OFFICERS' COMMISSIONS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 24, 23 October 1917, Page 6

OFFICERS' COMMISSIONS

Sir,—ln your issue of Saturday "A Parent of Soldiers" lakes exception to Mr. Parr's remarks in the Houee re Territorial officers, and states that ho thought that most of the present Territorial officers were Senior Cadets. "Now, fiir, your corresi>ondont is apparently unaivaro that thers &re bo uooior Uadot

officers; they are oJI Territorials. 8e&&57 Cadets cannot attain a higher rank tfii® sergeant-major, because military lair the Defence Act docs not permit anyone under the age of 18 years to sit for or hold si commission, and a Senior Cadet on attaining the age of 18 is transferred into tho Territorials, and therefore ceases to be a cadet. ' But there are times when cadet coinpaffics are- short of n.0.0.'5, and cadet sergeant-r.ijajors, although transferred to the Territorials, may be retained as drill instructors. On. attaining tho age of 18 years a young' man who has been a sergeant in the cadets or corporal in the Territorials may sit for his first commission examination. This is very stiff, and takes 12 months, if hoiis lucky. To get thp commission the officer to be i? examined in nine subjects—three practical and six theoretical—and has to passthe nine or sit again. These examinations are held half-yearly. The candidates go into camp at Palmerston for a week, and are examined in the three practical subjects. If they pass these they again go into camp in six months and sit foi* the six subjects in theory, and if they pass these they have' then passed Him nine subjects as required by the Act, and', in the course of from four to six'months' later will be gazetted as second lieutenants in the Territorial Forces. They have then to wait 12 months before going up for the next examination, which is the "A" examination for promotion, to first lieutenant. On passing that they apply in 12 months' time for promotion..

I thiisk I have written sufficient toshow that all commissioned officers are Territorials and not Senior Cadets, as; your correspondent would have us believe. Further, he says: "Ajid let the. commissions be given to men who proveworthy in the camps and pass the examination." Now, sir, a man can go intocamp, become a n.c.0., and get his commission in six months, whereas the Territorial officers now under discussion— which Mr. Parr considers most unfortunate—have had six co eight years" military training before getting theircommissions. A number of them server four to six years in t'ue Senior Cadets, passing through all the n.c.o. ranks, and. into the Territorial Forces,. and then, have voluntarily gone into camp holding the King's conynission. Now, sir, I will, ask, Who is most entitled to hold the commission, the young officer who has: passed as above aVd gone injfp camp with his commission, ftr the man who goes: in as a private or n.c.o. and gets it in-, six months? I phoii,ld say by all means the man with the tf.x or eight years'' training. Again, I way say that although all the above officers, were called: up within n month, that is 41 one month, and 23 the following month, they bad. enlisted from six to twelve months previously. and all the time they were.waiting to be called up n.c.o.'s- in camp wcro getting commissions. And yiow having called all or most of the Territorial officers up in a bunch, tlje authorities want to take the commissions from them. T would like here to ask the Minister of Defence or some high officer whtvre they get the authority in the J)efwo Act to take the commissions from officers. or to tell them to take off 1 theii* uniforms. Is it not the law that: inly the breaking of the King's Regulations or a court-martial can do that?—l am, etc., ■ ' ENCOURAGE YOUNG OFFICERS. Wellington.