NOT FULLY TRAINED.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 May 1918, Page 3

NOT FULLY TRAINED.

STATEMENTS ABOUT DRAFTS OF

REINFORCEMENTS.

THE REASONS EXPLAINED

From time to time, aud. especially since the Defence Expenditure Commission has been sitting, statements , that drafts of reinforcements have been j sent out of New Zealand incompletely instructed in the essential part of a soldf.er’s training—musketry. L he question was raised when Colonel Oib- [ hon was before the Defence Expenditure Commission. This question was asked: How many men went away from New Zealand untrained or not- fully trained in mus- i kotry? Please state why? | Colonel Gibbon replied: “Of infantry who embarked from New Zea. land with the Twenty-fourth to Thirtysixth .Reinforcements inclusive, 581 men did not fire their musketry course on the range with the draft with which they embarked. Some of these men had, however, bred with previous drafts 0.g., detention prisoners, men from hospital, etc. This would reduce the numbers who did not fire. Further, the reports from which this information was taken wer e compiled some davs prior to embarkation, and it was often possible to take out these men. But, even with the full numbers it only amounts to just over 3 per cent. , \ “From the above 581 men did not go away quite untrained in musketry, although they did not actually fire on the range. It is not- considered that a totaled a dozen infantry altogether has gone away with those drafts without some instruction in preliminary musketry. As regards men who have gone away partially trained in musketry, several drafts' hake been dispatched before due date, in order to meet shipping requirements. Also drafts which have beeu short owing to changes in establishment, shortages on mobilisation, and to sickness, isolation, etc., have been completed frorri junior drafts. In such instances, musketry training has suffered in common with other branches of their training, but this was unavoidable under the circumstances. “The men regarding whom complaints have been mainly received are cooks and company quarter-master sergeants. Reinforcement cooks have now been replaced as far as possible by permanent cooks in camp, but the great difficulty is to find sufficient numbers. "Where permanent cooks are short, men must bo taken from tlio reinforcements, There is no alternai

tive, as tho men must bo fed. Company quartermaster-sergeants are now being found fibm returned men. These two sources of complaint have, therefore, been met.”