DEFENCE FORCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1919, Page 5

DEFENCE FORCE.

TERRITORIAL WORK TO BE RESUMED, By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, July 8. Considerable interest is being evidenced regarding the forthcoming changes in the defence Btaff. The ordinary training of territorials and senior cadets having been interrupted on account of the war, it has become urgently necessary to complete the former of officers and n.c.o's bo that the training of the New Zealand's citizen army may be fully resumed by the beginning of next year. In order to do this the services of many officers and n.c-o.'s will be required, and as it is preferred that these as far as possible should be returned soldiers, it is expected that while a few temporary appointments to the Staff Corps may now be made the whole of the applications will not be determined until after demobilisation is completed, when all will go before a special board of selection. It is reported that it has been laid down that the officers commanding the four miliary districts shall be men with modern experience, that in pursuance of this Brigadier-Generals Melvile and Young, now in England, will be cabled for to take the command of the Wellington and Canterbury Districts respectively. Colonel Potter will remain temporarily in command of the Auckland District, while LieutenantCo lofl el Mac Donald, now temporarily commanding the Wellington District will assume temporary command of the Otago District.

POLTOr CRITICISED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) r _ Wellington, July 6. The Territorial training system proposed by the Minister for Defence (Sir James Allen) has been considered by the executive of the Wellington Council of Churches. The executive adopted the following resolutions:— (1.) "That the executive of the Council of Clmrches appreciates Sir James .Allen's earnest desire to provide for the adequate defence of New Zealand.

(2.) "That the executive considers, however, that ]the condition of public finance and the cost 'Of living render imperative a very large reduction' of defence expenditure and that the recent victory and the mutual understanding of the English-speaking races make such reduction l)oth wise and safe. (3.) "That the formation of the League of Nations, to which the Empire is formally committed, imposes upon us In honor some cessation of the preparations. for war, which the recently destroyed German system imposed upon the world. Sir James Allen's suggestion involves no cessation, but expensive acceleration.

(4.) "That it is essential that the whole question be dealt with not by the Parliament now in existence, but by a special referendum."

TERRITORIALS' AND LEWIS GUNS. Wellington, July 8. A section of the territorial forces are to !be trained in the use of the Lewis gun as well as the stjindard machinegun. In the later stages in France there were 33 Lewis guns to every battalion. Sufficient machine-gun equipment is to come from the United Kingdom and France to.New Zealand to etfliip two divisions of infantry and one of mounted men.