H.—l9

3

(ii.) Territorial Force; Senior Cadets; Rifle Clubs.

The total personnel administered by the Defence Department as at the 30th June, 1921, is as under:— All Arms. Officers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,561 Other ranks .. .. .. .. .. .. 52,424 Nurses and V.A.D.s .. .. .. .. .. 285 Civil personnel . . . . . . .. .. . . 360 Total.. .. . . . . . . .. 54,630 This includes permanent military and civil establishments, citizen forces, and military and civil personnel temporarily attached— e.g., Medical Officers, nurses and other ranks of N.Z. Medical Corps engaged in military hospitals, civilian personnel in administrative offices of Medical Branch, Education and Vocational Training Branch, artificial-limb factories, and War Accounts and Records Branch. Those temporary personnel are engaged on post-war activities arising out of the medical treatment, &c, of ex-members of the N.Z. Expeditionary Force. SECTION 11. —PERMANENT FORCES AND PERMANENT ADMINISTRATIVE ESTABLISHMENT. 1. N.Z. Staff Corps. The* effective strength of this corps, including one British Army officer temporarily attached, is now only ninety-eight. This number is barely sufficient for the carrying-out of the training and administration of the Territorial Force and Cadets, in addition to providing for reliefs and a limited number of officers to be absent from the Dominion receiving training in the British Army, It is essentia] that this corps should be a corps d'elile, and be composed only of officers possessing high professional attainments. To ensure that the officers maintain a high standard of-efficiency it is proposed that, in addition to each officer being required to pass the qualifying examination for promotion as laid down for officers of the British Army, and undergoing periodical courses of instruction locally, opportunities should be afforded to selected officers to interchange with officers of the. British Army. At the present time-there are six junior officers receiving instruction in India, but they are. not serving on the system of interchange now proposed, being merely attached to units to gain experience. Under the proposed system of interchange a limited number of New Zealand officers would take the places of British Army officers in the units to which they would be posted for two years, during which time they would be given a definite command and responsibility, while the British Army officers exchanged for duty in New Zealand would hold appointments in the Dominion for two years and then be returned to their regiments. It is considered that this system will not only be mutually advantageous to the British Army and the N.Z. Military Forces, but will assist in keeping the training in the Dominion up to date. It is also important that selected officers should be trained for the staff at cither the Camberley or Quetta Staff Colleges. At present only one officer is undergoing instruction at Camberley, and no nominations have been forwarded for the 1922 course. I recommend that from 1923 one officer be sent to each of the above-mentioned colleges annually, subject to passing the entrance examination. 2. Royal N.Z. Artillery. The Royal N.Z. Artillery is now so diminished in numbers that the detachments in the large centres are unable to provide the necessary details for all the various duties they are called upon to perform. The strength of the regiment has been reduced from 321, its pre-war strength, to 208, so that at the present time there are only just sufficient personnel to carry out the present functions of the Royal N .Z. Artillery, viz.: — (<t.) Garrison Artillery Section, to provide —Instructors for units of the Territorial Garrison Artillery ; technical personnel for care and maintenance of electric lights, armament, and stores of harbour defences ; caretakers for works of defence. (6.) Field Artillery Section, to provide —Instructors for Territorial Field Artillery ; technical personnel for care and maintenance of Field Artillery equipment and stores ; drivers for horses of Territorial Field Artillery cadres. The distribution of the regiment into a number of small detachments makes it difficult to carry out their training ; therefore arrangements are being made to maintain the efficiency of all ranks by their periodical concentration for courses of instruction. Considering the difficulties under which training is carried out the efficiency and discipline of the regiment is very good.

Strength, 30th June, 1920. Strength, 30th June, 1921. Strength, 30th June, 1921. Territorial Force Senior Cadets Rifle Clubs .. Officers. Other Ranks. 1.183 30,292 365 24,777 5.661 1,5-18 60,730 Officers. Other Ranks. 1,031 22.157 346 23,235 5,986 1,377 51.378 Totals