LORD WOLSELEY ON VOLUNTEERS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1527, 7 April 1887, Page 2

LORD WOLSELEY ON VOLUNTEERS.

At the annual distribution of prizes to the members or the 2nd Votanteer Batta« Hon ttoyal Fusilears, at London on January 19, Lord Wolseley s*id he had always been one of those who believed that the Volunteer force was oapable In tirtaa of war of rendering great services to the array, and he was convlnoed that not only could they supply the army with: almost efficient postal corps, as they had' already done, bat could furnish them with police, signallers, telegraphists, and hospital men; and In' that way oould enable them to put a much greater nnmber of regular soldier* into the field than they were new able to do. He hoped that when the new reguJationsj framed by the Committee over which Lord Harris presided, came Into force they would be found acceptable to the Volnnfceer force generally, and by the people of the country. He did not believe that the people quite appreciated what the Volunteer force did for the oountry. but he thought that the army f ally an* predated It. The days when the army thought that the Volunteer force wai of no use had gone by. They knew now that it had done Incalculable good. When be first entered the army It was very unpopular, but at the present moment the army was popular throughout Great Britain, and they bad to thank the volunteers for many of the advantages which at the present moment they enpyed. The volunteers had not only added to the military strength of the country, but they had donft an enormous amount of good from, im educational point of view. The* 1 at( j brought to bear upon old-fashioned' ideal of warfare new views, and ~ man * y oi t j, e srraat ; changes m tactic* aad evolutions which they had seen m reO ent years had f und their origin iQ the Volunteer movement. A P* eat many men ot hlB o j oth were m T'; vor o f universal service. £Lo waa Jally alive to the advantuge* of onlTersal sorvice, but at the same time he was quite aware that before it came there must be oorae fearful, national disaster— whloh God forbid !— to render it neses* sury. . But iv the meantime many of the advantajjea of nnlvorsal service were belnjf gained by the Volunteer movement, whldk w«s a great national education to th« peop'o, n t only physio illy, but ai a meant of licaloating liabita of order, tidiness, oleaaliness, diaoipliae and obsdleaQe tq ord«r|,— (Ohesw» **