مور
244
had a rest from army life, which in most cases has left them with a strong distaste for military matters.
4.
I did not anticipate that the volunteer force
would in the first instance exceed 200 men and the results
have been in accordance with that forecast. The present
strength of the force is 229, of whom only 28 are men returned from active service. It may, I think, be expected with confi-
dence that the strength of the force will increase in future,
as I believe a fair number of ex-soldiers have held back until
they knew what officers would be appointed.
5.
I note that the Army Council concur in the
view expressed by the Overseas Defence Committee in paragraph 6
of their remarks that the system under which a senior regular
officer is appointed Administrative Commandant of the Corps
and Officer Commanding the Infantry and enquire whether I con-
cur in the recommendation. The question whether, with a
Volunteer Corps at full strength, it is better to have a
Regular Commandant and a Volunteer Adjutant or a Volunteer
Commandant and a Regular Adjutant is one on which I have an
open mind. I have seen both systems work well and both work badly, and I think that the real fact is that everything depends on the personality of the officers concerned. You will observe that under Section 9 of the First Schedule to Ordinance
No.2 of 1920 the matter is left open and therefore in the
future it will be possible to adopt either course. For the present, however, while it is necessary to go slow and induce
volunteers to come forward I am satisfied that the best course is to appoint as Commandant a local man who is well known to and liked by the men whom he is to command. We are fortunate in having available in the Colony a well qualified officer, who
is popular and respected in the community, in the person of
Major L. G. Bird, D.S.0., who commended a battalion in France
and who in private life is a partner in the principal firm of