H.—l9a

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Battery of Artillery. 77. The battery would, of course, vary slightly with the nature of the gun ; but for the four-gun 18-pr. battery the present war establishment of 5 officers and 146 other ranks seems suitable. The battery would then reach its war strength as follows : — Peace establishment .. .. .. .. .. .. ' .. 130 Recruits .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 146 Leaving 10 Tecruits and 18 25 26-year men per battery — i.e., a total of 1,568 —to form the nucleus of ammunition columns. Training. 78. The training of the citizen soldier may be divided into two parts —the home training, which will take place all the year round in the vicinity of the men's homes under the Staff Corps or the citizen officers of the area ; and the camp training, which will be annually held in the neighbourhood, and will generally consist of a brigade of Infantry with a proportion of other arms. In order to sustain the interest of the Force, the instruction given should be of a progressive nature. The soldier should annually be taught the proper practical methods of carrying out some new exercise, as well as beingtested in what he has learnt before. Thus a fresh exercise would|be studied every year in the area, and practically tested at the camp. When this has been done, the exercise to be studied during the next year should be initiated and explained. 79. This method of training naturally necessitates a systematized arrangement by which each soldier is gradually taught on the ground how to carry out all the duties of his arm. 80. For battalion and regimental training, the assembly of the quotas from two or three areas becomes necessary, and this home training can be done at week-ends. In ordinary years there will be no necessity to go beyond brigade training, which requires the assembly of quotas from ten areas. The selection of the time and place for these annual camps will be of the work of the brigade-major, who should consult the convenience of employers and of the men. 81. Every year, three or more brigades should be selected for concentration, so as to practise commanders, staffs, and railways in dealing with large bodies of troops. These concentrations should be specially arranged for by the Government on the advice of the Military Board. 82. Training should consist of all that is essential to good marching, accurate controlled shooting, and the combination of all arms in attack and defence. 83. Throughout, the principles contained in the manuals of the regular army should be followed, but they must be applied with intelligence and with due regard to the local conditions of personnel, ground, and composition of the Force. Land will be required to properly and satisfactorily carry out this work, and in the selection of its site two often conflicting conditions must be reconciled —one that it should be close to cities, in order that units and brigades will lose no time on the road, and the other that it should be large enough for manoeuvres. The Act gives power to manoeuvre over country at will, but where central large training-grounds can be established in each State, there are many advantages in now doing so before the population thickens and all ground is taken up. Such localities would be used for the annual trainings, and where possible might be made available for the breeding of artilleryhorses. Mobilisation. 84. Thoroughly thought-out and practical plans for mobilisation and concentration are required before the Citizen Force can be considered prepared for war. 85. Preparation for mobilisation is primarily the work of the General Staff, who recommend the lines to be followed, and advise where, and in what quantities, the munitions for war of the various units should be stored. Concentration can only be satisfactorily effected when the railway and military authorities are in the closest touch and work in absolute harmony. To secure this co-operation, I advise that a War Railway Council be formed, as is the case in the United Kingdom, composed of the Chief Railway Commissioner from each State, under the presidency of the Quartermaster-General of the Citizen Forces, and with an officer of the Headquarters Staff as secretary. District Staffs. 86. It only remains to consider the Staff organization suitable to administer, control, and inspect the Citizen Force. 87. The organization of military districts, with their Commandants and Staffs, should continue ; but District Commandants should be made to decide all questions which are within their powers. In no other way can decentralisation be efficiently carried out, and it is preferable to run the risk of an occasional mistake rather than to encourage unnecessary dependence on Headquarters. Headquarters Staff. 88. Accepting the Military Board system as I find it in Australia, I consider that its work requires careful allotment, as no subject, other than a matter of military policy, should be laid before the Board if solely in the department of one member who has power to deal with it. It should seldom be necessary to refer such questions-as details of dress, saluting-stations, loans of camp equipment, sick-leave, dates of rifle matches, forms to be used for requisition, claims covered by regulations, &c, to the Board. The military members of the Board should remember that on their advice on military subjects the administration of the Forces greatly depends, and should therefore give their opinions on strictly military