THE N.Z. FORCES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 90, 25 July 1910, Page 5

THE N.Z. FORCES.

A DIRECTOR APPOINTED. \'-y Cable.—Picas -is»ocmLiou.—Copyright London, July 22. Colonel Heard, of tue Northumberland Fusiliers, has been appointed director of military training in New Zealand. I THE PREMIER INTERVIEWED. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Las'. NigUt. I Regarding the appointment, oi Lieut.Col. Heard as Director of Military Training and Education in New Zealand, it is stated that, in an interview, Sir Joseph Ward said that tue War Office had made the selection at his re-1 quest some time ago, and he had al-1 ready received advise of the uppomt- ( ment, but was waiting for notification of the selection of a commandant to inform the House in the usual way. | As to the selection of officers for the staff under the Territorial system, Sir Joseph said the selection was made by • test, and it was expected that the linal list of names submitted from Wellington and Otago would reach headquarters in a few days. The names of the best qualified fort officers and non-com-missioned officers, with their records, wouid be seut to the Minister of Defence by the Chief of Staff' for the final selection of 2S officers and 28 non-com-missioned officers. '•There are many excellent and qualified applicants," said the rrime Minister, "and it is wrong for the Press to make the assumption that unqualified men will be appointed. No unqualified niau will enter the list from which the final selection will be made. The positions to be filled are those of lieutenants and sergeants, and when they have been selected they will be put through what iis know as a "refresher" course. Later on the necessary appointments of majors and captains will be made, and I propose to hold all of these over until the new Commandant arrives, if, as suggested, we had to wait until all the men to be appointed passed through a military college, it would be some years before 'we could get a staff at all. Our experience in connection with young Imperial officers has been such that I do not propose to take the risk ot introducing a number of them at the present stage. Further, all appointments made now will be purely probationary for six months, by which time the Cormnandmant will have arrived, and they will be subject to his approval. "We could not," added Sir Joseph Ward, "keep back in the meantime appointments of lieutenants and sergeants, because there is an enormous amount of work to be done by them as soon as the selection is made."