PERMANENT LAND FORCE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5309, 23 January 1947, Page 4

PERMANENT LAND FORCE

JT would have been strange if the Army had not had a large field of competent and battleexperienced soldiers to choose

from for appointment to commissions in the New Zealand Regular Force. A fair proportion of them have beeu decorated. The conditions under which the new appointees will fcegin their professional careers' were gazetted a week ago and thet adoption of shorter qualify- . ing intervals for promotion is calculated to ensure a younger average age in all grades to field rank, Subalterns will be promoted to captain after six years' commissioned service, and captains with seven years' service in that rank will be promoted to major, provided the necessary qualifying examinations are passed, and the officers are reported fit and otherwise qualified for promotion. Thus, a cadet graduating at the age of 22 will normally achieve "Tiis majority at 35. On the ^ active list, general officers will retire on the completion of their appointment, brigadiers and colonels at 55, lieuten-ant-colonels at 50, majors at 47, captains at 45, and subalterns at 40. The retiring ages for territorial officers are practically the sarfte, excepting that retirement for general officers is obligatory at 60. Warrant officers and others below that rank, on completion of their original period of service, may be permitted to re-enlist until they attain the age of 45. A soldier compulsorily retired can qualify for superannuation after 21 years' contributory service to the fund. The institution of brevet rank for special services, an Army rank as distinct from regimental rank, follows the j ancient British practice. The ] new regulations are also de- i signecl to remove anomalies and ! unnecessary .distinctions be- , tiveen regular and territorial officers. • '

As far as can be ascertained, the reorganisation scheme has been well received. There will doubtless be some objection to the earlier retiring age but in making this announeement, the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, pointed out that the late war proved that the age of 45 was the maximum age at which a regimental commander can compete with the rigours of . active service. In spite of mechanisation and better transport facilities that lifted much of the drudgery of the first world war from the shoulders of the infantryman or artilleryman, the strenuous pace of field operations could only be* maintained by a man in first-elass physical conditibn. The British Army has undergone a complete overhaul recently on much the same lines as are envisaged here, and one important proviso is that part of the qualifieation for a com- 1 mission shall be at least six | months' service in the ranks. i By the end of that time, a potential leader will have discovered for himself and understood the problems and outlook of the private soldier and will have learned, if he is otherwise j endowed with the qualities of ! command, how to deal with them. The New Zealand Division, in the lafer stages of both world wars, was officered by a large proportion of men who had come up from the ranks and there was never any doubt that the units gained immensely from their leadership. It would be worth-while for the Army Council to consider this condition when further appointments are made.