Feb. 8.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 405

age of forty-five. Any officer, owing to infirmities, may, on the recommendation of the Commandant, be retired by the Minister although he may not have reached the retiring-age.

(2.) The period of service may in any case be extended for such period as the Minister, on the recommendation of the Commandant, may approve.

70. The ages of all officers shall, in the case of each officer, be calculated from the 1st March nearest to the actual date of his birth.

71. Any officer dismissed from the Defence Forces after the coming into force of these regulations shall not again be eligible to hold a commission, or be a member of the Permanent Force or Volunteer Force.

Permanent Force Officers.

72. For appointment, examination, and promotion of Permanent Force officers, see Regulations hereinafter contained as to the Permanent Force.

New Zealand Militia Officers.

73. Commissions and promotions in the New Zealand Militia shall be issued and made to such persons as may from time to time be recommended to the Governor by the Minister.

Volunteer Officers.

74. All appointments of Volunteer officers or the cancellation thereof shall be made by the Governor on the recommendation of the Minister. All acting appointments of Volunteer officers or the cancellation thereof shall be made by the Minister. Resignations of acting appointments may be accepted by Commandant.

75. All appointments and the resignation or cancellation of such shall be published in “General Orders.”

76. The ages at which candidates become eligible for commissions in the Volunteer Force are as follows: Lieutenant, seventeen years; captain, twenty-one years. This provision shall not, however, apply to acting honorary officers of Cadet companies.

77. (1.) A Volunteer company may in manner hereinafter provided elect all the company officers thereof below the rank of field officer, as also all the honorary, but not any other, staff officers of such company.

(2.) The officers as aforesaid shall be elected by not less than two-thirds of the enrolled members of the company present at a meeting of the company convened by an advertisement published once at least in a newspaper circulating in the district. The senior officer present at such meeting shall report such election through the usual channel to the O.C. the District, who shall forward the same, with such recommendations or otherwise as he may think fit, to the Commandant for submission (with the hereinafter-mentioned certificate) to the Minister.

78. (1.) Os.C. Districts shall, when forwarding to the Commandant the result of the election, give the name of the proposed officer in full, his address, age, occupation, and previous military service, if any, and certify as to whether he is a fit and proper person to hold the position to which he has been elected, and also as to whether he is a born or naturalised subject of the King.

(2.) The Minister may appoint the elected officer to act temporarily in the capacity to which he has been elected, pending his passing the prescribed examination.

79. All acting officers of field rank, and all acting officers on the Staff of Divisions of Garrison Artillery Volunteers, or Battalions of Mounted Rifle Volunteers or Infantry, shall be appointed by the Minister.

80. An acting officer on first appointment must pass the examination hereinafter laid down, not later than the first examination held in his district after his having attained one year’s service. Failure to pass the above examinations will entail the cancelling of the acting appointment; but, on the recommendation of the O.C. the District, a fresh acting appointment for three months only from the date of re-election may be made, and the acting officer must pass the first examination that takes place after a period of three months from last election. Failure to then pass will render such person ineligible to be again a candidate for a commission.