37

A.—4

It may be found necessary for the present to organize this force on a skeleton basis, which is capable of wide expansion in time of war. The list of vessels for which personnel of the Naval Reserve would be required is as follows :— Seagoing personnel — 8 "P" boats or old T.B.D.s. 7 armed merchant escort ships. 28 defensively armed merchant ships. 18 mine-sweepers. 4 boom defence vessels. Shore personnel — War signal stations. Signal and reporting stations. Wireless telegraph stations, including portable set stations. Intercepting stations. Directional stations.

RECRUITING. 37- To place naval recruiting on a sound footing, whereby the numbers required annually may be obtained from amongst the widely spread population of New Zealand, a well organized recruiting service is essential, in order to educate the people to the necessity of providing men, as well as money, for the naval defence of the Dominion and the Empire. The following suggestions are made, therefore, with a view to assisting in the formation of a Recruiting Service : — (a.) New Zealand to be divided up into four recruiting districts, with headquarters at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin respectively, the limits of the districts being clearly defined. (b.) The duties of Inspector of Naval Recruiting to be carried out by the Officer in Charge of Mobilization at the Navy Office. (c.) Each recruiting district to be in charge of a Recruiting Officer, who should, in due course, be a retired officer of the New Zealand Division. Until such officers are available it is recommended that volunteers be called for to perform the duties from amongst the retired naval or military officers resident in New Zealand. A small honorarium should be paid to them, together with expenses. (d.) Government officials should be instructed to assist as far as possible by providing facilities for the delivery of lectures, issuing coloured pamphlets and handbills, forwarding' names of candidates, giving facilities for medical examination, &c. The assistance of the Navy League should also be invited. (e.) A pamphlet entitled " How to join the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy " should be published, compiled on the lines of " How to join the Royal Navy." (/.) Recruiting instructions should be compiled. (g.) The principal towns should be visited regularly by the Recruiting Officers, lectures should be given, recruiting propaganda issued, and every means taken to obtain the numbers required. It should be the aim, if possible, to procure a waiting-list, so that entries may be selected, thus ensuring a high standard amongst the men of the New Zealand Division.