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general question of accepting certain local examinations in the dominions as a test of a " fair general education " in lieu of a leaving certificate for army purposes or an army qualifying certificate, which is required from an officer of the colonial military forces who is a candidate for a commission in the regular army, on the nomination of a Governor-General or Governor. 2. The Army Council would be glad therefore to receive any recommendations which your Government may wish to offer as to any local examinations which are considered suitable for recognition by the Army Council as a test of a fair general education required from, candidates for the regular army. The Army Council suggest that the local sections of the Imperial General Staff would be able to advise as to the qualifications which, in their opinion, are a local substitute for a leaving or qualifying certificate. 3. As a guide it may be taken that the standard of a " fair general education " accepted by the Army Council from candidates for the regular army is approximately the equivalent of the following examinations at a chartered university in the United Kingdom : The Matriculation Examination (with the proviso that certain subjects necessary for subsequent instruction in the army must be taken up); or the Intermediate Examination for a degree at the end of the first year of residence (if the required army subjects are not taken up). 4. The Army Council desire to point out that the passing of a local examination which has been recognized by them as a local test of a fair general education will exempt from, any further literary test only those candidates for the regular army who are officers of the military forces of the dominion in which such examination takes place. 5. A candidate for the regular army from any of the overseas dominions who may desire to enter the Royal Military Academy or Royal Military College by open competition, or who may desire to compete as an officer of the Special Reserve, Militia, or Territorial Force, will be required to pass one of the literary tests laid down in the regulations for admission through the above channels. 6. As your Ministers are aware, candidates for the regular army from the chartered universities in the dominions are specially provided for under the regulations for university candidates, copies of which were enclosed in my despatch, No. 229, of the 31st December last. I have, &c, CREWE. Governor the Right Hon. Lord. Plunket, K.C.M.G., X.C.V.0., &c,

No. 4. New Zealand, No. 63. My Lord,— Downing Street, 30th March, Ji)10. I have the honour to transmit to you, for the information of your Ministers, the accompanying copy of a letter of proceedings dated the 7th January last, which has been received through the Commander-in-Chief, Australia, from the officer commanding His Majesty's ship " Pioneer," on the subject of the rescue of the passengers arid crew of the steamship " Waikare," wrecked near the Bluff, in New Zealand. I have, &c, CREWE. Governor the Right Hon. Lord Plunket, K.C.M.G., X.C.V.0., &c. Enclosure. Rescue of Passengers and Crew of S.s. " VV'aikatie." Sir,— H.M.S. " Pioneer/ at Bluff, 7th January, 1910. 1 Lave the honour to report that at 10.30 p.m. on the night of the 4th instant I received a telephone message from the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, Premier of New Zealand, to the effect that the Union Steamship Company's s.s. " Waikare," then on an excursion trip to the Sounds, had struck a rock at the entrance to Dusky Sound, and had gone down in ten minutes ; that the passengers and. crew were landed on an island, no lives having been lost. The message added that only the bow of

.—l, 1911 o. 8.

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