SELECTION OF OFFICERS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 338, 15 November 1915, Page 2

SELECTION OF OFFICERS

THE DEFENCE DEPARTMENT’S METHOD. STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. Some discussion has taken place lately concerning the method of selecting officers for service with the expeditionary forces. The Defence Department’s practice was described by the Defence Minister (Hon. J. Allen) on Thursday to a “New Zealand Times”

reporter. The Minister said that the plan pursued in the early stages of the war had been to draw the necessary numj ber of officers from the commissioned ranks of the Territorial force. But that source cf supply had not been inexhaustible, and other methods of securing officers had to be arranged. “In order to supplement the supply of officers.” said the Minister, “we have been training men as non-coms., and then allowing them to sit for examination for commissions. An exceptionally large number of non-coms, from the Bth reinforcements have been allowed to sit and have passed. Some of them will go forward with the Bth but the bulk of them are being allocated to the 9th, 10th, and 11th reinforcements as officers. “This seems to me to be a paritcularly effective way of securing efficient officers. The men receive a practical training as non-coms., (they jhave charge of men for a time, then they sit for examination, and if they pass and are reccmmencded for commissions by the staff, they become officers and receive further training with their units bfeore they leave the Dominion. I prefer that method of securing officers to the selection of men who have $ recently become Territorial officers. A Territorial officer has to hold his commission for not less than six months before ho can secure appointment as an officer of the expeditionary forces.”