OUR NEW ARMY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 816, 13 May 1910, Page 3

OUR NEW ARMY.

ORGANISATION AND ESTABLISH"

MENTS. ,

COMPOSITE FIELD FORCES, THE SCHEME EXPLAINED. This week's Gazette, published Inst ovening, contains full details of the organisation and establishment of the Dominion's new army of home defence—the Territorial Force. The following review of the main points of interest in the scheme of reorganisation will omit, as far as possible, unnecessary details of a technical character, and show, bj way of contrast, tho salient points of difference .between the old and the new systems, witla a reference to what is implied by certain changes. The Fortified Ports. The present position with regard to the fortified seaports—Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, and "Westport—is that there are three companies of garrison artillery at Auckland', three at Wellington, two at Lyttelton, two at Dunedin, and one at Wostport. The maximum establishment for each' of these companies, under the old system, was 156. Under the new scheme the garrison artillery divisions at Dunedin and Lyttelton are to be reduced by one company, and the maximum establishment of any garrison artillery company lias been reduced to 100. Thus reorganised, the position will be:— Men. Auckland, three companies 300 Wellington, three companies 300 Lyttelton, one company 100 Dunedin, ono company 100 Westport, one company 100 Total; Territorial Garrison Artillery ' ......:... 900

These will man the defended ports and oo assisted and instructed by the small cadre of the Royal New Zealand Artillery stationed at each. The Auckland and Wellington divisions will each bo commanded by an officer of the rank of lieutenant-colonel and one major, while the company units will each be officered Dy one captain and three subalterns. In addition, a paid adjutant from the Permanent Staff will be attached to each division. At Westport, Lyttelton, and Dunedin tho senior officer in command will rank as. major, with a staff of one captain and three subaltern officers. An extra company sergeant-major (from tho Permanent Staff) will also be appointed for Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. At Westport the single company sergeant-major allotted will be appointed from the Permanent Staff. Two medical officers will bo appointed to Auckland and Wellington respectively, and one to each of the other ports. Generally speaking, the reduction in the strength of the companies makes for efficiency in instruction, and better selection as regards recruits. The" reduction of,,the establishments at Lyttelton and Dunedm_ has no doubt followed upon the observations made with regard to those places by Field-Marshal Viscount Kitchener in his report to the Government. It has been recognised by the authorities that it is unwise to defend places of minor strategical importance, but the wisdom of preferring a weak'defence to no defence at all may be questioned by some. According to the international ■rules of war, tho bombardment, of undefended ports is prohibited. There will also, no doubt, be raised the question as to whether Westport, with its valuable coal supply, does not justify more elaborate defences than is proposed. It is presumed, ot course, that tho Government has been guided in these matters by Lord Kitchener, but .the fact must be remembered that the Prime Minister has given no indication of what Lord Kitchener's views were -upon this very important question.. ...

With, regard to . the working of the searchlights, each company will be quired to do its own lighting, assisted by tho' electric light specialists from' tho Permanent Force. At. Wellington, No. 3 Company of Garrison Artillery was established as a small Electric Light Corps. It will be raised to 100, and detailed to man one- of the fortified positions. Officers allotted positions in the defence scheme on mobilisation (active list, unattached), may be attached to the headquarters of each, division in excess of the regular staff.

Territorial Field Artillery. In a sense, the reorganisation of the New Zealand Field Artillery under the' new scheme is an admission of the existing inadequacy of tlie present establishment, which allows one battery of 100 men and four guns to each of the four centres, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, with a smaller battery of two guns for NelSOD ; -Under tho new establishment each of the four districts will be allotted a brigade of field artillery consisting of two four-gun batteries, 145 of all ranks to each battery, and an ammunition column. Each brigade will be administered by its own headquarters staff, consisting of a. lieutenant-colonel commanding, an orderly officer, and 23 others, with a paid adjutant and sergeant-major from the permanent staff. Instead of 18 guns, there will Iμ 32; the present establishment of about 500 men will be raised to 1442 of all ranks, and, it is to bo presumed, equipped in certain cases with heavier armament. It is not stated whether the second battery allotted to each district is to be located in tho city or in the country. The latter contingency is probable. For hilly country howitzers will no- doubt be provided, and the 15pounder field pieces converted into the heavier 18-pounder armament ' adopted for the British Territorial Force. The ammunition column is a new departure, though an indispensable part of everv properly-equipped field battery. Tho designations of the batteries will bis altered to conform with that of the British system; D Battery, for example, will be known as "No. 1, AVellington." Tho senior officer commanding will rank as major.

