A NEW SYSTEM.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3603, 16 August 1912, Page 7

A NEW SYSTEM.

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE AT TERRITORIAL PARADES. “CADETS THE FIRST CONSIDER-' ATION.” “The Territorial training syllibus,” explained Sergt.-Major Bishop, to a “Gisborne Times” reporter yesterday, “"'ill be arranged for a month ahead, and as far as possible, we will have set right every month, such as the third and fourth Monday, etc., right through.” During the intervening weeks, voluntary parades would he held, to be attended by those who wished to do so. At the official and compulsory parades, however, the men had to attend whether he wanted to or not. If a man wants leave from ,-a- compulsory parade lie lias got to put in a written application. If leave is granted , lie will, under the system about to be introduced, receive a- notice as follows: Ist BATTALION, 9th REGIMENT. Leave Certificate. No is hereby granted leave of' absence from the parade.of Company, being held on

O.C. Company

Only the officer commanding a company had the right- to grant such leave. A block containing the particulars of every grant of leave will be retained by the officer. “Then take the case,” - said the Sergt.-Major, “of the man who does not apply for leave, but deliberately absents himself/ On the night of the parade, the instruuctor takes the absentees’ list, or it is left for him, and next morning the new and complete rolls will be marked. Each absentee will then have a notice sent to him as under;—

SQUADI?ON, COMPANY. You wore absent without leave from parade at on and

you are hereby notified that you must attend the next parade, and that if you fail to attend this parade, or forward me a * satisfactory explanation for your absence without leave, within seven days of this parade, your name will be given to the Police for action under Section 51, Part VIII., Defence Act.”

O.C. Squadron, Company, etc

“If he attends the next parade and gives a satisfactory explanation to his commanding officer, he will probably be excused and marked on the list as absent. If, however, he stays away another time without leave, the following notice will be sent to the Adjutant-in-charge of the Area group : No was absent from parade without leave on V notice was sent to him on He

has failed to attend parade since or furnish any reason for such absence.

O.C. Squadron, Company, etc

“The list is then handed to the police to deal with, so that it is beyond our consideration.” The Cadets.

“In the past,” the officer explained, “we have not prosecuted the cadets, ,bnt in future they will be treated in exactly the same' way as the Territorials, and will have to attend the parades they are called for. The same system of sending notices will be applied to the cadets. I raining will be carried out in every place throughout the district where there are 10 cadets dr Territorials. Cadets henceforth are going to be the first consideration. An instructor will always be available when there is a cadet parade to be trained. In the outlying drill centres we will try as far as possible to fitinstruction in so as to take the other branches with the cadets. Those who are living in the country and are some distance from drill centres—Too far to conveniently attend-—will be posted to the rifle clubs. We have got a. total of 38 in this area posted to rifle clubs. Those posted to these clubs must putin IS one-and-a-half hour parades .and G daylight parades—the same as Territorials, with the exception that they have not got to attend camp. “Company drill will begin for the new year next month.”