H.—l9.

Staff and Instructional Duties. The following Instructional Stan' has been available during the year, and has done excellent work: — Artillery Services, Garrison and Field. —l Chief Instructor and 1 Sergeant-major; also the officers and N.C.O.s of the R.N.Z.A. Engineers and Signal/ing. —l Officer, with 1 N.C.0., stationed ai each of the four centres. Mounted Rifles, North Island.—l Officer, with 7 Sergeants-major. Mounted Rifles, South Island. —1 Officer, with 5 Sergeants-major. (This officer resigned as from 31st January, 1909.) Infantry. —The one officer for infantry retired in October Inst on account of permanent ill health. No officers available as Instructors, but four have been selected for training in England. North Island : 8 Sergeants-major. South Island : 8 Sergeants-major. General Service Instruction. —One Imperial officer, with headquarters at Wellington. With the work, mtudy, and administrative duties now required from Volunteer officers, it is necessary that each regiment and battalion at full strength should have a permanent Adjutant. Such officers could be trained ;it headquarters, and, as opportunity occurred, exchanged with Imperial, Canadian, or Australian officers to gain outside experience. Training and Education. The General Instruction Classes for officers and N.C.O.s proposed in last report, six days continuous each, could not be carried out, the numbers offering to attend being so few. District classes to suit local conditions were carried out in each district under District Instructional Officers, with varying results. It is again apparent that until Instructional Officers referred to under " Staff Duties " are obtained little advance can be made in general instruction. Volunteer officers do not seem to be able to give the time to attend continuous training courses in centres; therefore the instruction must be arranged to go to them in sub-centres. On return about August next of the Staff Officer now in England, and who has just completed a two-years course at Staff College, with an extra course on naval matters, and the four exchange officers referred to under " Staff Duties," special general continuous courses of instruction for the Field Force will be again attempted. The training and education of the Artillery and Engineer branches are quite satisfactory. Much good is being done by officers' and N.C.O.s' clubs and associations, useful lectures and instruction being given ; and in all districts war games are carried out. Musketry training is being better carried out, and recruits generally are better trained before joining the ranks. Provisional regulations for formation of Officers' Training Corps, Senior and Junior at universities, colleges, and high schools, have been issued ; already movement has been made among these bodies as to forming corps. In time the training received at these institutions should go far to provide an efficient class of officers and reserve officers for the Defence Forces, as well at provide military education for young men who may desire to become officers in the great Imperial Army. Training facilities in signalling have much improved. New regulations and classes have been initiated, which will, with the regular Instructors now available, further increase the efficiency of this most necessary branch of a Field Force. The great want felt in training both Permanent and Volunteer officers is the lack of a Force to operate with. This, can only be met by the initiation of a scheme whereby the Forces must undergo some period of continuous camp and Held training, when the practical portion of an officer's education may be given attention and practical examinations carried out. Examination of Volunteer Officer* for Year ending 28th February, Hit)!). —The standard of examination has been maintained: the passes obtained and quality of many of the solutions of the questions and problems were satisfactory. One hundred and seventy officers presented themselves for examination during the year ending the 28th February, 1909: 15 partially failed, 3 failed. The following comparative table for three years shows that a gradual improvement is taking place.

Intelligence, Mobilisation, and War Regulations, The Intelligence Officers have been working principally on the classification of vehicles, horses, and harness suitable for transport available in each district, in case of necessity for mobilisation, the result of which shows that the Field Force could be in emergency amply supplied. Mobilisation instructions issued last year are being better understood. Full value will not be obtained until a Permanent Adjutant is attached to each regiment and battalion, and an Army Service Corps with supply and transport formed in each district. A nucleus of vehicles and harness is now available for training.

3

Period. ear ending 28th February, L9O7 29th February, L908 28th February, J 90!) i i ' Tota,l completed Ex- ] Passed, animation. .. ; 131 106 .. I 168 146 .. 170 152 Failed. 25 22 18 Percentage of Passes. 80-09 86-90 8941 Percentage of Failures. 19-91 13-10 10-59