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Page 65. 148. Administrative officers should be changed, round occasionally. This probably applies to all officers. The New Zealand Regulations already provide for terms of appointment of four to five years, but it is not considered advisable to adhere strictly to this regulation during war-time. When accentuated by shortage of available officers, changes invariably involve an interregnum of inefficient work; as a matter of fact, changes have resulted throughout the Defence Department owing to the necessity of replacing officers in order to set them free for service at the front. Page 66. 149. Insufficient conferences. Vide 8. , Page 8. Conferences between the heads of branches and the directors of branches at General Headquarters arc of very frequent occurrence, and conferences with other Departments or officials from other Departments are also of frequent occurrence. Quite a considerable portion of the time of heads of branches and directors is taken up with conferences. Conferences with officers from districts arc less frequent, but nevertheless often occur. An annual conference of Officers Commanding Districts is always arranged by the General Officer Commanding, but, in addition to this, special conferences have been held with Officers Commanding Districts. Frequent conferences with all District Staffs are difficult to arrange on account of the expense involved and the taking of district officers from their work. Page 66. 150. Too -much value placed on, Courts and, Boards of Inquiry. Boards are only held when there is matter for consideration owing to responsibility not being clearly defined, or to charges being demurred to by the person held responsible. Page 66. 151. There is a lack or looseness in. establishments; at, -present definite establishments should be provided for all units and be fixed by Order in Council. No alteration should be madti without reference to the Board charged with appointments. Numbers of definite establishments exist, and though the report says " The Director of Organization deals with . . . establishments . . . ," this officer was never called to give evidence. Existing establishments are set out in the attached list, divided into " A," those made prior to the outbreak of war, and " B," those made subsequent to the outbreak of war. Those in regard to the Permanent and Territorial Forces are fixed by Order in Council, but it is unnecessary and undesirable that the establishments of temporary war arrangements should be fixed by Order in Council. Those on the accompanying list were all in force before the Commission sat, and it is one of the duties of the Director of Organization, in addition to seeing that establishments exist, to ensure that appointments are not made in excess of establishments. Establishments (exclusive of ExpEniTioNARY Force Training-camps). A. Prior to outbreak of War. —Prior to the outbreak of the present war establishments existed for— (1.) The New Zealand Staff Corps. ] (2.) The Royal New Zealand Artillery. I The Permanent Forces. (3.) The New Zealand Permanent Staff, j (4.) All units of the Territorial Force. These establishments have not been departed from. B. Subsequent to the outbreak of War. —Subsequent to the outbreak of war provisional establishments have been fixed for— (1.) Army Ordnance Corps. j (2.) Army Pay Corps, - I Permanent Forces. (3.) Army Service Corps. ) (4.) All departments at General Headquarters, as under :— (a.) Department of the Chief of the General Staff. (b.) Department of the Quartermaster-General, comprising— (i.) Branch of the Director of Movements and Quartering, (ii.) Branch of the Assistant Quartermaster-General (Coast Defences), (iii.) Branch of• the Director of Supplies and Transport, including Brigade Supply Depot and Staff, " X " Shed, (iv.) Branch of the Director of Equipment and Ordnance, Stores (Army Ordnance Corps), (v.) Branch of the Director of Financial Services (Army Pay Corps). (c.) Department of the Adjutant-General, comprising—■ (i.) Personal Staff. (ii.) Branch of the Director of Medical Services, (iii.) Branch of the Director of Base Records, (iv.) Branch of the Director of Recruiting. (v.) Branch of the Director of Organization. (vi.) Branch of the Director of Personal Services. (vii.) Branch of the Director of Dental Services. .... (viii.) Central Registry, (ix.) Military Police. (x.) Guard, Somes Island Internment Camp, (xi.) Wanganui Detention Barracks, (xii.) Awapuni Camp (Staff).