DEFENCE AFFAIRS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 202, 15 May 1918, Page 6

DEFENCE AFFAIRS

LAST DAY OP COMMISSION

i DENTAL services

WORK OF RECRUITING

branch

SOLDIERS' "CHARACTERS"

conoliirfSj m =o .ksPM'-diture Commission tenliv d•" Jieavitig of evidence yesSir Robert l< „1 and 'Mr. Charles Rhodes. sat with him. w, Ut T^" C ? ltmel T - A ' Hunter, Di™tc , 01 Services, '.aid that it was not on tho'Suggestion of Lioutenant • A. Macdonald that the dental officers were taken off medical boards. This change was actually made before the suggestion of Lieutenant Macdonald was received by «im. The chango was really a most important one, becnuso it involved doing away with all treatment of recruits by the civilian dentists, and doing all the dental work in camp. The offect ol the chango had been to make tho Iv ?ni Dloro efficient and less (xpensivo. Ike chairman said that the Commission had not called the witness beforo it, because it was Mr. Rhodes's opinion and his own that the work cf tho Dental Corps was sc- excellent. The Commission was really looking for faults, and was content to take virtues for granted.

U ilness 6aid that great < redit was due to the profession and the members of the corps for tho sacrifices they have made. Professional Pay to Dentists. Tho chairman: Nor that you are here I think we should ask you I his question: Why should dental men tot professional pay? Mr. Rhodes: How many of 'hem volunteered before they came ill under military service? Beoause nhen it gets down to militiry service the patriotism or working the«e becomes a little less. Witness: "I can't say how'many." Ho argued that it was propor to allow professional pay to dentists. They gave up their practices, and no money to be wasted "in the training cf them. The Army had at ?nce had tho benefit of their professional training and experience. He admitted that if there was really universal service there would be no neod for the professional pay. The chairman: But do lawyers or engineers get it?' We found eminent lawyers and engineers in the combatant l'orce. Do they get any allowance? Witness replied that these men's professional services were not being used in the Army. The chairman: Can you tell us any other country in which this professional pay is given? Witness could not name another country in which the allowance was paid. He went on to show that the employment of the Dental '"orps had meant a total saving to the State of .£9GOO in 6ix months, the saving representing tho diifereuco between the cost of tho ivork in camp, and the cost of having it done by civilian dentists at the reduced charges paid by the Defence Department for work done for soldiers.

Schemes of Reform. Lieutenant I'. A. Macdonald gave an account of tile representations he had made for tho removal of uental officers from boards. He presumed, with some justification, he claimed, that it was, as the result of his suggestions that the dental officers were removed from boards. Witness proceeded again to speak of his scheme (mentioned on Saturday) for the reduction of the personnel of medical boards. He thought tluse boards should consist only of the njedical officers, leaving all the clerical work to be done by the group staffs in the places visited by the boards.

The chairman announced, that the Commission had arranged that a committee, consisting of Mr. Malcolm Fraser (Government Statistician), Mr. J. D. Gray (secretary of the Recruiting Board), and Mr. P. Verschaffelt (secretary to the Public Servico Commissioner), should investigate certain matters of alleged overlapping and duplication as between tho Director of Recruiting and the groups, the Director of Recruiting and Base Records, the Director of Recruiting and the Government Statistician, and Base Records and the pay branch.

Witness referred t'i alleged lack of check on the issue of railway ■warrants, antl to the need for a property branch or something of the port, to see to the maintenance and repair of rifle ranges and drill-halls. He /expressed doubt also as to whether the capitation earned by units in the Territorial Porce (10s. per man for infantry and 2(te. per man for mounted corps) was wisely spent. Ho had known officers to buy out of these moneys elaborate roll-top desks and handsome despatch bags. The ichairmun suggested 'that there were certain checks on this expenditure, .but that it might cost more than the sums involved to provide for a system of audit close enough to prevent waste.

Captain Cossgrove in Reply. Captain Cossgrove, Director of Recruiting, said that it had been reported in the Press that Lieut.-C'olonel M'Donald had said that an A man . had come to Wellington, and had there after 1111 interview with the D.R., been classed C 2. This was a direct'reflection 011 (witness's) reputation, and was absolutely contrary to fact. The chairman and Mr. Rhodes both said that there had been no reflection 011 Captain CtKsgrove personally or professionally. They would never have allowed such to pass.

Captain Cossgrove said tlmt it was easy for a man not satisfied with his medical classification to obtain re-examination. Applications far this were nearly always granted, and they could be obtained without visits to Wellington. • Captain Cossgrove caid that he did nor agree with Lieutenant Macdonald in the opinion that a saving could be effected by eliminating all tho clerical-staffs nf medical boards. It was most important that the records made at the time should be correct, and ticouracy was hard to maintain, it would be impossible to keen it without a trained staff. Furthermore, there had recently been reduction in district staffs, t-nd there ivould not be enough olficers and sergeants-major in the groups to do tho medical board and the training as well. They would be occupied practically continuously with the boards. lie urged strongly that tho present system, be continued, and in support of his view he quoted several reports from districts !*nd groupi on the subject. It had been alleged by Lieutenant Macdonald that by his scheme it would be possible to reduce the cost of boards by .£02,000 year. Witness showed that it would not be possible to save more than .£12,000 :\ year at most, and against this would have to be set the cost of travelling of tha group and area stall's to the places at which medical boards sat. Abolition of "D.R," Branch. Captain Cossgrove made reference to the suggestions that the work now done by the Director of Recruiting could be netter done by the L'l'ouns. Experience had shown that_ the districts and groups could not or did not do this work. At the beginning of tho business there were no trained officers to do it. Now there were officers. but meantimo tho other system had been developed and got into order. It was working efficiently, and lliero was good reason for keeping it running in preference to making an attempt to work the groups. Assessment of "Character." Maior J. H. Bartlett, Deputy-Director of Base Records, was called to give ovidpiico about the assessment of character of soldiers on discharge. He explained that it was necessary to assess character nnlv on the entries shown on tlm conduct sheet, because thu men were not known to the officer making tho assessment. Onu nf the rules laid down was that a man could not get a "very good" character until after two and a half years of service. This, hn admitted, was not quite fair, but a litu; had to bo drawn somewhere. A soldier should not expect a "very izood" discharge after a few months' Ke vice. It was suggested that' qualifications for

a certificate of character oliould bo eot out on tho disohnrgc, mid witness said that tho mattor was tindor consideration. King's ncfliilationt. Tho chairman! Don't you think wo aro inclined to bow down too much to King's Regulations, which lire absolutely ridiculous as applied lo the New Zealand Forco P Witness: Wo follow them nB a guide, hut not literally, Tho chairman: It i? a Hllle difficult to differentiate mm,dimes. These regulations aro very ridiculous for mi Dominion Forco. I mean (lie conditions don't lit. Wo havo no iilandiug army, and those regulations nro [or a nlnmling n tin v. Il.u went on to suggest thai the nrfiilrory limitation of two and a half years for "very good" and six years for "exemplary" wero unfair, us applied lo an Expeditionary Forco raised for sorviiw i" this war. Tho Commission adjourned nino die. Tho members of tho Commission leave to-day for Palme-st&n, whom they will preparo their report.