NATIONAL RESERVE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2770, 13 May 1916, Page 9

NATIONAL RESERVE

NEW APPOINTMENTS

THE HATAITAI DISPUTE The following National Reserve appointments are announced s~ Wellington District. Staff. Lieutenant-Colonel A. de B. Brandon to be District Commandant, vice Colonel T. W. Porter, appointed Dominion Commandant. iifajor E. Tregoor, 1.5.0., with rank as from September 11, 1915, aud to bo honorary district secretary. Captain G. Kirton, V.D., to be major and A.Q.M.G., attached to Groups C, 6a, 7b. Captain If. N. M'Leod, to be district adjutant as from March 14, 11)16, with rank as from September 20, 1915. Captain H. A. King, attached to National Reserve as A.Q.M.G., to Group 7c, with rank from ( October 4, 1915, date of attachment to Group 7o activo Tprritorial recruiting staff. Group No. 5 (Wellington). Staff (Appointments). _ Lieutenant N. A. Grant, .Assistant Adjutant, to be Group Adjutant, from March 14, 1916, and attached .to instructional, staff. Staff Sergeant-Major.S. B. Gurden, to bo lieutenant on the instructional stuff as from April 4, 1916. . Designations and Appointments. Major A. Veitch, 0.C.-B Company, 2nd Regiment, resigned as from March. 17. 1916; Captain E. Kupli, to bo O.C. B Company, ranking as major from date> Sergeant-Ma jor W. A. Ramsay, Brooklyn' Platoons, supernumerary to C Company, Ist Regiment, to be 0.C., ranking as lieutenant; Lieutenant E. I". ./Tosswill, 0.C., Lower Hutt Platoon, resigned na from date; Lieutenant Norton-Taylor, C Company, 2nd-Regiment, to be lieutenant as from November 15, 1915, vies Lieutenant Rowntree, transferred to aot'vo service list; Lieutenant J. 0. Shovland, A Company,' 2nd Regiment, resigned as from May 3, having been promoted to captain in the Territorial Motor Ijervico thorps. ' 1 Group 7 (Napier). Acting Lieutenant J. Hill, to be Lieutenant Commanding Taradale Platoons of B Company, Ist Regiment, as from April 19, 1916. Group 7c (Gisborne). Major E. Whitely, O.C.- A Company, resigned as from March 18, 191b'. Medical Service Corps. l r ield Ambulance Detachment. J. H. Ormond, to be commander, rank-, 'ing as captain. Dr. W. Reeve, to be second in com> .rnund, ranking as surgeon-captain. | H. A. Armstrong, to be lieutenant, THE HATAITAI AFFAIR. The following letter, dated May 11, has been forwarded by Major E. Tregea'r, 1'.5.0., district secretary National Reserve, to Major H. Amos, Officer Commanding B Company, 2nd Regiment, who recently tendered \ his resignation:—"l- - directed, by the District Command, ant to acknowledge the receipt;of yours of May 9. In Paragraph 1 you are in error in stating that you were requested to resign your acting commission. In Paragraph 2 you stated that it was unfair not to afford you an opportunity of combating the charges made against you. 11l Paragraph 1 of the Commandant's memo, of May 4,. you were afforded tho opportunity of resigning your commission, the alternative rbsting with, yourself to do so or to ask for a personal inquiry into tho charges' made against yon by your 0.C., Major Davis, and that course is still open. You were not at that time in the position of an ordinary officer who is free to Tesign, seeing l , that charges had already been made against you by your O.C. in his report of April 27, and -which charge was read to yon at the Board of Inquiry, on May 2.— (Signed) Edward Tregear, 1.5.0., Major, District Secretary." » Major Amos wrote, replying as follows: ■—"I beg to acknowledge- -your letter. of tho 11th instant, and have noted its contents. I have nothing further to add to my letter to you of the 9th instant — (Signed) H. Amos." MEETING AT PETONE. At last ovening's parade of tho Petone Unit of the National Ik-serve, addresses' were delivered by Colonel Porter, Dominion Commandant, and Major Davis, Group Commandant. Colonel Porter, in t>peaking of tho new regulations under which all reservists would shortly' be brought, stated that an opportunity would l» arforded : those who wished to do so to retSrej and becomo honorary members, whilst tho remainder would work under the rules. There were eight groups in the Wellington district' controlling about 7000 men, aud each group was under u district commandant'. A Dominion Council was to be formed of the various district commandants, and any reasonable request, brought under the council's notice, would receive careful consideration, if in tho best interests of the lieserve. The speaker referred to tho I'ormalion of an executive citizens' committee, and said that the National Reserve movement in Auckland, Christchurch, and Otago was doing good work. The Petone /Unit had a membership roll of 90 (sufficient for .two platoons), and Colonel Porter stressed the point that even if the .total number of reservists had fallen to one half of what it originally was, so long as they. were good and amenablo men it did not .matter if .the number was not large.; Replying to questions, Colonel Porter said there was no reason why a review of the various units should not bo held periodically. "Dummy" rifles were . used largely by National Reservists at Home. The National Reserve movement was formed on lines similar to the old volunteer movement, aud was originally intended to be used in case of an invasion of the country. But there were-other, ways by which the work of- the Empire could bo assisted. Already some 5250 men from their ranks had joined tho Reinforcements. They could assist in get-, ting recruits, and in. any case (for 'the war was not yet over) they were trained and ready in case of emergency. Major Davis urged the unit to drill regularly and consistently, and suggested that a roll of honour should bo kept of those- of their number who had gone to the front. Tho speaker then tendered much useful advice to the platoon, adding that when they became expert at elementary drill, they could go in for trench work. Major Davis also stated that tho "dummy" rifles were the exact size and weight of service riiles. After several further questions had been answered, Lieut. Anderson, on behalf of tho unit, thanked tho officers for their addresses.