1588 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. [No. 65

96. Field officers and Adjutants will be examined as follows:—
    (1.) Riding ... ... ) As laid down in the syllabus
    (2.) Military tactics ... ... ) prepared by the Council of
    (3.) Drill ... ... ) Military Education. (Appendix E.)
    (4.) Military administration )
    (5.) In the special branches of the Force—Naval Artillery, Artillery, and Engineer Volunteers—a special course will be prescribed by the Council of Education.

The Council of Education will, in their examination papers, distinguish between the examination papers for field officers and Adjutants.

97. The maximum marks to be awarded are as follows: (1) 400 marks; (2) 500 marks; (3) 400 marks; (4) 500 marks; (5) 400 marks. Twenty-five additional marks may be given for each year’s seniority among the candidates up to 200, such seniority to commence from that of the junior competitor.

98. Officers who offer themselves as candidates for appointments as field officers or Adjutants are informed that, although seniority is not intended to be of itself the ground of promotion, still that it will weigh with the Government, and in case of doubt decide comparative claims. In the case of an officer passing a sufficiently good examination to prove that he will make a good field officer or Adjutant, he will not be set aside unless a junior officer obtains not only two hundred more marks in such examination, but in riding, drill, and word of command is decidedly superior.

99. Candidates for the positions of Adjutants in any battalion may be either Lieutenants or Captains of the battalion; for that of Majors, the Captains and the Adjutant only are eligible; for Lieutenant-Colonel, the Majors and Adjutant only. Should no candidate of these ranks pass the examination, officers of other corps of these ranks will be invited to compete.

100. Candidates for commissions or promotions will be required to pass the syllabus laid down by the Council of Military Education. (Appendix E.)

101. Officers elected as prescribed in paragraphs 42 and 43 of “The Defence Act, 1886,” who have received acting appointments from the Defence Minister shall, within three months of the date thereof, apply to the Officer Commanding the District to be examined for their commissions, and shall present themselves for examination at such time and place as the Officer Commanding the District shall appoint.

102. Should a corps fail to elect officers, in accordance with the provisions of clause 42, “Defence Act, 1886,” for a period of three months after a vacancy has occurred, the Governor may, on the recommendation of the Officer Commanding the District, appoint an officer or officers to the vacancies, who shall thereupon be deemed to have been duly elected by the corps.

103. Officers elected or appointed as above who may, however, bring satisfactory proof that they served in a similar arm in Her Majesty’s Forces or in a rank and arm similar to that to which they have been elected in Her Majesty’s Auxiliary Forces, or that they have served for three consecutive years in the New Zealand Volunteers, and since May, 1885, have passed the prescribed examination for a similar rank and arm, may, on election, receive commissions without passing any further examination.

104. The three months within which acting officers must qualify for their commissions is to be computed from the date of their acting commission to that of their application in writing to the Officer Commanding the District to be examined.

105. Officers who shall not have passed the prescribed examination for their rank within three months after the second election by their corps shall not after such date be eligible for re-election.

106. Officers of the Naval Artillery, Cavalry, Artillery, and Engineers will be allowed three additional months to qualify themselves in their special branches.

107. Where at any educational establishment there is a special class for teaching military subjects, the Council of Education will endeavour to arrange such a syllabus for such class as may tend to render the scholars capable of passing examinations for the British Army, and, when desired, supply examination questions and award marks, and give such assistance as may be asked to make the course efficient and complete.

VOLUNTEER NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.

108. The non-commissioned officers of a corps are appointed by the Commanding Officer of such corps from among the enrolled members; the staff non-commissioned officers of a battalion by the officer commanding the battalion.

109. Lance-Sergeants and Lance-Corporals, not exceeding one Sergeant and two Corporals for each corps, may be appointed by the Commanding Officer when the duties of the corps require it.

110. Members of Volunteers corps selected for the rank of non-commissioned officers must pass an examination in the following subjects under the Adjutant or an officer of the permanent staff and one officer of the corps, before their appointments can be confirmed:—
     (a.) Squad drill with and without arms.
     (b.) Company drill in close and extended order, including a thorough knowledge of the position and duties of markers.
     (c.) Duties of a commander of a guard and the posting and relief of sentries.
     (d.) Carbine or short-rifle exercises.
     (e.) They must also be able to fill in a parade state, guard report, target practice and judging-distance registers, and be able to write orders from dictation.
     (f.) Aiming and position drill, and a thorough acquaintance of orders to be observed on rifle ranges.

111. Members of corps of special arms will be further examined on such practical points as may be deemed necessary by a board consisting of a member of the staff, and such officers or members of the force as the commander of the corps may think proper to appoint.

112. A non-commissioned officer may be at any time deprived of his rank for incapacity or misconduct by the Officer Commanding his corps.

CORPS.

113. Volunteer corps of all arms will be classified as follows:—
     (a.) “Honorary Reserve Corps,” the members of which will not receive capitation or any other pecuniary allowance, who will provide their own arms, accoutrements, and ammunition, and who will be permitted to draw up special private rules for the general management and discipline of their corps: Provided such rules are not repugnant to the provisions of the Defence Act then in force, and are submitted for the approval of His Excellency the Governor.
     (b.) Volunteer corps, the members of which will be entitled to capitation as laid down in section 132.

PARADES.

114. All Government parades, drills, and duties will be fixed by the Officer Commanding the District, and he will be previously informed by officers commanding battalions or independent corps of all other parades under arms for drill purposes which they may deem requisite. No other assemblies of Volunteers under arms, for ceremonial or any purpose except as above, will be permitted without permission previously obtained from the Defence Office or Commander of the Forces.

115. The Officer Commanding the District may order such other parades as he may consider necessary, but not more than four parades in any one month will be allowed to count for capitation.

116. An Officer Commanding a District, or an Adjutant of the permanent staff, may at any time, under the authority of the Government, order a parade of any Volunteer corps for the purposes of State ceremony, such as forming guards of honour, &c., and any officer or Volunteer who shall absent himself from such parade, without permission of the officer who shall order the same, shall pay such fine as the Commanding Officer may direct.

117. Cavalry Volunteers must parade twice a day for six consecutive days, or for three consecutive days twice in the year, and half-yearly for inspection of arms, &c., at such time as may be approved of by the Officer Commanding the District, and attend four Government monthly inspection parades during the year.

118. It is competent to the Officer Commanding on parade to direct any officer to assume the command for the purpose of manoeuvring a battalion, though other officers senior to him be present.

119. The hours and places of meeting for ordinary drills to be fixed and published, and any deviation therefrom to be duly notified.

120. The Officer Commanding the District may permit any corps to change the day of drill temporarily, during such time of the year as the majority of the members are busily employed in their ordinary occupations.

121. The strictest punctuality is to be observed by all ranks in attending parades and other duties; and no man is to fall in after his corps has been formed, except by special permission of the senior officer present on the parade.

122. No officer or Volunteer arriving on the parade-ground after a parade has been formed up shall be entitled to a record of attendance for efficiency or capitation.

123. Officers and men of the Volunteer Force, when carrying arms, even though not strictly on duty—as at shooting matches or other occasions connected with rifle practice—will be under the authority of the senior officer or non-commissioned officer present, and will be liable to the provision of section 47, subsection 4, of “The Defence Act, 1886;” but though the senior officer present will be held responsible for the maintenance of

• Not compulsory for Corporals, but, if not examined then, they must be so before promotion to rank of Sergeant.