FALL IN.

Dominion, Issue 1337, 15 January 1912, Page 6

FALL IN.

TRAINING BEGINS TO-NIGHT, THE SENIOR CADETS. TEX THOUSAND TX DISTBICT. To-night, the work of training the new citizen army and the senior cadet companies organised under the .Defence Act of 1910 will commence in earnest.^ Although a considerable number of the senior cadet companies and territorial units have been hard at work for some time past, regular attendance at parades has not been insisted upon, for various reasons. It was not deemed wise to formally inaugurate the new scheme, during the turmoil of a general election, and the disorganisation of tho oversea transport service, which followed the industrial upheaval in England, has seriously delayed tho arrival uf a large and very essential portion of the arms and equipment for the new army. For example, the field guns for the new batteries should have been hero several months ago; they have not yet arrived. Iu tho meantime, a great deal of brcak-ing-in work has been accomplished, especially in tho senior cadet units, and in the garrison and field artillery corps, with the result that when training commences in real earnest to-night tho seasoned recruits aro expected to provide a fairly solid backing for tho various units. Cadets—and Cadets. So far, the senior cadet companies havo not figured prominently in the public eye, and thcro. has been evidenced a tendency on tho part of a good manv to take them for granted as being something in the nature of an extension of the public school cadet corps. This, of course, is not correct. The senior cadet corps are established from youths of the ages of ii to .IS, and aro under the control of the Defence Department. Each senior codet company is a self-contained unit, as there are no senior cadet battalions. Heuco their organisation is different from that of the junior, or public school cadets which corps has a battalion organisation! During tho course of an interesting talk with Captain S. Robinson, the district m m ca S, et staflf omc<?l '' a representative ?i' r ." c Dominion gathered that in tho Wellington military district alone there are now 101 senior cadet companies, totalling 10,000 of all ranks. In Wellington SinS -° wer ? }' com Pauies, numbering 2000 senior cadets. The Defence authorities have recognised that tho success of the scheme will depend very largely upon the class of men who arc appointed to officer these senior cadet companies, and the greatest caro is being taken in this respect to see that the senior cadet officers are not onlv eftcient, but men of high character likely to exercise considerable influence in their respective commands. So far only 59 of the 10! senior cadet companies are fully officered. All the city companies havo their full complement of officers, and in the majority, of esses these are trained men. In all cases, of course, the services of .the staff instructors appointed by the Defence authorities will be regularly available. With regard lo the uniforms for these companies, these are expected to come to hand next month. Each company will bo accorded the privilege of wearing a distinctive badge, the design of which must, in tho first instance, be submitted to the Officer Commanding the District for Ins approval. In _ May next senior cadet officers will be given an opportunity of qualifying by examination for certificates of rank, entitling them to the status of regimental officers in tho adult units. The Week's Work. The time-tablo of parades for the city and suburban companies is as follows — , Mondays-. Y.M.C.A., Brooklyn, Wellington technical School, Thorndon, and Upper Hutt Companies. City Scout Cadet Company, and the St. James's, Kilbirnie, Lower Hutt, and Jolinsonvillo (Paekakariki) Companies. Wednesdays: Boys' Institute, St. Anne's. Petone, Petono Technical School, and Johnsonville (Paraparaumu) Companies. . Thursdays: Newtown (No. 1), St. Vincent, Johnsonville (township), Karori. Lower Hutt (Wainui Section), and Upper Hutt (ICaitoke Section). " Fridays: Newtown (No. 2), Mount Victoria, (Kaiwarra Secfion), Johnsonville (Pahautanui Section), Upper Hutt (Stoke's Vallev Section), and Upper Hutt (Maugaroa Section).