MILITARY NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1373, 26 February 1912, Page 3

MILITARY NOTES.

[Editxd Bt EchblohO COMMONWEALTH NEWS ITEMS. SPY REGULATIONS. With' the completion next June of their year's training in Mid Australian senior oailets the 1894 (eighteen-year-old) eki*:. o compulsory' trainees will tor«ar( and become the fir;t section of mini trainees. The Minister for Defence st:ite< recently.that, on final estimates "ernUun 25,000 cadets would join the wluU '<"«■> but it .-low appeared that I would be nearer 20,000 than 25.,000. Ihn - would be tho time of test of the oflicicncj of the cadet system. Regulations to provide for the protection of landing-placos of cables in time ot war havo been passed by the Commonwealth Executive Council. A guard, either of members of riflo clubs or other residents, is to bo formed at every landingplace. Theso cable guards ate to have two. periods of training annually, tfy urn moans there will always b© a torce readj to prevent the cutting or tapping of the cable end by an armed landing party. The founding of woollen mills for making cloth for military uniforms will .he tho next activity in the way of Australian Government enterprise. A Scottish expert has been imported by the Defencfl Department, and he will procced shortly to the Federal capital territory in search of a sito near a suitable'water- suppi}.

Under tho Australian Defence Act provision is made for four whole day drills annually, the duration of each ,ot which must not bo less than four hours. A military order has been issued recently stating that generally it would bivedvisnllo to hold tho parades from 2.t0 G.p.m..on Saturdays, or on each other day in any particular locality on which the nsual woekly half-holiday occurs. Whole day drills'may also bo held on public holidays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. If more convenient ! n certain localities, whole day drills may be arranged on public holidays in two sessions from 10 a.m; to noon, and from 2.30 p.m. to 4.-I0 p;m. .In dairying districts aftd mining districts somo variation will be necessary.

A -return -'showing the operation for the first year of the sections of the Australian Defence Act relating -to .compulsory training, lias been issued. On Jwcember 31, 1911, there were 89,138 cadets in military training The registrations for the v'ear numbered-155,133. ..There were 105,'2i2 medical . examinations, the result ibeing 4063-rejections-a? a " ( ' 30S0 ns -temporarily unfit, leaving 98,099 to'be'passed, ns. fit. . The; exemptions reduced the-number liable, for training to 93,029, ami the number actually .in training was -89,138 in the .land forces, ami 32'J5 - in-' the narv. .The exmeptions >inoludo' 40(53 permanently unfit, 30S0 tem-porarily-unfit, and 50;601> who .reside moro than- five" milbs from."*- training locality. Por. the present training localities are established where there nro not fewer than GO senior cadets' resident within' a five-mile radius., ■ A . statement ■ of- the strength-, of. the British Territorial Army on January-last Vi3s been'isiurd. It was as follows:— Establishment. officers' N.C.O.'s and men. - ,249 302,039 ■ •' Strength. , Officers. : ■ ' N.C.O.'s and men. . 9101 ■ • " ' 256,13S •As compared with . Jail nary' 1, 1911. this shows a- decrease of 12 officers and an-increase of 8M men. -

Permission to hire .civilian cooks for fncsmntnents ha* boon granted, for tho present voar.. It inny not be generally known that troops are expected to cook for themselves. The reason is obvious enough. On service it would never do for hoops to have to depend upon, civilian cooks. For one thing, civilian cooks ere rot:•.under ..military discipline ami they h'avo been known to'lnnke. use of their liberty by looking upon the wino when they should bo ministering to the ne.iessitics" of the troops. Furthermore, they would not always be available, and thus it- is imperative that troops should bo self-contained in rcepect to (he preparation of their food. On service, the man who can cook his own food has a distinct advantage. In connection with the New.Zealand forces, an allowance of 2s. per man per day is made, to cover the cost of victualling the .non-commissioned officers and men. Officers commanding nnits are left a free hand in the mutter of procuring and preparing the'food, except thiit whilst they may invoke the aid of civilian cooks they may not arrange with theso to cater at so much per head.

