NEW ZEALAND TERRITORIALS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 357, 3 May 1911, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND TERRITORIALS.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE AND TRAINING.

The following account of the nature of the service required under the new scheme of universal training, which is now coming into operation, is contributed by the General Staff. It is a brief sketch only; the full details will be available in due course, when the Regulations are issued. The Act provides for the gradual military training of every male New Zealander from the age of 12 to the age of 25, after which he will serve in the reserve up to the age of 30. There are no distinctions and no exceptions. Every one, unless physically unfit, will have to take his share in the defence of the Dominion. Those who, in consequence of the doctrines of their religion, have a conscientious objection to bearing arms in the service of their country will be trained as far as possible in the non-combatant branches, of which ambulance-work will be made a special feature; but it must be realised that the proportion of the noncombatant branches of the Force to the combatant is very small. NATURE OF SERVICE. From the age of 12 to the age of 14 the boy will be a Junior Cadet, and will perform a certain amount of elementary military training, chiefly physical, under the direction of the Education Department. On reaching the age of 14, or on leaving a primary school, the boy will be transferred to the Senior Cadets, and will then become a member of the Military Forces, though not liable to be called out to fight. He will remain a Senior Cadet till he is IS. On reaching the age of IS he will, if found, on again being medically examined, to be physically fit, be drafted into the Territorial Force. As a Territorial soldier he will be liable to be called out at any time for service within the Dominion. On reaching 25 he will be transferred to the Reserve, in which he will remain till he reaches the age of 30, when he will be discharged. As a Reservist he will be liable to be called back to his regiment in case of war or other national emergency. If he belongs to a Rifle Club he will, so long as he remains a member, be liable up to the age of 55 to be called up as part of a secondary reserve to fill the ranks of the Territorial Force after its own reserve has been used up. Every youth who had attained the age of 14 on Ist March last, but had not attained the age of 21 on that date, is now being called upon by law to register. Registration forms can be obtained at any Post-office, De-fence-office, or Police-station, and mu3t be filled in and sent to the Area Sergeant-tnajor at his advertised headquarters before 7 p.m. on 2nd June, when registration ceases. The work of the Defence authorities will be made easier if all will register as soon as possible. Any of those registering who have a preference to serve in any particular arm or branch of the service, combatant or non-combatant, are invited to say so. Those wishing to join the Mounted Rifles must provide their own horses and saddlery. When the time comes for posting to units, the wishes expressed by individuals will receive attention; but it must be remembered that the posting of men to units and corps mu3t be governed by many considerations - the distribution and location of units, the training facilities, the interests of employers, the fitness of the individual for any special work, and so on, so that it will often be impossible to allot men as they wish. (To be continued.)