31

A.—4

6. It is not proposed that officers and men should be lent for any fixed periods, but they should be drafted by the Admiralty for the period of the|commission. Subsequent changes due to promotion or advancement being arranged between the Admiralty and the New Zealand Navy Board. Owing to the expense entailed in providing passages to and from-New Zealand, it is desirable that as few changes as possible should be made during the commission. 7. Officers and men lent for service under the New Zealand Government should be paid at the rates prescribed for the New Zealand. Division. They should also be subject to the regulations under the New Zealand Naval Defence Act, which Act, it is recommended, should include the application of the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions and the Naval Discipline Act, in their entirety. If the New Zealand Government desire to amend the Naval Defence Act at any time in such a manner as to conflict with the regulations laid down in the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions or the Naval Discipline Act, it is advised that such amendment should form the subject of communication between the New Zealand Government and the Admiralty before being put into effect, as it is obviously undesirable to have naval ratings serving under varying conditions of service in regard to discipline, &c. Entry, Training, &c, of New Zealand Officers. 8. Military Branch. —Officers of the New Zealand Division should be entered on the General List of the Royal Navy, becoming officers of the Royal Navy in every respect, being subject to exactly the same regulations regarding entry, training, promotion, and retirement as other officers. They should be appointed to ships serving in all parts of the world, a larger proportion of their service being spent in. New Zealand waters than elsewhere, if this can be arranged. The advantages gained by placing officers on the General List are that— (a.) It ensures a uniformly high level of knowledge, ability, and efficiency. (/;.) It gives equal chances of advancement, provides a future for the New Zealand officers, and ensures that the most able officers produced by the Empire have equal access to the most important posts. (c.) It facilitates the question of promotion in the higher ranks. The appointment of all officers should be made by the Admiralty, due consideration being paid to recommendations in this respect put forward by the Navy Board. Officers would be promoted on the General List to the ranks of Commander and Captain, by selection by the Board of Admiralty, as is the rule in the Royal Navy, recommendations being forwarded to the Admiralty by the Commodore, New Zealand Navy Board, in respect of officers serving in the New Zealand unit, and by the respective Commanders-in-Chief under whom New Zealand officers are serving at the time. For the success of this system two things are essential, viz. :— (a.) There should be no ground for suspicion that New Zealand officers do not receive perfectly fair and just treatment at the hands of the Admiralty. (6.) That officers of the Royal Navy serving in ships of the New Zealand Division should receive equal consideration to those serving in Home or other waters. 9. Entry of Cadets. —ln order to provide for the entry of New-Zealanders as officers of the Royal Navy, as set out in paragraph 8 above, the following mode of entry is recommended : — Subject to the New Zealand Government making the necessary arrangements with the Admiralty and the Australian Government, the alternative channels of entry and training should be through Osborne and Dartmouth, or through the Royal Australian Naval College. It is suggested that parents should be given the option as to the channel of entry.