Nov. 28.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1299

to watch over the issue and return of all stores, and their
proper treatment and preservation.

34. When a District Adjutant is transferred from one district to another, he will retain in the general service the date
    of his first appointment to the staff.

35. In the event of a District Adjutant being absent on
    leave at the date on which returns are due in the Defence Office,
    they should be signed by the officer who is performing his
    duties.

36. The paid staff non-commissioned officers of each district
    will be under the orders and supervision of the District
    Adjutant.

OFFICERS.

37. Applications for the acting appointment of officers must
    be forwarded through Officers Commanding Districts.

38. The commissioned officers of the Volunteer Force shall
    be appointed by the Governor. All proposed appointments,
    promotions, and resignations of commissions of officers must be
    submitted to the Defence Minister for approval.

39. All appointments, promotions, resignations, and dismissals of commissioned officers shall be inserted in the Gazette,
    and resignations and dismissals shall, unless notified to the
    contrary, be held to mean absolute withdrawal from the Volunteer Force.

40. Every officer must possess a competent knowledge of
    his duties, and give a proper attendance to the drills of his
    corps, and the administrative duties connected therewith; and
    any officer who does not attend the number of drills prescribed
    for the enrolled Volunteers to qualify them for capitation must
    make good the amount of such capitation to the funds of his
    corps, and will not be allowed to retain his commission, unless
    it shall be represented by the Officer Commanding the District
    that there are special reasons for a relaxation of this regulation.

41. Commanding Officers of Corps will report any casualty in
    the corps, without delay, direct to the Officer Commanding
    the District, and submit for acceptance the resignations of
    officers of their respective corps.

42. When acting appointments are granted in a corps no promotions will be gazetted until the required examinations have
    been passed by the officer or officers on whom the acting appointments have been conferred.

43. No officer shall be eligible to promotion to field rank
    until he shall have served seven years as a commissioned officer,
    and if commanding a corps when promoted to the rank of
    field officer shall resign such command.

44. Any officer may, by permission of the Governor, be transferred from one Volunteer corps to another, with the same
    rank, if duly elected, without loss of seniority in the Volunteer
    Force, provided that if the corps be of a different arm of the
    service he shall pass the examination prescribed for that arm;
    but his seniority in the corps to which he is transferred shall be
    from the date of transfer.

45. Any officer may, by permission of the Governor, after
    being duly elected, be transferred to a superior rank in another
    corps; provided that he shall pass the examination prescribed
    for the superior rank and arm of the service.

46. Commissions of elected officers shall be issued in the
    name of the particular corps to which they belong; but all
    other officers may be appointed to special corps, or to the
    Volunteer list generally, as may appear necessary.

47. The commission of an officer who has been duly elected
    shall date from the day he passes his examination, but he must
    notify to the Officer Commanding the District his desire to be
    examined within six months of election, except as provided for
    in paragraph 54. Failure or non-attendance will necessitate
    re-election, when a further period of three months will be
    allowed for passing. Failure at the second examination will
    render a candidate ineligible for a commission or an acting
    appointment for a period of twelve months.

48. The examinations will be held on the first Wednesday in
    each quarter of the Volunteer year.

49. Nothing contained in paragraph 47 will prevent any
    officer from presenting himself for examination as soon after
    receiving his acting appointment as he sees fit; but, should he
    fail to pass, he will be placed under the same conditions as
    regards re-election as if he had taken advantage of the full
    prescribed period.

50. The ages at which candidates for commissions in the
    Volunteer Force are eligible for election will be as follows:—
    Naval Artillery:—
    Lieutenant ... ... ... 21 years and upwards.
    Sub-lieutenant ... ... 18 ,,
    Naval Cadets... ... ... 14 ,,
    Other branches:—
    Captain ... ... ... 21 years and upwards.
    Lieutenant ... ... ... 18 ,,

51. On the disbandment of any corps the commissions of all
    elected officers therein shall lapse.

52. 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 to the vacancy, who shall thereupon
    be deemed to have been duly elected by the corps.

