DEFENCE FORCES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1803, 16 July 1913, Page 8

DEFENCE FORCES.

THE COMMANDANT'S REPORT. GROWTH OF THE ARMY. The report of tho General Officer Commanding tho Forces for tho period from Juno 28, 11112, to Juno 20, l'Jl3, was presented to Parliament yesterday. General Godley states that he is glad to report that very great interest has been taken during the past year by all classes of tho community in their citizen Army, and valuable assistance has been given to tho military authorities m miuiy ways in regard to tho establishment of the scheme; ulso much substantial help in the direction of prizes for cliicioncy and contributions towards tho comforts and recreation of both Territorials and Senior Cadets. -Many citizens have beeoino honorary members of tho Territorial Force, and au institution lias been formed culled tho Honorary Territorials, which, he thinks, is most valuable as a means of ensuring the closest possible touch botweeu the citizens and their army. Tho report goes on' to state that 18.G87 officers and men have now been trained at an annual camp (17,831 of them for two years), and have performed the number of parades and drills required throughout the year (some by means of extra time in camp); that those officers and men luivo now all a rudimentary knowledge of field training; that 15,852 of them have fired at least one course of - musketry (somo have done more); and that, in case of emergency, it would bo possiblo to augment the units from tho ex-Volunteers and ex-South African Coutingeuters by about 2500 specially selected officers and men who havo_ all had somo experience of soldiering, and thus placo about 21,000 men in the field. Their effij ciency to meet n possiblo enemy must bo measured by tho amount of training they have received. The most has been rnado of the time. "Tho organisation in which they would tako tho field is complete and satisfactory; tho camps for tho year have to a great extent been held in tho higher organisations; tho supply of rifles, ammunition, and personal equipment is adequate and satisfactory; and the only serious deficiencies as regards material would be transport, which lias not yet been organised, and which would have to bo improvised locally, and certain items of technical equipment and stores. Eight batteries of up-to-dato modern artillery would bo available. ' A Record of Progress. General Godley remarks that the army is now on a very different footing from ' that in which it was before'the introduction of universal training. "We have now to arrange to deal," lie adds, "with citizen forces the strength of which will shortly bo 30,000 Territorials, 40,000 Senior Cadets, and 25,000 members of rifle clubs, as ■ against some 10,000 volunteers, 3000 defence cadets, and 3000 riflo club men in the volunteer days, _ "Further, plans for an expeditionary force, for the defence of the Dominion, for mobilisation, for const defence, for mapping and reconnaissance of the Dominion, for examination and education of officers, for manoeuvres, schools of instruction, camps, staff tours, etc., have been undertaken on a scale never bc-foro attempted, and tho instruction and organisation of tho forces has been carried into remote parts of the Dominion which wero not touched under the old scheme. "Prior to the introduction of the schemo cf universal training, little or no attempt lmd been made to establish the organisation necessary to enable the forces to take tho field. This (with the exception ol transport) has now l>ecn done, anil, as ill' uny other business, demands an adequate start to maintain it." , Dealing with staff training duties th<*commandant remarks:— .. . . t "Iu the case of both the Territorial) Forco and Senior Cadets, there is still too much repetition of mechanical drill, and too mucli use of the drill halls; Ilia j work must be varied, and the drill halls should only be used in the winter and in the wet weather. _ ' ( "On summer evenings all drills must bo in the open, nnd, as I have said beforo, i there is no reason why'the rendezvous of-' a companv for its summer evening drills should not be on a convenient lull-top-on tho outskirts of a town. "The attendance has, on the wliolo, been good, but it is again noticeablo that it is belter in the country districts, where the difficulties of getting to and from parade and drill are far. greater than in the towns." ' . , t. The training of the Territorial Forco. General Godley states, has steadily Progressed during the past year and a. groat* measure of improvement is show u in dis # - cipliuc nnd general efficiency. The Territorial Army. Regarding posting to the Territorial Army, tho commahdant states that in order to maintain the, stability and train- v ing efficiency of the forco in future years,; it is necessary that a constant number _ of recruits should be admitted to the ler- * ritorial Force every year. "The annual quota to be admitted to tho Territorial Force is, roughly, one-' seventh of the 30,000 which tho law al-. lows. Au allowance has been mode for wastage, but -experience alono will show what number is necessary in this respect. ■ "Tho strength of tho forces on April 30,. 1913, was:— (1) Territorial Force, 23,010; (2) Senior Cadets, 24,770; 13) rifle clubs—) (a) Active members, 4003; (b) liable fori universal training, 1370; total, 54,0(i2. I "The total number of registrations un to , April 30, 1913, amounted to (59,700, and tho i strength of the forces on the same date, less the active members of riflo clubs,. was 50,059. In estimating the diffcrenco, between these totals it must be taken into consideration that 9000 youths (appro*. ■ iinately) who have registered have not vet been posted. Of these it is estimated that: 7500 will bo posted to the Senior Cadetsin June, which will increase the strength _ of the forces accordingly to 57,559. "The deficiency to be accounted for,' therefore, 'amounts to 12,U1, and it- 19 estimated that the numbers contributing thereto are made up as follow:-(a) Medic-\ ally unfit for forces (5 per cent),. 318 a; '!>) estimated numbers residing 111 exempted; areas, 1000; (e) youths over fourteen venrs of age still attending pnimtr.v schools. . and therefore not posted to senior cadets (estimated), 1500; (d) old volunteers who registered and have since been allowed to leave the Territorial Force on completion-, of the necessary service towards which', their volunteer service counted (estimated) 1250; (e) casualties since registration! (deaths, left the Dominion, exemptions; through illness), (estimated), 3000; (f)j numbers registered in cxcess of (probably not eighteen, or over twenty-» one years of age, or registered twiceu (estimated), 1000; total, 11,235; counted for, 90G; grand total, 12,141.