NEW DEFENCE BILL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 680, 3 December 1909, Page 7

NEW DEFENCE BILL.

' EXIT THE VOLUNTEER, COMMANDANT TO BE APPOINTED. A TERRITORIAL ARMY.' At 1 o'clock this morning, tho Defence Bill was introduced by Governor's Message in tho Houee. It provides for the appointment of a Commandant of the Forces and a Council of _ Defence, to con6i6t of the Minister for Defence ' j as president, tho'Chief of tho General Staff, who shall bo responsible /or the administration of matters relating to organisation, disposition, , armament, and gonorally tho maintenance of the defenco forces, together with n finnnce' member of the Council, The office of Inspector. Gonptal of tho'Forces will, Under the Hill, be retainod. With regard to tho scopo of authority to be - invested in tho Commandant of the Forces, it • is proposed that ho ehall ho responsible for matters of discipline, training and efficiency, administration ot btores, accoutrements, munitions of war, supervision of fortifications and magazines, transport, and, in general, the control of matters relating to the strategical dofences and mobilisation plans of the country,' , A Territorial Army. As indicated previously in tho columns of , The Dominion a territorial forco is to be' established. This forco shall be liable for'service within New Zealand and is to be maintained, and if necessary recruited, by, transfers, from the, general training section, i.e., those undergoing compulsory training. Such trans- , fers shall bo made cither by ballot or ,by \ transfer. ' The new Dill abolishes the selection, of officers by jpojjular election and provides that' all commissioned officers iu the , territorial' force shall be appointed by the Governor on. v the recommendation' of a board of selection appointed in. each district by the Council of . Defence. It is insisted that" officers so appointed must-pass prescribed examinations,b»foro 'obtaining their comitlibsions.

Tho Passing of the Volunteer. All volunteer corps, including resorvo eorpiu shall, under certain transitory provisions of tho new Bill, cease to exist on a. day,to b» notified by proclamation, and ion or before. that day all arms, clothing, and appointments issued to any member of any such corps are *' to bo delivered to nil officer appointed fer the purpose. All tho assets'and liabilities of volunteer! coips incurred prior to tho date in quo*, tiou shall, after investigation, become tho assets 'and liabilities of tho Crown. ' . At any timo within the date bo notified members of co.ips iefcried to dull be eligible for enhbtment in the tenitoiinl foico with the same rank a>s proiously held by them in the volunteer force. It may be explained' hero that the maeliin*' ery for the abolition of tho volunteer force and tho,establishment of a, territorial force are, . generally epeakmg, on the same lines as those adopted in, England for the establishment oi the British Territorial Army. - Compulsory Training. , With regard to the principle of compulsory ' tr,aininp[, which, forms tho bnsis of the Dill, detailed provisions are merited which ndd vory little to what has alieady been said , under ' this heading in the Budget. , , <• ' , Shortly, the periods of training outlined , junior cadots; from U years or the date of leaving school, whichever Aβ the later,in the < junior cadets; from U years or tho dato of leaving «chool to 18 years, in the' 'tenior cadets; from. 18 years to 21 years, in tho ' general training section; and from 21 years to 30 yoars in the leseivcs. > l -Tor tho training of junior cadets, a com. mandant is to be appointed, together with such ofheers and instructors as may be deemed necessary. A minimum peiiod of training of 52 hours per annum, Tho senior cadets are to be organised in military units, and attached to tho defence' forces in each district under .the authority of tho officer? commanding their ' respective districts. 1 ' , < l'rom .the senior cadets Wsone' i will be drafted'into the general training section, the training for which is to inoludc U days in Camp, with 12 half-day parades, except in,the case of tho ordnance cortpsi which will be required to undertake H days in camp and 20 half days, or its .equivalent. At the end of IaJ&Jl a J&J' e -? r j!>, tr , nininK , in thi9 Kct ion. a claesi. 'fid&titniTtfill bo'made of efficients and nonSS?!?! 1, ? , and the lattcr I'B liable for ad additional training foiAdaoh fiit in which they arc non-efflciont, or'for special Ira training in l tho year succcediiig, Ihe training of the is confined te two muster parades in each year. , It is also provided that' should it be found lnconvcnic'nt in any particular i area to carryout the training of senior cadets of- of the mineral training sccti6n training with any defence rifle club except training in, camp mar be accepted. ' ' It may be remarked, by the, way, ih'at the training of the junior cadets appears to b& miiinly physical j further, that junior cadet officers will bo permitted to come up for ex- ' animation for oommisbions. v Employers,and'Training. Ev«ry persoh ;who pro\en(s or attompU ' , to prevent those of his «mployecs who ' are liable for service in the senior cadets general, training section or territorial force from oarrying out imoh service or in nny way penalises them for rendering such ' service,, whether by a reduction of wages, , dismissal, is liable to a fine not exceeding ' ,£lO. ' ,''

AH persons liable for service must, within, three months after the coming into operation of tho Act, or in the month of January ' of tho year in which they become liable, present themselves for registration, failing which they ■will be lnble to a fine not eiceeding £S; further, will be disfranchised and rendered ineligible foi son ice oi continued service In any Government Depititnient. i Nothing in the Act, it is stated, shall re- * qttiio nnj person lo benr arms, or perfiim or undergo military sorwee or training, if the doctrines,, of Ins religion forbid him to do so. On the othei hind, he sull bo liable for service and training in such ciul duties as may be pieeonbed by this Govcrnor-in-Council, i , In Timo of War. On an occasion of a national emergency, the Council of Defence will ho authorised to make whatever diioctions as it deems necessary for ■ embodying all or any part of tho defence forces, and in particular to make such special arrangements as may bo proper with rogard to unite or individuals whobd services may bo required la ■/ 'other than a military capacity, Under thes.o provisions all tho malo in. habitants of New Zealand between the ages of 17 and 55 ardvako liable for service in tho militia, and in the event of war the whole number of those called out and placed under arms may be organised in euch manner as may ' be directed bj tho Council of Defence. ,

The Permanent Force. k Generally speaking, tho permanent force ' remains as at "present constituted, but authority is given to the Qovernoi to 11161 st on a preeoribcd number of fit imd nblo men to bo embodied The force will be liable for icivico in and bevond New Zeilnnd. All persons embodied vull bo liablo foi eight years' seivice—five in tho active forco and threo in tho reserve, but it is provided that on payment of JCIO, and at any time during the two following years of £ r >, ho may obtnin Ms dis. charge nt the end of three 5 ears, but lie maj bo called upon at any lime during tho remainder of his period of eight ycais to rejoin the force. i Miscellaneous Provisions. There appeals to bo no definite reference u the Bill to euch nrranßcmenti as will probably icquire to be nwdo with legaril to tho payment of men whilst bervCnpr then compulsory period, beyond tho single reference undei tho heading "general powoie of tho Goveinoi," which states that regulations mo,v be mado foi tho pay, rations, and lodging "of the forces i | In the light of pnst experience with regard to tho conditions which have governed foiuoritj of offirera, the .following clau'o as of some interest — "Wheie anj commission! of like rank bear the same date tho lioldcie thereof respectively shall rank nccoidin; lo f tuo dates of their prior commissions, and in fcn«« thero ar« not such puor commissions then the aforef aid holders shall take lank according to (ho order of merit obtained in tho exan motion " Previously, in the latter contingency, seniority vv.ns determined alphabetically—a svstctu which has caused no end of trouble in tno past,