A.—4.

entirely dependent upon the infantry for support. An annual course of shot and shell practice should be sanctioned, but, instead of allowing every man, whether efficient or not, to take part in the course before he was individually fitted for it, permission should only be granted as a rew rard for efficient service. Thus it would be possible to set up a high standard of efficiency to which volunteers, from their superior intelligence, can readily attain if properly instructed. The infantry should be formed into a battalion commanded by a major, and composed of four companies, each 100 strong. The whole aim, in training volunteer infantry, should be to make the men good marksmen and good skirmishers. Considering the little leisure and the few opportunities that the officers and men can devote to drill, it is waste of time to attempt more than the simplest battalion movements. But, inasmuch as the introduction of breech-loaders has necessitated an extended order of fighting, it becomes the more important to see to this individual training of each soldier, b} r insisting upon a thorough knowledge of squad and company drill in close and extended formations, before battalion movements and skirmishing are attempted. The staff, required for the force at each place, should comprise a commanding officer, an adjutant, obtained from the ranks of the Imperial army —who would undertake the duties of drill instructor for the infantry and mounted men—and an artillery instructor for training the coast and field artillery, who would also act as master gunner for the batteries and armaments. Where there are already sergeant-instructors for the infantry they should be retained, and a qualified officer of volunteers selected to hold the appointment of acting adjutant to each field force. At Auckland and Christchurch there are already volunteer engineers, and it is desirable to retain them at a strength of 50 officers and men, on account of their being recruited from a very desirable class ; but, in other cases, it will suffice to appoint qualified volunteer officers to the staff of each commander of the field forces, to wdiom would be entrusted the consideration of all military engineering matters, connected with those forces and with the works of defence. Should any field works be required, or any works have to be done at the batteries, they could be executed by civil labor, under the direction of these staff officers. I have already suggested that, although it is not possible, at the present time, to provide submarine defences to bar the entrances to the ports, arrangements should be made to establish a school for the instruction of the employes of the Telegraph Department in torpedo w 7ork. The object of this proposal is to create a corps, whose duty would be to study the subject and carry out experiments, to watch what is going on in England and elsewhere in torpedo matters, and to collect information concerning the harbors of the colony. A small torpedo equipment should be purchased, and a corps of 40 officers and men formed under the direction of the head of the Telegraph Department of the colony. To this corps w rould be entrusted the preparation of the electrical appliances connected with the proposed torpedo boats.

Infantry.

Staff.

Volunteer engineers.

Torpedo corps.

27