THE VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1435, 18 December 1886, Page 3

THE VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS

The Defence Department is to be congratulated on the new regulations for the Volunteer Force which have just been gazetted. Instead of allowing of enrolment at one period of the year only, manifestly a very inconvenient state of things, enrolment is in future to be quarterly, viz., in the months of January, April, July, and October. A reasonable regulation is also made with regard to standard height, that for the Artillery being fixed at a minimum of sft 6in, and for other arms of the service at sft 4in. The minimum strength for a troop, battery, or company is fixed at 40, and the maximum for Cavalry and Mounted Rifles at So, and for foot corps at 100. Companies may enrol up to the maximum strength, and will be provided by Government with arms and ammunition, but capitation will only be paid for 63. This last stipulation may, we think, be productive of dissatisfaction, but in other respects the new regulations put the matter of capitation allowances on a much fairer footing than hitherto. The arbitrary and senseless restriction formerly made as to “ Garrison ” corps and Country Corps wholly disappears, and in future capitation is to be paid to all corps alike on the basis of the number of parades and drills attended by the members. As thus :—A capitation allowance at the rale of £3 per annum, from money appropriated annually by Parliament, will be granted to all efficient members of Volunteer corps who have (a) attended eighteen Government parades or drills, six of which must have been by daylight. (b) Fired in the fi's f , second, and third periods of target practice, or if the range as certified by the Musketry Instructor admit of it, in the first and second periods individual practice and ‘skirmishing and volley firing instead of the third period, and must have passed into the second class as laid down in paragraph 22nd relating to musketry instruction. (c) Gone through the first period of judging distance practice and at least four, position and aiming drills. £2 per annum only will be granted to all Volunteers who have attended twelve or less than eighteen Government parades of two hours each, five of which must have been daylight parades, and gone through the pratices as detailed ya above subsections (b) and (c)

per annum only will be granted to all efficient V- unucrs who have attended eight or less than twelv;c - Government parados of two houis each, of winch four must have been daylight, and have gone ilnough ihe praciit es as detailed in ihe above subsections (b) and (c). Cavalry Volunteers must parade twice a day for six consecutive days twice in the year, and attend four Government monthly inspection parades each year. The above rates are subject to the annual appropriation voted byl’ariitment, and are liable to reduction pro rata. These provisions will, we feel sure, be welcomed by the Volunteers generally, and we are glad to see that, while regular attendance at drill is thus encouraged, efficiency in rifle shooting is also to be insisted upon, it being provided that if for two successive years a Volunteer fail to pass into the second class of musketiy he shall cease to be a Volunteer after the termination of his second voluntee.r year. Special provision is also made with respect to camps, and Volunteers attending these are to be pa d 2s 6 J per day for not more than four days on each occasion, while attendance at camp also reckons as two daylight parades for capitation. No capitation will be given to corps which are below the minimum at the last day of the Volunteer year, and no Volunteer is to get a capitation until he has served six months with his corps. The?e are the salient provisions of an exceedingly well devised set of Regulations which will do much towards placing our Citizen Soldiery on a firmer and better footing that it has ever occupied.