. The probabilities are that the senior major on the. active list (unattached). Major W. H. Moorhouso, will bo invited to take command of the Wellington Brigade with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Field Engineers. Perhaps the most radical change is in the establishment for the field engineers. "Under the old establishment, each company of engineers consisted of 50 sappers, 25 signallers, and 25 field telegraphists. The new establishment raises the strength to 212, uuder a major, consisting entirelj of field engineers, the signallers arid telegraphists being established as separate units. The staff of the major commanding will'include one captain, four subaltern officers, and a company sergeantmajor (the last-named appointed from tho permanent staff). The reason for practically quadrupling tho field engineers lias in the fact that these handy men of the army aro liable to be called upon to put a place in a stale of defence, to make bridges, and generally to solve large problems in civil engineering in tho shortest possible time. Tho difficulty which confronts tho authorities is the scarcity of men qualified to command tho engineer companies. The position is one calling for highly specialised training, combined with the ability to command. Another point, one not generally understood, is that touching the class of men who will lie acceptable in the ranks of field engineering companies. Tho term "engineer" is not to bo taken solely" in its'strictly mechanical sense, but is to be interpreted to cover all classes of civil engineering—carpenters, mechanicians, navvies, everybody accustomed to employment on big contracts for example. Of the 212 of all ranks in n field engineer company, 55 will be mounted, and 157 dismounted. Each company will have its transport section, consisting of 12 vehicles-, r>l draught horses, and four pack animals, and 33 drivers, with material for the construction of 20 yards of medium bridge. Mounted Brigade. The mounted regiments aro to bo organised into brigades, tlireo regiments to a brigade, under the command of a full colonel (temporary rank), and brigade major. Each regiment will consist of its own hcad<i<snrti>rs staff (which will include attached officers) of 20, v machinesun section (salloiiinß maxim) of 13, and

four squadrons of horse, 320, the total being 353 of all ranks (under a lieutenantcolonel) to be raised in the various country districts, a brigade to each district. Attached to each regiment will be a paid adjutant and a regimental sergeantmajor from the permanent staff. The transport wagons will consist of 12 vehicles. Infantry Brigades, Similarly, the infantry battalions will be organised into brigades of four battalions each, one to each district, under a full colonel and a brigade major. Eacll battalion will consist of 710 of all ranks, under a lientenant-colonel commanding, with a paid adjutant and a sergeantmajor appointed from the permanent .staff. The transport will consist of ten vehicles, Nine cyclists will bo trained for - inter-communication. Tho eight company units will each be 84 strong, with a machine gun section in addition, numbering 11. Communications. Each of the district brigades—tho mounted brigade and tho infantry brigade—will be given a communication company, for maintaining .. communication between the separate units—regiments or battalions—of its respective brigade, but not for inter-communication within theso units—from squadron to squadron, company to company, and so on. The mounted ; brigade- communication company .will muster 21 of all ranks, under a captain, a subaltern, and a company sergeant-major, but the. infantry brigade communication company will be .a.more elaborate establishment, consisting of two brigade sections: (a) two telephone; detachments, and ten men (including eight cyclists, who may, when specially ordered, be mounted, for signalling and dispatch riding, under a subaltern; and (b) one telegraph-cable detachment and fivo men (including three cyclists, who may bo horsed), for signalling and dispatch riding. Other Units, Each brigade will be given a properlyequipped supply column, for an army moves upon its food supply, and also a field ambulance corps.. Model Field Force. A fully-equipped field force, for, say, tho Wellington military district manoeuvres, may now be set out thus:— 1. MOUNTED TKOOPS. Brigade Headquarters. Three Regiments Mounted Rifles. Mounted Signalling Corps. . Ammunition Column. Supply Column, Field Hospital. 2. INFANTRY TROOPS. Brigade Headquarters. Four Battalions Infantry. Field Engineers. Signallers. Field Artillery, 8 guns. ' Ammunition Column, , ■ Supply Column. Field Hospital. .