TEN CADETS FOR DUNTROON

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 6

TEN CADETS FOR DUNTROON

Army Career Offered To train for commissions iu the New Zealand Regular Force, ten cadets from New Zealand will be sent to the Royal Military College, Dnntroon, Australia, toward the end of February, said the Minister of Defence, Mr, Jones, yesterday. From candidates offering throughout the Dominion it was proposed to select provisionally 20 to 25, who would be required to attend a short course ot instruction at Wellington toward the end of January. At the end of the course, the final selection of the ten candidates would be made. The co-operation Qf headmasters of secondary _ schools and colleges would be sought in the preliminary selection, and in addition, because some youths in the required age group and possessing the necessary high educational qualifications might be serving in the territorial force, the conditions or entry were being circulated to all units. Mr. Jones explained that considerable care was taken in the selection of candidates. A high standard of education was required, specially in mathematics and physics and/or chemistry. Proficiency in mathematics was regarded as of special importance now because, for reasons arising out of the war, the length of the course had been jcduced to two years. A pass mark of 55 per cent, of the maximum marks iu mathematics in the university entrance examination was tlie minimum standard acceptable. Each candidate must be a British subject, tlie son of British subjects, and ot pure European descent, and must be a member of a family established aud resident in New Zealand. lie must pass a vey strict medical examination of active service standard, aud be single and over 17 years of age but under 20 years on March 1 next. Before proceeding to Dunt-roon the candidate would be required to sign an undertaking that he would serve in the New Zealand Regular Forces for 12 Applications are to be made iu the first instance to unit commanders by youths in the territorial force and to headmasters by students still at school. The Minister expressed the Government’s appreciatiou of the Australian Government's action in continuing to extend the usual training facilities to New Zealand cadets, even though the college is now fully occupied with training officers for the Australian military forces.