THE DEFENCE FORCES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 85, 4 January 1919, Page 8

THE DEFENCE FORCES

FUTURE ORGANISATION TRAINING AND STAFFING There is much 'speculation in military chxlgs regarding tne future organisation of tiie Defence forces of New Zealand. It is taken for granted that there will bo many changes in personnel and in methods. During the last four years it lias been the habit of the Expeditionary Force instructors to tell recruits who had received Territorial training to "forget it," and though this sweeping condemnation, was not fully justified, it indicated the trend of expert opinion, uiticers with experience of active service in Europe and elsewhere seem to be agreed that the old Territorial system will not suffice for the future military needs of New Zealand. If plans were to bo mnde on a purely military' basis, the old scheme of evening drills, with occasional daylight parades and annual camps would give place.to a system of compulsory training for a fixed period , of months in Trenthnm Camp or Featherston Camp for every fit youth on attaining a certain age, say, eighteen or twenty, years. There is reason to believe that a scheme of this kind is favoured by the heads of the Defence Department. But the question will have to be decided finally by Parliament, and the opinion held in well-informed quarters is that the present Parliament, at any rate, would not consent to this extension of the system of universal training. No definite proposal for the amendment of the Territorial system will be put forward until the Peace Conference has completed its work. If the League of Nations is established on a firm basis and the great conscript armies of Europe are reduced in accordance with the British and American pre-war system, there will be no need for New Zealand to undertake a groat intensification of the miltary training system. But if the settlement requires the British Empire to maintain for the next ten years or'so a standing army of, sny, 1,000,000 men, as has been suggosted in some quarters, then this country may hive to share tho responsibility. The question is v regarded as a political one rather than a military one. It is generally known that the present Commandant of the New Zealand Forces (Major-General Sir Alfred Robin) will retire when his successor, ,who -will be one of the officers who have served -lit the .front during the present war, is ready to take over the duties of General Officer Commanding. The senior officer of the New Zealand Staff Corps serving abroad is Major-General Sir E. W. C. Chnytor, who commanded the Anzac Mounted Division in the Palestine campaign. Major-General Sir A. H. Russell, who bus been commanding the New Zealand Division , in France, was. in private life before the war, and it is understood that he does not wish to hold a Defence appointment after peace is declared. Bri-gadier-General G. S. Richardson, who has commanded the New Zealand troops in England during the war, has proved himself a particularly able administrator, and he is reported to be returning to Now Zealand for work in connection, with demobilisation. The new (Joimuandant will be either General Chnytor or General Richardson. One of the problems to be faced by ,the New Zealand Defence Department after the war will be the desire of many hundreds of capable officers, with war experience, to retain an active conneotion with the New Zealnnd Forces. • Many a young New Zcalander who had no thought of being a"' soldier before the war has since won his commission, donogood work in tho field, and become imbued with a wish f,o enter the military profession. ■ The' Department has made no permanent appointments in the Dominion during the war, and tho whole question of staffing tho' Defence F6rce3 will be open.for consideration nt the close of the war.. But .there will not be enough billets to go round, and man.v officers of high military attainments will have to go .off the' active list.. ' A suggestion often mnde is that only officers of "active, service experience" should be retained in the employ of the Defence Department after the conclusion of peace. . iA , rule of. this .kind- would operate most unfairly. There nre officers who had been trained for special service l)efore the war, who discharged^that service during the war, ■ and who, despite their repeated applications, were never allowed to-get. to the-front. It would be cruelly unjust to say that because they, did the work assigned them during the war they'must now.abandon their profession. ■■ . The disposition of the arms and equipment'of the New , Zealand Force in France Egypt, Palestine,' and elsewhere presents a problem, of some difficulty. The rifles are all , to be brought back to New Zealand. They will be rebar'relled in most cases, and will, not only supply (he requirements of the Territorial Force.'but will create a reserve of modern rifles such ns New Zealand has never possessed before. Some of the field guns and howitzers will also be brought to New Zealand,' but it is considered that no' good purpose' would be, served by bringing them all. They' could not be used here, and they would be scrap metnl in a few ■ years. The same applies to fiomo of the other equipment. Everything that-is nt all likely to be of use to the Territorial Force will be brought back.