H.—l9

13

posal of that Department for duty as examining officers for the purposes of the Military Pensions Act, 1912, in addition to their ordinary military duties. The Defence Department further undertook to provide all official information at its disposal to assist in the settlement of claims for military pensions under the Act. Our thanks are due to the Pensions Department for a small remuneration given by it to the officers of this Department for their extra work in this connection. 42. Alliance with Regiments of the Home Army. Approval of His Majesty the King has been obtained for the alliance of the undermentioned Infantry regiments of the New Zealand Military Forces with regiments of the Home Army : — New Zealand Regiment. British Regiment. Ist (Canterbury) Regiment .. .. .. The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). 2nd (South Canterbury) Regiment .. .. The Durham Light Infantry. 3rd (Auckland) Regiment (" Countess of Ran- The Suffolk Regiment, furly's Own ") 4th (Otago) Regiment .. .. . . The East Surrey Regiment. sth (Wellington) Regiment . . . . .. The York and Lancaster Regiment. 6th (Hauraki) Regiment .. .. .. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. 7th (Wellington West Coast) Regiment .. The Royal Irish Regiment. Bth (Southland) Regiment .. .. .. The Manchester Regiment. 9th (Wellington East Coast) Regiment .. The Prince of Wales' Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment). 10th (North Otago) Regiment .. . . The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment). 11th Regiment (Taranaki Rifles) .. .. The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment). 15th (North Auckland) Regiment .. .. The Northamptonshire Regiment. 16th (Waikato) Regiment .. .. .. The Prince of Wales' Own (West Yorkshire Regiment). 43. National Reserve. The institution of a National Reserve has been announced, which will embrace practically all those men up to a reasonable age-limit who wish to enrol themselves for services who are not in the Territorial Force or its reserve, or in the Rifle Clubs. Details of this organization have yet to be settled. SECTION III.—THE DEPARTMENT OF THE QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL TO THE FORCES (FIVE OFFICERS). The Quartermaster-General. The Assistant Quartermaster-General. The Director of Equipment and Stores. The Assistant Director of Equipment and Stores. The Director of Veterinary Services and Remounts (a partially paid Territorial officer). , This section is responsible for mobilization stores; policy as to reserves of clothing, equipment, and general stores; scales and issue of clothing equipment, and stores to be in the possession of troops; movements; quartering and railway transport; control of clerical staff; Defence Department vessels; drill-halls and similar buildings; mobilization arrangements as to food, forage, clothing, stores, and equipment; armourers; contracts; supplies of food and forage, fuel and light; regulations for supply and transport services; all general questions connected with horses; registration of horses for mobilization; personnel of the N.Z. Army Service Corps and N.Z. Ordnance Corps; administration, training, establishment, and distribution of the N.Z. Army Service Corps and N.Z. Ordnance Department; organization and training of all transport, remounts, and supply services; A.S.C. technical equipment; organization of civilian transport for training and mobilization; harness and saddlery; clothing, equipment, and general stores; supplies of stationery, forms, and books; issue of military publications; supply of all vehicles and technical equipment, excepting Artillery and Engineers; storage and distribution of small arms and ammunition; general administration, training, and distribution of officers and men of the N.Z. Veterinary Corps; veterinary stores and equipment; co-operation with the Stock Department of the Public Service; Army Motor Reserve; manoeuvre areas. 44. Supplies at Annual Training-camps. (a.) Supplies. The supplies required for this year's annual brigade training-camps were obtained by direct purchase by the Quartermaster-General. This method was adopted not only because it was considered the cheapest, but also because local considerations had to be taken into account. It was the object of the Department to obtain as many supplies as possible locally, especially as nearly all the camping-grounds were given free of charge by public-spirited members of the locality. When the prices were considered too high, then orders were given to large firms outside the locality, from whom quotations had previously been obtained, and by so doing very economical arrangements were arrived at.