25

H.—l9a

44. If men of the right stamp are to be attracted to the corps, the pay of each rank must be good ; and in this connection it must bo remembered that the circumstances of an officer's services prevent, and rightly so, his participation in commercial ventures. For the Staff Corps to be successful, its officers must concentrate all their energies on their profession, and their pay should therefore be sufficient not only for their keep while serving, but also to insure to them a competence when retired. 45. In view of these conditions, I recommend rates of pay shown in Table IV, with the proviso that in each rank a compulsory deduction should be made, sufficient to assure an adequate provision for maintenance on retirement.

Table IV. —Proposed Pay of the Staff Corps Officers.

The Military College. 46. I have shown that 350 officers are required for the Staff Corps, and I shall now discuss the organization of a military college to maintain that corps. 47. Taking twenty years as the average service of an officer, it appears that after the Staff Corps is up to establishment, the yearly output required from the college will be about eighteen cadets. The minimum length of course required to efficiently ground a cadet in his profession is three years. 48. As has already been pointed out, strict selection should be enforced from the moment a boy becomes a cadet. To allow for the necessary process of elimination, and also for those boys who may show proficiency for some other branch of the public service, I advise that thirty cadets be the annual entry ; adding 10 per cent, to this number for casualties, and the figure 33 x 3 = 99, say 100, cadets is reached as the establishment of the College. 49. The age of entry should be not less than seventeen nor more than nineteen. 50. I. consider that the method of entry into the college should be as follows : Candidates should be selected from the most capable of the senior cadets, each area officer submitting the name of his best cadet to the major in charge of ten areas, who will then examine these ten cadets and forward five names through the District Headquarters, who will state their recommendations, if any, to the Central Administration. The latter will then select from the names received double the number required, and will refer the ultimate selection from these last to an authority to be determined by Government. This authority might be a Board of Examiners, or the Inspector-General, or the Commandant of the College. 51. A cadet having joined the College, his parents should pay £80 per annum, for board, lodging, books, clothing, equipment, and instruction ; except in the case of a cadet obtaining a scholarship, of which there should be twenty for the whole College. 52. Until the Staff Corps is up to establishment, the full output from the College will be required ; once that stage is passed, or in the case of a student showing proficiency for a career other than a military one, he might be excused from military service on the following condition : that he serves and is efficient as an officer in the National Force for twelve years, and attends training as may be laid down, and that during these twelve years he will perform any special military duty required of him at any time by the Central Administration. 53. During the course the cadet must be kept under strict discipline, and taught to keep himself physically and mentally fit. Any cadet unlikely to make an efficient officer, or lacking in the personality necessary to influence and command men, should be removed. 54. On the completion of his course at the College, the cadet should be given his commission, and sent either to India for a winter training — i.e., October to April —or to the United Kingdom for a summer training — i.e., April to October —as an attached officer to a British regiment. On return, he should do one year's duty under the best instructional officer available in an area, in order to learn how best to conduct registration and to promote home training in the area. He should then be fully capable to take over charge of an area. 55. It will be evident that the Director of such a college must be a man of exceptional qualifications, well educated, and accustomed to do his duty fearlessly and thoroughly. He should be supplied with two assistant directors and an adjutant of similar qualifications to himself, and a staff of professors to teach the curriculum, which should be based on that of West Point. From the estimates at the end of this Part it will be seen that the establishment and cost of such a college, when in full working-order, will be £15,050. 56. Any political interference with the management of such institution, in which disciplinary training forms an important part, and the efficiency of which is so essential to the defence of Australia, should be strictly avoided.

4—H. 19a.

Establishment. Pay per Annum. Ranks. Number. Colonels .lieutenant-Colonels lajors Captains Subalterns 7 13 50 90 190 £ £ 800 to 900 700 „ 800 550 „ 650 375 „ 450 250 „ 350