TRAINING CAMPS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1917, Page 7

TRAINING CAMPS.

SELECTION OF NON-COMS

x (From Our Own Correspondent.)' Wellington, April 10. The annbuncement that no more men will bo taken into the training camps as probationary non-commissioned officers will be a disappointment to many men, but it is justified in the opinion of the Defence authorities on the score of efficiency. The old system gave good results but not necessarily the best results. Men made application for admission to th'' n.p.o. classes. A preliminary seloctit... was made by the Group commanders. The final choice rested with the District ■commanders, -who had the assistance of officers of the Training Staff. The chosen men went into camp as corporals and had a period of training in a distinct unit before the- draft to which they were to be attached entered camp. A small percentage of the men did not qualify and were required to step back into the ranks. Some of them secured commissions after they had gone through the course of training with their drafts, and were then transferred to later reinforcements. The system worked well, but its weak point was that the men had a ''leg in" before they had entered camp at all and were not necessarily tiie best men available anions tin> whole body of recruits.

The new arrangement provides that all recruits shall enter camp on the same footing as privates. Then when the men have received some training and have had time to show their qualifications under camp conditions, the best men will be promoted to non-commissioned rank and given the special training that is necessary for the production, of efficient n.c.o's. This special training is essentia), since the n.c.o's are required to serve as instructors during the training of their draft. The stair instructors teach the n.c.o's and then the n.c.o's, under the general direction of the staff men and the officers of their own draft, teach the recruits. The Training Staff believe that the new arrangement will give the best possible results, since the sole test for promotion will be ability and ■ji-neral fitness. The scheme, it may be icntinned, will give the ballottcd man st the same opportunity of promotion ••> the volunteer. The two classes of recruits are not separated in any way in . camipi. '»nd no differentiation will be made when the best men are beiii" picked for n.c.o. training. There will "be nothing to prevent a balloted man -winning a. commission through the avenue offered by the non-commissioned ranks.