In this period the organization and num bers of the militia changed rapidly, the gen eral aim being to attain a proper distribution of arms; the force had comprised too large a proportion of infantry, with too small a supply of cavalry and artillery. Several instructional corps, known as the Permanent Force, had ex isted from about 1880; early in the 20th cen tury this force was considerably increased, partly because the Dominion undertook to gar rison the Imperial fortresses of Halifax and Esquimalt, and partly because the militia needed more ample facilities for training. By 1914 the authorized establishment of this Per manent Force was 5,000 and the actual strength was about 3,000. The organizations included: cavalry, 4 squadrons; horse artillery, 2 bat teries; garrison artillery, S companies; engi neers, 3 companies; infantry, 1 battalion; and also army service corps, army medical corps, army veterinary corps, ordnance corps, army pay corps, military staff clerks, etc. The active militia comprised in 1914: cavalry, 130 squad rons; field artillery, 38 batteries; heavy artil lery, 5 batteries; siege artillery, 2 batteries; garrison artillery, 13 companies; engineers, 4 field troops, 9 field companies, 9 telegraph de tachments, 1 wireless telegraph detachment; infantry, 104 battalions; signal corps, 4 com panies and 3 independent sections; army service corps, 18 companies; army medical corps, 21 field ambulances; and sundry auxiliary serv ices. The war establishments of these units would not be far short of 150,000.
These corps were distributed into higher formations in accordance with the plan already outlined: the organization was not complete in 1914, there still being an excess of infantry and deficiency of some of the other arms, notably of artillery. A feature of this period was the provision of special troops for the auxiliary serv ices — army medical corps, army service corps (for supply and transport), ordnance store corps, a corps of guides (for intelligence work), and similar organizations. Citizen soldiers proved particularly adapted to these ancillary services, and often at tained much proficiency in them. The number of the active militia trained, which before the South African War had been fewer than 20,000, by 1914 had risen to nearly 60,000.
i With all this improvement in organization the progress in training was slower. Something was done in substituting practical work for the older close-order drill and ceremonial, and rifle shooting was encouraged, but the bulk of the militia had to content themselves with 12 days' training in the year.
Training establishments had been increased during these years. The oldest of these is the Royal Military College at Kingston; founded in 1876 in professed imitation of West Point, this institution gives an excellent general education, and in addition fits its graduates to be officers in the regular army. A proportion of its
graduates have entered the Imperial forces, others are in the Canadian Permanent Force, while the larger number have entered civil life, but have constituted a reserve of military skill. Schools of artillery, cavalry and infantry long have been conducted at certain centres, and these of late have been multiplied, while instruc tion has been carried to the militia by detach ing instructors from the permanent corps to conduct temporary courses at the headquarters of militia units. Rifle-shooting,. for many years a popular pastime, has been stimulated, partly by the establishment at Rockliffe, near Ottawa, of a School of Musketry, modelled upon the British institution at Hythe, partly by the en couragement of rifle clubs, both for military and civilian. Persons enrolling themselves in civilian rifle clubs did so on the condition that °in case of emergency° they should at once be come members of the active militia. The gov ernment in addition to annual grants supplied a limited number of rifles to each club, with a fair proportion of free ammunition; much energy was shown in providing ranges for these numerous and widely scattered clubs. By 1914 these institutions had increased to 167 military and 433 civilian clubs, and had attained a mem bership of 52,000. Shooting by members of the militia is actively encouraged. Both the Dominion and provincial governments give monetary grants to the Dominion and provin cial rifle associations, the annual meetings of these bodies being well attended, both by militia men, members of the rifle associations and cadets.
To serve as feeders to the militia, and to disseminate military knowledge and aptitude at an age when lessons are easily learned, the militia department before 1914 had done its utmost to encourage the cadet movement. Corps were formed in the schools, the provin cial governments (in whose hands the control of education is vested under the Canadian con stitution) co-operating with the Dominion gov ernment. The movement began in 1908; by 1911 there were 492 companies and 19,250 cadets; by 31 March 1916 the numbers had in creased to 1,428 companies and 57,000 cadets. Of these units 76 were affiliated or attached to militia organizations; 26,000 cadets were drawn from secondary schools, 25,500 from primary schools and 5,000 were in corps fostered by municipalities or government institutions. In 1912 cadet camps were formed, and in the years before the outbreak of the war these camps were attended by from 12,000 to 20,000 lads; a good deal also was done to teach cadets rifle-shooting.