TERRITORIAL OFFICERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1918, Page 6

TERRITORIAL OFFICERS.

GO INTO CAMP AS ORDINARY RECRUITS. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, Jan. 31. It is announced in General Orders that temporary officers in the Territorial Force are not eligible for appointment to the Expeditionary Force as officers. They will go into camp as ordinary recruits, but their temporary commissions in the Territorial Force will stand. These men will have the usual opportunities to earn promotion in the Expeditionary Force, but they will start, like the other recruits, from scratch. Tf this rule had been put into operation earlier, the Defence Department would have fteen spared embarrassment. There is at present a heavy surplus of officers in camp and on leave, owing to the retention of territorial commissions by men who have been called up. Practically all the companies m training are over-officered, and recent reinforcements have all left some of their officers behind them. It will be remembered that the -Minister for Defence endeavored to get over the difficulty by offering some of New Zealand's territorial olfieers to tfie Imperial authorities. The reply, was that the Array Council would be willing to take officers from the New Zealand Division at the front; their places could then be filled by the surplus officers from New Zealand. But for obvious reasons this""ar-. rangement does not commend itself to the New Zealand Command. The position of Second Division Territorial officers called by ballot is still the subject of consideration. The position is that scarcely any officers are wanted from New Zealand now, the necessary number being supplied month by month by promotions at the front and by the return of experienced men to take commissions with reinforcements. Defence headquarters holds that a Territorial officer cannot insist upon retaining his commission on entering the Expeditionary Force, though he will enjoy his original rank and seniority on returning to the Territorial Force "after discharge from the Expeditionary Force. Rut some officers have taken a different view and the point/ dpes not appear to have lieen settled definitely.