1548 IMPERIAL UNITY [PART VIII 
and officers of the oversea Dominions had been drawn up 
and forwarded to the Colonial Office for the consideration 
of the Governments concerned. Canada and New Zealand 
had accepted the proposals; Australia had not yet replied, 
and the Government of the Union of South Africa were not 
yet in a position to make any engagements. Canada had set 
on foot a section of the Imperial General Staff; Australia 
had done likewise, and so had New Zealand. The Chief of 
the General Staff at home had become Chief of the Imperial 
General Staff. In order to establish a close connexion, 
the necessity of personal intercourse between central and 
local sections had been felt, and with a view to meeting this 
requirement a system of semi-official correspondence on 
routine and training had been evolved. The duties of the 
local sections of the General Staff were local defences and 
the training of troops on lines similar to those followed in 
the United Kingdom by the Training Directory at the War 
Office. 
Another memorandum dealt with the examinations for 
the promotion of officers of the permanent forces of the 
Dominions, and it showed how the Dominions had adopted 
similar examinations to those which take place in this 
country, and as a matter of fact the Army Council undertake 
the examination of officers of the permanent forces on most 
subjects, excluding only those which devend upon local con- 
ditions. 
The Committee considered that the action taken had 
already resulted in marked improvement in military educa- 
tion. 
There was also laid before the Committee information as 
to the courses of instruction in the United Kingdom and 
India for officers in the oversea Dominions, and a memoran- 
Tum on the education of officers at the staff colleges. 
A statement was made as to the terms upon which the 
services of the Inspector-General of the overseas forces could 
be secured for inspection purposes by the self-governing 
Dominions. Inspections were only to be made at the 
request of the Dominion Governments.