1266
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 52

Field Hospital and Bearer Companies.
Veterinary Corps.
Defence Cadets.
Defence Rifle Clubs.
Garrison Bands.
Battalion Bands.

5. The relative precedence of companies or units of the same arm shall be determined by the date on which the Governor accepts their services. If companies or units are accepted on the same date, their precedence shall be determined by the order in which such acceptance appears in the New Zealand Gazette.

Precedence of Officers.

6. Officers of the Permanent Staff and Permanent Militia shall take precedence of rank of officers of other branches of the Defence Forces.

7. Officers of the Militia and Volunteers, when serving together or on the staff, shall rank with each other of like rank according to the dates of their commissions.

8. Where any commissions of like rank bear the same date, the holders thereof respectively shall rank according to the dates of their prior commissions, and in case there be no such prior commissions, then the aforesaid holders shall take rank alphabetically in the order of their names.

9. An officer holding a substantive and brevet commission shall take precedence of all officers holding honorary or acting appointments in the same rank. Acting officers shall rank amongst themselves according to the dates of their acting appointments.

10. All commands shall belong to the senior combatant officer present on duty, irrespective of the branch of the service to which he belongs.

Precedence of Warrant Officers and N.C.Os.

11. Warrant officers and N.C.Os. of Permanent Staff and Permanent Force shall rank senior to N.C.Os. of Militia and Volunteers in their own grades.

12. The following is relative rank of N.C.Os. (those in each class shall rank amongst themselves according to the date of their appointments):—

1st class: Master Gunner, Staff sergeant-major instructor.

2nd class: Division or battalion sergeant-major, and bandmaster.

3rd class: Division or battalion Q.M.-sergeant, farrier Q.M.-sergeant, and drum-major.

4th class: Battery or company sergeant-major, colour-sergeant, battery or company Q.M.-sergeant.

5th class: Sergeant, armourer-sergeant, farrier-sergeant, band-sergeant, sergeant-bugler, lance-sergeant.

6th class: Bombardier, corporal, acting-bombardier, lance-corporal.

13. All commands in the absence of an active combatant officer shall belong to the senior combatant warrant officer or N.C.O. present on duty, irrespective of the branch of the service to which he belongs.

PERMANENT STAFF.

14. All officers of the Permanent Staff shall hold commissions in the New Zealand Militia, unless they hold commissions in the Imperial Regular Forces. No officer of the Permanent Staff shall hold any commission in the Volunteer Force.

15. Staff officers shall be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Defence Minister, and shall be given positions in the New Zealand Militia if they do not already hold commissions in the Imperial Army.

The Commandant.

16. Without in any way limiting the powers and functions of the Governor or the Minister, the Commandant of the Defence Forces shall at all times be responsible to the Minister for—

(1.) The discipline, military training, and efficiency of the Defence Forces.

(2.) The care, maintenance, and distribution of military stores, clothing, arms, accoutrements, and munitions of war when placed under his control by the Minister.