53. Officers elected or appointed who may bring satisfactory
    proof that they have served in a similar arm in Her Majesty's
    Forces, or Auxiliary Forces, or, who, since May, 1885, have
    passed the prescribed examination for a similar rank and arm
    in the New Zealand Volunteers, may, on appointment or
    election, receive commissions without passing a further examination.

53A. Any officer quitting the colony without leave of absence
will forfeit his commission.

54. Officers of Naval Artillery, Mounted Infantry, Artillery,
    and Engineers will be allowed nine months to qualify themselves for their respective examinations.

MEDICAL STAFF.

55. Medical officers will intimate to the Defence Office
    their wish to be posted to the general medical list of the
    Defence Forces, and will be appointed in the seniority of their
    honorary commissions and length of service.

56. Medical officers who have seen actual service with the
    Colonial Forces will be entitled to reckon one year of such
    service as two in determining their relative seniority with other
    medical officers, and those who have been posted to the Militia
    or Armed Constabulary may reckon the years that they have
    served with those Forces when called out for training and
    exercise, in addition to any service as Honorary Surgeons or
    Assistant-Surgeons in a Volunteer corps to which they are
    entitled.

57. The general medical list shall include medical officers
    whether honorary or otherwise, and promotion will be determined in the first instance by length of service, and afterwards
    by seniority on the list.

58. The ranks of officers in the Medical Department of the
    Forces will be as follows: Surgeon-General, Brigade-Surgeon,
    Surgeon-Major, and Surgeon.

59. Medical officers who have served for more than twenty
    years as Surgeons, Honorary Surgeons, or Assistant-Surgeons
    in the Defence Forces, will, on completing such period of
    service, be entitled to be appointed Brigade Surgeons; and a
    medical officer who may have served for more than twelve years
    will be entitled to be appointed Surgeon-Major. In both cases
    such officers will be entitled to count extra service as provided
    for by preceding paragraphs.

60. The Surgeon-General will be appointed by the Government from time to time, and will be responsible that only such
    medical officers are appointed as are properly-qualified practitioners, and will receive and forward to the Defence Minister
    all applications or claims for enrolment on the general list;
    and, if any medical officer has been reported as having rendered
    himself liable, by misconduct, to be struck off the list of
    medical officers, the Surgeon-General will assist in the investigation of the complaint.

61. On the report of a departmental offence to the Defence
    Minister a Board of three medical officers—one of whom shall
    be the Surgeon-General or senior medical officer on the station
    —will be assembled to inquire into the case and report thereon
    for the Minister’s information through the Surgeon-General if
    he shall not have been a member of the Board.

62. Medical officers who have served in Her Majesty’s
    Naval or Military Forces will be entitled to the substantive
    rank held by them in the Imperial Forces.

63. Medical officers will make such arrangements as they
    may deem necessary to insure three men per corps being
    thoroughly instructed in stretcher-drill and field-dressing.
    Volunteers who have so qualified, and passed a satisfactory
    examination, will be selected by the Officer Commanding Corps,
    on recommendation of the medical officer, to be stretcher-bearers to the corps, and to wear the Geneva badge on the right arm. Every encouragement should be given to all Volunteers
    to make themselves proficient in this service.

DISTRICT STAFF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.

64. All Instructors are to be enrolled in the Militia, and
    are to be under the supervision of the District Adjutant, who
    is required to report to the Officer Commanding the District
    any irregularity, incompetence, or want of attention which he
    may observe on the part of an Instructor; and the Officer
    Commanding the District, when necessary, will report the circumstances of the case to the Defence Office.

65. A Drill Instructor will keep a record of attendance at
    Government parades, which he will from time to time compare
    with the muster-rolls and records of attendance kept by the
    corps of the district to which he belongs.

66. The principal duty of an Instructor is to attend to the
    drill and instruction of the Volunteers of the district in which
    he is stationed, but he may also, at the discretion of the Officer
    Commanding the District, be intrusted with the custody of
    arms or rifle ranges, or charged with such other military duties
    as usually devolve on a non-commissioned officer.