MAY 25.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1573

286. In cases where the oath has not previously been taken on enrolment in the Cadets, unit commanders will see that it is administered.

287. On being called up, Reservists will report to the Staff Officer i/c Regimental District, who will post them to units. Until called up and posted to units, Reservists will be under the command of the Staff Officer i/c Regimental District.

PROMOTION, ETC.

Warrant Officers and Non-commissioned Officers.

288. Warrant officers of the Territorial Force within the authorized establishments will be appointed by warrant from the Minister of Defence from suitable candidates not below the rank of sergeant recommended by Os.C. Commands, subject to the individuals concerned having qualified by examination for such higher rank.

No such qualifying examination will be required in the cases of bandmasters, but they will, however, require to have served for not less than three years in the rank of sergeant before being considered eligible for promotion to the rank of warrant officer, Class II, and a further three years before promotion to the rank of warrant officer, Class I.

289. The appointment and promotion of non-commissioned officers and men of the Territorial Force and Cadets will be in the hands of the officers commanding units concerned, as hereinafter provided.

290. Os.C. Commands may, in cases of necessity, sanction the appointment of lance-sergeants, lance-corporals, and lance-bombardiers up to 25 per cent. in excess of the establishment of a unit.

291. An O.C. Command or officer commanding unit may also confer unpaid lance rank upon a non-commissioned officer or man employed on extra regimental duty if he considers it necessary in the interests of discipline to do so.

292. A soldier will not be promoted unless he has qualified at a course of instruction of six continuous days, has passed the prescribed examination, and is recommended for promotion by his company, &c., commander.

In case of necessity, acting or lance rank may be granted irrespective of the above conditions.

293. Qualification at an approved voluntary course will count for the purpose of para. 292.

294. A non-commissioned officer given acting rank for the purpose of filling an appointment temporarily will be required to qualify for such rank within six months or revert to his permanent rank.

295. Warrant officers and non-commissioned officers, with the consent of their Commanding Officer, may resign their rank and revert to the rank or position they previously held. Without the sanction of the General Officer Commanding they are not allowed to do so in order to escape trial by Court-martial, and in all such cases the written application of the warrant officer or non-commissioned officer, a certificate from the Commanding Officer setting out the reason for the resignation, and the written authority of the General Officer Commanding will be attached to the soldier’s personal file.

296. A warrant officer or non-commissioned officer reduced to a lower rank through no fault of his own will revert to the rank and seniority previously held.

297. An O.C. Command is empowered to order the reversion to a lower grade, or to the ranks, of any non-commissioned officer of the Territorial Force who is adversely reported on for inefficiency or misconduct.

298. An acting non-commissioned officer may be ordered by his Commanding Officer to revert to his permanent rank. The permanent rank of a lance-sergeant is corporal or bombardier; that of a lance-corporal is private; that of a lance-bombardier is gunner.

299. A warrant or non-commissioned officer reduced to a lower rank will take rank and precedence in that lower rank from the date of the signing of the original sentence of the Court-martial, or, in the case of reduction by order of the General Officer Commanding or O.C. Command, from the date specified in such order.

300. If a sentence of reduction passed by a Court-martial is wholly remitted, the warrant officer or non-commissioned officer will, if no service is forfeited, retain his seniority; but if service is forfeited he will take rank and precedence in his existing rank from the date of the signing of the original sentence by the Court.

TRANSFER.

301. A trainee may, subject to the approval of the Commanding Officers, and with the authority of the Staff Officer i/c Regimental District concerned, be transferred at his own request from the unit in which he is serving to another unit of the Territorial Force or Cadets.

302. Trainees who change their place of residence from one locality to another, or those whom the Staff Officer i/c Regimental District considers should be transferred in the interests of the service, are liable to be transferred to another unit, and will, if possible, be transferred to the same arm of the service.

303. When any person liable for military training changes his place of residence he shall notify in writing his change of place of residence as follows:—

(a.) If serving in a Territorial or Cadet unit, by informing his Commanding Officer within fourteen days of such change of place of residence, and by reporting his new place of residence to the nearest Defence Office within fourteen days of arrival at his destination.

