Our Citizen Army

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 28, 23 June 1914, Page 5

Our Citizen Army

MATERIAL SECOND TO NONE IN TIIE WORLD. REPORT OF GENERAL SIR lAN' HAMILTON. CHANGES) IN ADJIINTSRATION SUGGESTED. DISCIPLINE MUST COME.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Laat Night. General Sir lan Hamilton has presented his report of his inspection of New Zealand forces. Summing up the position, ho said, "The army of to-day puts its best into its work. It is well equipped and well ar-med. Thfe human ma** Wrisul is second to none in the world, and it suffers as a fighting machine only from want of field work and want of an ingrained habit of discipline. The first of these can never under the conditions of a citizen army be qui'tc made good, except by dint of war, or by- a period of embodiment made under stress of imminent peril. The second can and will be made gold \Vell-trained recruit* will come on, especially When captains fire made entirely responsible for the instruction of their own trained men."

The reiport deals with different matters under the heaxfs of the military institution of New Zealand, the main feature* of the existing scheme, headl- - organisation, district and area organisation, training of a citizen army, and the army of to-day, and goes on to deal with* the different methods of training the ir-dividual unit, the training of the recruit, then squadron and company training. He pointsi out the differences and the value of one to another. , MORE FIELD WORK.

On the subject of war training he says: '"Hie mere training of the higher formations that can be conducted under service conditions the more effective will they become. Practice in moving large numbers and l ana-ing them, across country and over o'ery variety of ground is tlhc chief essential. Hence in countries whore soldiering isf taken seriously, annual manoeuvres become the climax of each year's training. The troops usually bivouac or are billeted on inhabitants, and the scene of operations, as in war, shifts from day to day over ground -unknown to the troops, Hence, too, Manoeuvre Acts have come to be universal, the areas over whidh operations are to take place each year being proclaimei beforehand for military use. Tho old practice which obtained in England prior to the South African War, of begging twer rights over the land from landowners hnsi been abandoned." PRINCIPLES OF TRAINING. General Hamilton gives his principles of training as foKows: (a) Elementary indidivual training, of both officers iand men can be—and, on war analogy, should be—effected by experts apart from units. (b) A standard of efficiency is essential for t'lie recruit. He should under no circumstances be allowed! to take his place an a "trained soldier" in the ranks of his unit until in the opinion of fiome high military authority he reaches this standard.

(c) Unit training should be canned crut in all its tranches by unit commanders without tin intervention of specialist instructors. More advanced instruction of the trained soldier should be regarded as forming part of the unit training. (it) Training of units, and of flic higher formations, should be progressive, leading by stages Jrom company w squadron through the battalion, regiment, andi brigade, up to the. division of all arms.

(e) Instruction of <the higher formations should be confined almost wholly to field operations carried out over unknown country, and nearly as possible under service conditions. LOCAL, CAMPS SUGGESTED.

"On the subject of unit concentration in the country, after carefully inspecting 'the many country corpsi, I am quite certain that cne thing t'h.e muen require above all ■ others is to be brought into closer touch with their own officers and non-commissioned officers. Casual drilling- by a peripatetic instructor can never compensate for this personal touch between officers and men which in the citizen force can only be established during the period of company and squadron training. Here again, a clear line of demarcation cau be drawn.

"Wherever a squadron or company can without undue hardship be collected to drill and exercise as a unit under its own officers, there the existing; syßtem of home training ia perfectly sound. Otherwise it would unquestionably be a preferable substitute for home training, concentrated squadron oir company training, of at least a week's duration, to be held at seme convenient place and time prior to the assembly of the battalion or regiment for the statutory annual training. Squadron or company concentration should be arranged locally by the squadron and company commander. The less the higher authorities interfere the better. They should not cost much. Rations and forage only would have to be provided by the Government, Pay would bp unnecessary, ir that the v■ en would only be carrying out the obligation which their-comrades in town fulfil without payment in many instances. Camp equipment would be unnecessary, accommodation in barns, shearing elliedni, or even could doubtless be arranged for locally." General Hamilton declares that lie is advocating nothing startling or miraculous. New Zealand is not advised to travel to distant Abana ami Pharpar, but only to give its own familiar Jordan a (air trial. For three years past the root principles nnd methods now recommended hiive been recognised more or legs, .iind have also been more or Jess applied.

tiie seal of thoroughness. Set the seal of thoroughness on a great work that is already at least half iiniahed. That is the crux of imy advice. Beycwl question, the training of the Territorial force hag now reached a stage of development which.'will admit of the detachment of tiho instructioiuil staff irom "units being carried a step further. Beyond question the regimental officers will 'be soon tUpnMte of running their own sihow with much kss adventitious ,iitl from the regular adjutants and sergeants-major tiron thoy v ? hitherto enjoyed. For routine work during camp training and in the new these regular a/ssistante may still he indispensable, but at other times the best part of their work would quite adequately be performed by assistantsiajutants and by permanent, quarter, maftw-sergeant® of units, for, in fu. tjire. unit compander wffli neither have tie responsibility for training recruits iv , * lO Proposals in section IV.', mil they liencefortli be burdened witai a mass of office worV. J womnjenJ, therefore, that it rfiouid*