POINTING THE WAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3273, 19 July 1911, Page 8

POINTING THE WAY.

FOR THE CITIZEN SOLDIER. THE ARMY IN THE MOULD. For the information of the public in general, the Department of Military Operations and Intelligence at General Headquarters (Lieut. Colonel J. T. Bur-nett-Stuart, D. 5.0.), has prepared an interesting memorandum detailing the principles which are to govern the posting of the youths of the Dominion to their various units. By “posting” is meant the assigning of the recruit to the particular regiment or corps in which he .is to do his soldiering. • The memorandum states:—

The responsibilities of the posting officers will not end with the posting of individuals to units. The necessity for tapping the whole Dominion in such & way as to provide, each soldier and cadet with an accessible centre at which to do his ordinary drills, calls for a more detailed arrangement. The internal organisation of units (and consequently the allotment or posting of individuals within units) must therefore be subservient to this condition. In the case of a force recruited under a system of universal home training, this implies a territorial organisation extending down to such bodies of men, however small, as can conveniently. be assembled together for the periodical performance of their drills.

Training Arrangements. . The training of the Territorial Force takes four distinct and progressive forms during the year—drills, halt-day parades, whole-day parades, and the annual training in camp. the aims should be performed by such small bodies as will enable attention 1 to be given to the individual —in the mounted fifles by the troop, in the infantry by the section or squad, in the held aitn lery by the section, in the garrison artillery by the detachment, and so on. The half-day and whole-day parades should be performed by the larger bodies-—by the half-squadron or squadron in the mounted rifles, by the halfcompany or company in the infantry, by the battery in the field artillery, by the company in the garrison artillery. The annual training in camp should be carried out by regiments, battalions, and similar units. The drills, half and whole-day parades, have a relative value, and are convertible, but the principle laid down above is that which the organisation must be designed to g erV 0. t Taking the strength of the Territorial Force (exclusive of the garrison and field artillery and the engineers, who have their own instructors from the R.N.Z.A.), as being this year approximately 22,000 men, the proportion of instructors to territorials will be about 1 to 180.

Available Machinery Sufficient. Allowance has to be made on the one hand for the fact that all these officers and instructors have also certain clerical and administrative duties to perform ; and that in the country districts many of the drill-centres will he difficult of access, and may m extreme cases comprise no more than a small squad of men collected either between milking hours, or at a bain or schoolhouse in the evening. . On the other hand, some of the existing terntorial officers and N.C.O.’s are fit and ■able to carry out the necessary instruction with only occasional help; a large portion of the force can be conveniently trained at company or corresponding centres; and the really inaccessible parts of the country will be eliminated under the exempted-area clause. All things considered the General Officer Commanding, after a careful and personal study of the conditions m every part of the Dominion, has come to the conclusion that the available machinery given judicious local arrangement and constant application on the part. of regimental and area permanent officials is sufficient for the carrying out of the training on the lines above described. It -will probably be found that the senior cadet drill-centres, being subject to like considerations, will naturally coincide with those of the Territorial Force; in any case, they should be made to do so as far as possible.. Instructors will then be able, in the majority of outlying centres, to fit in a senior cadet drill, with the holding ,of a drill for Territorial soldiers. . Senior cadet companies may vary considerably in strength; but no company may consist of less than one officer and thirty cadets, and the full establishment as laid down should be aimed at as far as possible. It is not intended that the establishments laid down for territorial units should be rigidly adhered to. These establishments havq been compiled to combine as far as- possible the requirements of each unit for. war with its requirements for training in normal times of peace. As regards war, they are final; but as regards the,'composition of units in peace some latitude is permissible as to the number of individuals posted. It must, however, be understood that no extra squadrons, companies, etc., are to be added to units without sanction from . head- ;• quarters, and that the proportion of the various ranks is constant. Maoris and Quakers.

Maoris who have registered are to be enrolled. In districts where the Native population is scattered, Maoris will he posted to squadrons and companies as individuals. In places where there are large Native settlements or pahs Maori troops or sections will be formed as part of the establishment of squadrons or companies. Should the number of Europeans registered, be sufficient to complete the required establishment without the inclusion, of Maoris, a fifth Maori troop or section should be formed extra to the establishment of the squadron, or company. The appointment of Maoris as N.C.O.’s and the recommendation of Maoris for commissions to serve with these extra trooc- or sections is left to the discretion of commanding officers. All Maoris of the senior cadet age will be enrolled, posted, and trained as senior cadets. In the case of certain well-known denominations, such as Friends (Quakers) the posting officers will post to noncombatant branches without further question. In other cases, when there is any doubt as to the authenticity of the claim, the posting officers will demand such further proof as they require. The Act provides that the burden of proving. exemption, i.e., from combatant training lies with the person claiming exemption; such proof would take the form of a ruling from a Magistrate’s Court or from a Stipendiary Magistrate.

Drill Centres. .. - , . Each regiment of mounted rifles, bat- ' tery, engineer company, company of the medical corps, cadet company, or other unit (the boundaries for infantry, battalions are already allotted) must be allotted its own definite boundaries within which its men are enrolled and drilled; the area so enclosed must, m the case of each squadron and company be divided up. once more, so that every troop and section is allotted its own

men are enrolled and drilled; in the back blocks and thinly-populated dns- ') tricts the area so enclosed may, in the j case of each troop and section, have ; to be divided up yet again, so that : each squad 'or group of a dozen men j have, their own definite, area and drillcentre ; and so on*, until every soldier • ami cadr-t is allotted to a drill-centre ! within one hour’s journey of -where he ! lives. Whether it be a company, halfeoi/tnany, section, or squad centre will j depend on the local conditions. ! It has come to the notice of the General Officer Commanding during his late tours of inspection that in many ! cases instructions, such as these, issued from headquarters, have not | reached. the subordinate members-of ; the Permanent Staff and the company, etc., commanders of the Territorial i Force. He wishes particular attention j to be paid to the thorough circulation ! and distribution of all orders and ini formation, and desires that officers j commanding districts shall take the ! necessary steps to insure that all conj eerned are made acquainted with the : S contents of this memorandum.