The committal of eeveral cadets to military, confinement in Sydney for having failed to ntten.l tho required number of compulsory drill'parades gave the Minister tor Defence .in opportunity recently to again stnte the intentions of the Government. "Wo mean to carry out the Act," he said. "Last war Parliament passed an amending Bill "giving power to deal in the way described with cadets who neglect their drill, and wo are only enforcing the power which was given deliberately to ns. The drill must bo carried out." The Defence Act provided that those between the agrs of 18 and 25 years must then do certain periods of continuous training.in camp, and he advised employers to ascertain tho extent to which they would bo •affected. They could thon prepare thoiimelves to meet the difficulty. The camps would bu hold as far os possible at a time of the year when there would bo a considerable number of holidays, such as Easter week, so as to cause as little displacement of industry as possible.

"Prior to the publication oi-. the- first number of 'The Army Review' in' July lost (comments "Mars" in tho "Military Mail") the policy of the War' Office with regard, to the publication of information concerning foreign armies we? '.o restrict it so far (15 the general public was concerned. The official handbooks dealing with Continental armies were rot >een on sale at .".u,v of the military booksellers', with ' the exception of minor couT>tric=, »ap-h- ns Nonvav, Sweden, Switzerland. and , sn on. ThrrciVo it is rather a sur-m-ise to find in tho present number of' the Review-'an article on the German officer, written by c ,T«neral staff offjeer in the Military Operations Directorate of the War Office. The bulk of this article is taken from, the 'OfPciil Handbook of the German , Army,-' a Ir.ook >hich .is isnied fialy to rcsular offif-rr. v;id others ocenpyins"' responsible posilirns in the serviceIt'is marked 'For official use only,' and is not ou's.ile'to-the public. The.article confiins nine! , , more information corcerninsr the Gorman ofiicer than is to bo found in-Chapter XX of the handbook, but the whole of' the educational esiablishments. f.ir oEcers and rcon-cornniissiqnf-d officers of the German A-rmyare dealt.with in th" 1.-tter l;ook, and the 'nformation contained therein is considered, to be-purely confidential. It is a's:-;n of progress when the Army Council permit the publication of an article which contains valuable information for territorial officers .and others interested in ' foreign military matters. Perhaps we shall yet see official' handbooks I of the' principal" Continental armies on sale to'the public., instead of bcinsr locked un in general staff libraries and other ( places inawcs'siblc 'to students of military nffa'irs." •

Naval orders issned recently contain a cryptic but important announcement tvnei'Vn'iiifj spvi-ic. They drav; tin , atti'iition of officers "and men'to th<> fact that, according to advice siven by the Commonwealth l,aw Dcimrtmeiit. the le-eni-etm! Oflic'iul.See.ri'ls Aft of the United Kingdom applies in full force to Australia. This Act wus rc-cnaeti>;l Inst year, after iinplcii-iant experiences hat] forced the Imperial Government to see tint snvini was proceeding in the naval dockyards and ba-:es. nnd its effect is to tighten up the law dealing with foreign spies. The nb>ence of proof of direct spviii-r in Australia has not close;! oflieml eve- to the obvious. They eannit but see many countries are taking all information gleaned about the ComnionI wealth into store? of knowledge reserved for possible future use. For this reason they must have welcomed British legislation that elves them full power; over spies —should their focrct service chniue on siirh undeMi'fil intruders. Spying i- Oefi-i----ed n* meaning tlj" approach to prolnbitrfl place.-, the sVetchin», pknnins. m notins that which, is calculated to be,

or might be, useful to an enemy, and the procuring or commuuicatiu;? of .such notes ov plans. Gnilt is held to l)c proTcd "if from (ho circumstance.-" of the- case, or his conduct, ov Ins known character, it appears that his purpose was a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State," end ho i? thereupon condemned to imprisonment of not less than three or more than foyen years. Receivers ar« also provided with penalties, limited to two years' imprisonment and a fine, and those who incite the offence, if they he within reach of the law, nre liable to a* prent a penalty n? he that commits it. 1I<» who harbour? a spy may be imprisoned for a week, but prosecutions must be instituted by the Attorney-General. Sweeping powers "of arref-l, sciivcli and trial are taken.