Military Notes and News.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5380, 28 January 1929, Page 4

Military Notes and News.

Paeroa being thq headquarters of a military district, it is proposed to give on this page every Monday items of general interest not only to those principally concerned, but to the general public as well.

The strength of the New Zealand Permanent Force is 107 officers and! 417 “other ranks.”

Thq Territorial Force on March 31, 1028, numbered 805 officers and 20,140 “other ranks.”

The Senior Cadets on March 31, 1928, numbered 525 officers and 33,939 “other ranks.”

IST. HAURAKI BATTALION.

The first Territorial parade of the year will be held on Monday, February 4.

The Cadet parade will be held on February 5.

At the; Cadet parade an endeavour, will be made to form a brass band from amongst them. ' At the recent examination for promotion the following, members of the battalion wqre successful: — Lieutenant J. M. Allen, of Morrinsville; Lieutenant le Liverc, of Whakatane;'Lieutenant W. H- Evans, of Rotorua,, all passed captain. Lieutenant Allen passed three out of four subjects with special mention.

C.S.M. S. Nicholson, of Cambridge, and Serjeant Haslett, of Waihi, passed first appointment to commissioned rank. , ■ ’ In February the whole of the first Haurkki Battalion will go into camp together for the first time since 1914. Since the; war it has been the practice to camp companies.. separately, but now, with the advent of the East Coast railway as far as Tauranga, the matter of mobilisation has been facilitated, so that members of thq battalion, which draws its numbers from the Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Cambridge, the Hauraki Plains, and the Piako districts, c,an be quickly got together at one convenient mustering ground. From the 13th until ; the 25th of February the battalion, together with the Ist Auckland Regiment, will go into camp at Ngaruawabia. They will undergo training side by side for. the first three or four days, the remaining time being spent in field operations. Visitors will receive a hearty welcome, and parents will be given every possible opportunity of seeing their sons in training. During the period in camp the new Challenge‘shield, which was on view in Paeroa,'will be completed for by the Hauraki Regiment. The shield is a trophy to be won by the most generally efficient company. The cup presented by Colonel Kenny to the Hauraki’s predecessors, the Ohinemuri Volunteers, in 1904, will, through the kind offices of Colonel porritt, hon. Colonel of the battalion, be brought into competition for the first time since 1908. The trophy, which is a magnificently decorated claret jug. is to be awarded to the best shooting company in the battalion. The Bradford Memorial Belt, whichwas presented by Mrs Porritt in memory of the late Mr S- M. Bradford, ex-Regimental Sergeant-Major of the Hauraki Regiment, and first colonial to be killed in the South African War, will be in competition for the best individual shot in the regiment. The mechanical weapons of the Defence Force have been doubled during the last year. Twice as many men Will now be trained in the use of Vickers and Lewis machine-guns. THE NEW ZEALAND DIVISION THE ROYAL NAVY. The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy was inaugurated in 1914, immediately prior to the war. ’ The fleet at present comprises H.M.S. Dunedin, cruiser, flagship. H.M.S. Diomede, cruiser. H.M.S. Veronica, sloop. H.M.S. Laburnum, sloop. H.M.S. Wakakura, mine-sweeper. H.M.S. Philomel, training ship. R.F.A. Nuc.ula, oil tanker.

Veronica and Laburnum are.maintained by the British GoverrnmeHt. Up to March 31, 1928, 551 New Zealand boys and youths have been entered 1 for service in the division, principally in'seaman and stoker ratingsAll New Zealand ratings showing, special aptitude in respective branches are .sent to England! to undergo specialist courses in gunnery, torpedo, mechanical training, and other schools, and to gain some knowledge of the work in a large; squadron. Every encouragement is* given to younger ratings to undertake these courses, and it is gratifying to find that the ratings who have returned to New Zealand obtained most satisfactory results. (N.Z. Year Book, 1929.) It is interesting to note that an increasing number of boys from Paeroa and district have lately enlisted in the Navy.