AUSTRALIA'S ARMY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2687, 5 February 1916, Page 2

AUSTRALIA'S ARMY

4——NEW TRAINING SCHEME

GENERAL M'CAY'S REPORT

apMilitmoiit th ° CIOS6 ° f last >' ear tlle Win'i, Imperial ° lces ln Australia. General M'Cav had hTbS ded < f al ! i P° li ' w^eil wading # °' an ? I,ad returned to Aus" it becamoTJ nt P l ! r P oses - Dlotion If necc ® s . ar y. owing to the deto nrovidn * apabl ° experienced officers, tlin m , ore - a <W la te control of of tho ■nf ,a " discipline of members wig A.1.1 1 . in camps m Australi-) it sed tllat General M'Cay's fine ittod £ Hin ?r ra; i rccen % submitted to Mr. te . r his rt > JthH ?■ com P re bensiv 0 manner disLlt°„ q Vtr ot '%> trai ™g camns \?t m i CU ■' u various ™]?' Afte V consultation with the respective members of the Military Board concerned, Senator Pearco has approved meftt& ,lof the Wowing recom-

Officers and Non-coms. ■h oxc . e P t in . suc)l special cases nn iir Pf 10ve d by the Military Board) tarv JW of , tl3e Commonwealth MilimS™ f * • a " y rauk bo employed iii Imperial Fni"" 111 " 5 ! foi i ''n l6 Austr alian ed for' wrv u " loss 1 volunteerPhysicall u2 a W " 5 certified ° r defect. 1 °™ S wealth mib'f 3 " °? cers ti' e CommonS" lta [' I°™, ™der the rank oi captain, lvho have not gono throuch for 3ifvi ? nl m f StrUCtioll • nmr Prescribed AT V I s * !? r """missions in the bss tlu-ough that course, unless the Selection Committee of the rr!S strlct certifies that they are the course? tr!UU with ° Ut fJS ' 11lafc 6ecolld lieutenant 0 f the Commonwealth military forces be ken paSTTi r les ? V 1^ ds foi nnnt fv; / scb ° ol ± J jl uailf J In e for commission in tho be (4 l officers aud all n.c.o.'s to sp«!ihcally instructed as to the responsibility for maintaining discipline dutvon^'i 1 ? offellces ' ajld as to their ™a*tuig on respect, without in, be ku-pFn 11 ? ,v "' )ea t ill g. Also that they be oarefidly instruoted in the need for propei administration and care of adrecords. (5) That commanders of camps an d 0 r depot battalions bo relieved of their ablTto m they prove themselves uncipline in their"oinnm^/o^'are^slack les ( s 6) thln at dn ! i 0 ,fl ainin e iour6 not less than 40 half-hours per week, and not more than 44 hours per week-ie in average from soven and a half to day for fivfc da y a wook, and three to four hours on the 61i,Wi Qttjf, th i e o troi ? in e of reinforcements be for 12 weeks (72 days in Ausand afterwards four weeks in *][>«' and that no mau bo sent abroad until he has completed 72 days' trainduue3rreSPeCtiVe ° f fafci = uo and cam P

, (8) That the training of new units he similar to tiiat laid down in paragraph (/),.except ui so far as the authorities ■n Jigypt might lengthen tihe. period of local training, (9) That men who do not qualify at the' musketry course be not discharged on that account, but that their record ° 6 marked (under musketry), i!ailed; detailed for fatigues." When these men reach tho front, if they have not in the meantime qualified, they can be told off to do fatigue work for those men proficient with the rifle. (10) That a record card, similar to that m use at Broadmeadows, be kept tor every enlisted man, and should accompany him when he leaves Australia.

< Too Much Leave. General M'Cay states that "at present there is too much leave, in 6omo form or another, in most of tho military, districts. Men should realise that when' once they enlist their singleminded devotion to training is absolutely essential, and loave should be looked for only to tho extent necessary to keep therti mentally elastic. In some cases leave is granted daily after about 4 p.m., and in others every second day, and, in addition, practically all camps give n « nOOll 011 Saturday and for all Sunday after church parade. Moreover, week-end leave, lasting till th« first train on Monday morning, and commencing on Saturday morning—and oven at times on Friday afternoon—is granted, sometimes nearly every week, and often every second week. Final leave also is granted shortly before embarkation. So much leave inevitably tends to make men forget that swiftness in their preparation to serve is as essential as thoroughness, and it makes them forget also that tho men at the front are fighting and suffering, while J we here are enjoying ourselves. Moreover, men who are out 'late on, leave frequently are not fit to train energetically."

General M'Cay's recommendations as approved are(a) That "maximum leave" as set out in the following paragraph be order for the whole Commonwealth. (b) That the maximum holidays and leave and percentages granted leave be (1) evening leave (from after the end of tho day's work till 11 o'clock at latest), to be 20 per cent. —i.e., one evening in five; this leave to be by platoons or ottier similar training units as a whole. (2) A half-holiday (with leave to 11 o'clock) from training, once a week, not necessarily on Saturdays, commencing not earlier than 1.30 p.m. (in civil life a man usually gets home .to his mid-day meal before commencing his half-holiday's pleasure). (3) On Sundays general leave to bo granted from not earlier than 1.30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at latest. Sunday - morning to be taken up with (firstly), church parade, and (secondly), thorough cleaning up and inspection of lines ; kits, and equipment. Where leavo is given wider (2), or any other day than Saturday, the Sunday leavo stated in (3) will also ba allowed. (4) Where the leave is taken on Saturday permission will be granted for it to bo. continuous from 1.30 p.m. on Saturday to 11 p.m. on Sunday, (o) Once a mont'i, a week-end (from 1.30 p.m. on Saturday to 11 p m [on Sunday) may be granted' to those i who take leave for a montli on afternoons other than Saturday. (c) Final leave to be granted before men go to camp of concentration for embarkation.-. This leave is intended to give the men two clear days in their -heme, and is not to exceed four comploto days. (d) All officers to get exactly tho same leave as other ranks.

That, nnloßS in exceptional cases, the age limit for officers of the jien- units be (a) Battalion Commanders, 45 vears ■ (b) Brigadiers. 50 years.

That detention barracks be provided General tf'Cay states in his report that aa'soon as detention barracks became available in Egypt, instead of defaulters being kept in tents, punishment became surer and more effective, and crimes diminished. N.C.O.'s are Wbo specially instructed that- failure oil their part to see that men drunk are brought to book will mean tho loss of stripes. Except in thd case of entertainments,] and with the consent of the canw commandant, no female to bo allowed any.<vherQ in an? samp after sunset, ' 1