as consisting of record-office work and depot duties. With regard to the former, he compiles and keeps a personal record of every man liable for military training in his group, and is responsible for their registration, attestation, posting, transfer, and, in the event of their evading service, for their prosecution. He should be in. touch with every trainee in his group, and at all times be in a position to render statistics affecting the personnel of his command. His depot duties consist of clothing, arming, equipping, and training the Senior Cadets, recruits, General Training Section, and Reservists in his group. Consequent on the establishment of record offices in groups, civilian clerks have been appointed as group clerks to carry out the purely clerical Work, thus freeing instructors for their legitimate duties. Personal files to take the place of record-books have been introduced, and new forms designed to meet the requirements of the new records system. The area is commanded by an officer of the New Zealand Staff Corps, junior to the Group Commander, who is responsible for the superintendence of the work of the sub-area sergeant-majors in his area. Although not permanently appointed as Adjutant to the regiment in his area, he will for the first twelve months or so of the reorganization keep in close touch with the regiment until the Territorial officers can maintain and train their own commands. Area officers do not keep records, but provide the medium of their communication from the sub-area sergeant-majors to the Group Commander. They also carry out the duties classified as depot duties, and superintend the Work of the sub-area sergeant-majors. The sub-area sergeant-major does not keep records, but compiles and forwards them to the record office of the group, as indicated above. He must be in close touch with every trainee in his sub-area, and is responsible for everything connected with his military training. This principle of making a sergeant-major responsible for the training, &c, of every one in a definite locality, instead of giving him a roving commission and partial responsibility throughout the group, designed as it is for peace and war purposes, has proved very satisfactory, and has greatly facilitated the recruiting and mobilization of volunteers for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. R.N.Z.A. An Army Ordnance Corps Section of the Royal New Zealand Artillery has been formed, with an establishment of one non-commissioned officer and six gunners, as a nucleus of an Ordnance Store Corps, for the special duties of making up all artillery ammunition. This will he much more economical than the present system of importing ammunition already made up, and it will ensure that the ammunition of the field and coast-defence guns will be always properly kept and ready for service. Other Units. The New Zealand Forces Motor Reserve of Officers has been redesignated the " New Zealand Forces Motor Service Corps," and has been divided into two sections — (a) the Motor-car Section, and (b) the Motor-boat Section, with a view to utilizing the services generously offered by owners of motor-boats. The new regulations have been gazetted to effect this reorganization. A New Zealand Army Nursing Service has been formed, from which three drafts of nurses have already proceeded abroad on service. 35. Legislation. Tt is proposed to introduce amendments to the Defence Act for the following purposes : — (I.) To provide a more adequate scale of pensions and allowances for the injured and for the dependants of those killed or who die on active service : (2.) To secure for the National Reserve some recognition as a Defence organization : (3.) To legalize the Army Nursing Service : (4.) To include the Senior Cadets and General Training Section in the definition of " Defence Forces " : (5.) To provide for the transfer of a Territorial to the General Training Section : (6.) To fix the time of liability of the Senior Cadet for transfer to the Territorial Force or General. Training Section at June of the year in which he reaches the age of eighteen ; the transfer of a Territorial, to the Reserve at June of the year in which ho reaches the age of twenty-five ; and. the passing out of the Reserve at June of the year in which he reaches the age of thirty ; thus ensuring that each phase of a soldier's military career corresponds""both with the commencement of the training-year and with the posting period : (7.) To validate the Financial Instructions and. Allowance Regulations in regard to compensation, and to make them applicable to members of the Expeditionary Force Who a.re not on active service, as well as to members of the Territorial Force : (8.) To provide for rights over land required for training and manoeuvres. 36. Discipline. The discipline of both the Senior Cadets and the Territorial Force, as predicted in previous reports, is steadily improving, and it is gratifying to'note'that on the parade-ground and in camps it has reached a higher standard than has been recorded in previous years. It has been reported that