(b.) If posted to the Non-effective List, by notifying the nearest Defence office within fourteen days, if by reason of such change his place of residence is within five miles of an established training-centre.

304. Every person who fails to notify his change of place of residence as herein required is liable, on summary conviction by a Magistrate, to a fine not exceeding £10. (NOTE: For the protection of the trainee it is advised that such notification be sent by registered post.)

305. Trainees who change their place of residence temporarily for any period not exceeding six months will not be transferred from their units, but such trainees are required to comply with the preceding paragraph as regards reporting, and arrangements will be made by the Commanding Officer concerned for them to carry out their training with another unit.

Trainees who transfer from one unit or drill centre to another will, before leaving their old address, hand into store any arms, accoutrements, and equipment on issue to them, but will retain and take with them all articles of uniform clothing.

306. Trainees holding warrant or non-commissioned rank will retain their rank on transfer to another unit, provided (a) that they are in possession of a certificate showing that they have passed the prescribed examination for such rank, and (b) that an entry is made on the transfer form by the original Commanding Officer to the effect that the trainee held such rank prior to transfer. Such warrant officers and non-commissioned officers will, when necessary, be borne as supernumerary to establishment until such time as they can be absorbed. This paragraph does not apply to Cadet non-commissioned officers on being posted to the Territorial Force (vide para. 280).

307. Trainees on enlistment in the N.Z. Division of the Royal Navy, or enrolling in the N.Z. Royal Naval Reserve, will be transferred to the “Serving in Navy List” and exempted from military training whilst serving in a naval unit. On enlistment as above their personal files will be transferred to No. 1 Regimental District.

308. On ceasing to be a member of the N.Z. Division of the Royal Navy or of the N.Z. Royal Naval Reserve, persons still liable for military training will be transferred by the Staff Officer i/c No. 1 Regimental District to the regimental district in which such persons reside on leaving the Naval Forces. In order that the provisions of this paragraph may be carried out, arrangements have been made with the Naval authorities to supply periodically to the Staff Officer i/c No. 1 Regimental District lists of all such persons discharged from the Royal Navy or Royal Naval Reserve. Such lists will show the full name, date of birth, date of and reason for discharge, and intended address of each such person.

309. Except as provided in paras. 310 and 311, trainees will be transferred to the Reserve on reaching the age of twenty-five, and will remain in the Reserve until they attain the age of thirty.

310. In accordance with instructions issued from time to time in General Orders, and subject to upkeep of establishment, trainees may be transferred to the Reserve before reaching the age of twenty-five.

311. Warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men who are likely to make good non-commissioned officers may, provided the establishment of non-commissioned officers is not exceeded, be allowed to extend their service for one year on the Active List. Such extensions may be renewed by the commanding officer, with the soldier’s consent, year by year up to the following ages: Sergeants, forty years; staff sergeants, forty-five years; warrant officers, fifty years.

312. On transfer to the Reserve, trainees will return their arms, accoutrements, and uniform clothing.

313. Before the annual posting, officers commanding units will complete discharge certificates (Form N.Z. 25, in duplicate) for each trainee whom it is proposed to transfer to the Reserve. These forms, together with the personal files of the trainees concerned, will be forwarded to the Staff Officer i/c Regimental District. The Staff Officer i/c Regimental District, if he approves of such transfers, will retain the personal files and duplicate forms N.Z. 25, confirm the transfers to the Reserve, and return the original forms N.Z. 25 to the officer commanding unit, for transmission, after the annual posting, to the Reservists.

314. Trainees of the Territorial Force convicted of criminal offences are liable to be dismissed from the Forces. A certificate from the Supreme Court should accompany all applications to General Headquarters for the dismissal of such trainees as are so convicted. To ensure that trainees of undesirable character are not allowed to continue serving in the Forces, Area Officers and Adjutants will keep in constant touch with the police, with a view to obtaining the names of all trainees convicted by the Civil power, and will forward such names to command headquarters.