WHY VOLUNTEERING FAILS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 522, 1 June 1909, Page 4

WHY VOLUNTEERING FAILS.

» GOVERNMENT METHODS. I Sir,—Re compulsory training: In viow ,of l tho Premier's declaration in favour of com- , pulsory training, the following facts will go . to show that the Government has killed tho . volunteer movement, through failing to ofi , fer. any encouragement - to thoso who would if able train 'themselves to use a rifle. - In October last I was approached by a number of enthusiasts who were desirous of forming a rifle club;in this district. I applied for information to tho officer having charge of this particular branch of the Defence Forces. He replied promptly enough, ;and sent mo'full particulars, also the regulation application forrfi which had to be signed by a minimum of. fifteen would-be members. ; I called a", public meeting, which was well attended, and the meeting unanimously /decided to form tt Defence Rifle Club. The application form was filled in'at the meeting, some thirty - odd, signing; < although some sixty or more had ; expressed their desiro to join. According to a regulation mado by a Government which desires to foster a military spirit: in tho citizens, before a ;rifle club can be accepted by tho Defence Department as a "Defenco Rifle Club," it is necessary that the club provide and equip a range (out of their own' funds), 'so- at ' this, meeting a. committee was appointed to go into tile matter and /ocate a site suitable for a. .range. Tho site: decided on by the committee and approved' by the club was on what we, at tho time, thought to be Crown land.. (Waste, of course.) Wo applied,to tho Commissioner of Crown Lands for this piece, stating the purpose for which it was, required, sending in a plan of the locality, and offering a nominal rental for tho use of the land. Our application for this land was so far approved of that the Defence Department sent up an officer to inspect the ranee, and in due course the site was gazetted aB a rifle .range. In the meantime our application to form a club had been in the bands of the officers of the Department over a month, and we had received no reply. I wrote reminding them of tho delay, and still no answer, I ; wrote a second time, and this time in pretty, strong termß, and recoivod a tolcgrain in return saying that the club had boen accepted, and a day or so after received an .apologetic lotter from one of tho Departmental heads offering tho excuse, as tho cause of tho delay, that they had to chase the Governor all over the country to get his signature to tho warrant, and explaining that, this could not be jdono and the club gazetted in a day. But surely it could have been done in less than six weeks. It was theil necessary for,us to cull an< other meeting for the purpose of atteststion, and on tho date of this meeting we re* ceived a second set-hack, this time in tho ; form of a letter from tho Commissioner ofCrown Lands, . informing us that our 'gazetted range was not on Crown land at 1 all, but on Native land, and advising us to try Und effect a lease from the Natives interested. With a ranger residing in the I district, it had taken . the Couimissionor. ] with tho.assistance of tho Survey Depart- 1 ment, two months to find this out. As the 1 proposed site was the only one in the dis- ' trict at all suitable for arango, it was do- ' cided to try and lease tho'land from the Natives, and I was appointed tn ,try >nd make a deal'with the owners. -The amount we proposed to give for the site was £2 10s. ' per * annum; and this I offered tho Natives, 1 but they wanted, aud. held out for £2 10a. I for e.erj ucj we used the range, and this '

boar in mind, was for a pumice flat, almost bare of vegetation of any kind. We soon saw that it was useless with our small funds to attempt to deal with tho Natives, so wo again approaclicd tho Government asking that they exercise their power undor tho Public Works Act and seize tho laud; or, through the Nativo Department, make terms for the land with tho Native owners. ; Wo expressly stated in the letter that wo did not expect the land for nothing, and offered-the same' rental as wo had previously 'offered tho Natives. Apparently such communications hs this- have to go through many hands before they get to the fountain-head, for it was over three weeks before wo. received the official acknowledgment (signed this timo by tho offerer of stating that the letter had been received, and that the matter would receive duo consideration, of tho result of which wo would in duo course bo informed.. This was on February 27 last, and apparently the matter is still nnder consideration, for we have had no further reply to our letter. When ono' considers tho largo sum that each Defence Eiflo Club must cost the coun- : try, it is small wonder that-there aro official delays. Each . member buys his own rifle, and a paternal Government makes him pay cjish in advance. Ho pays lis. per, 100 rounds for his ammunition (also in advance and just twico tho charge for ammunition in Australia). Tho club provides a range, pays railway freight on ammunition and rifles, and to oncoUrago the members' tho Government gives each one at the end of a year 100 rounds of ammunition, and allows him-to purchase another 100 for ss. And if at the end of tho year the rifle requires a now barrel, well, the ownor of the rifle pays for it. If all those who . have tried to , form a rifle club have received such diseourtcouß treatment as. this,: it seoms small wonder to mo that the voluntary system has proved a failure. Our members are now anxiously looking forward to a chango in the Government, as. they recognise that this is the only chance of their ever being able to form a club where the land is owned by the Natives. Anyhow they have com® to the conclusion that thoy cannot be treated worse than they have been treated, and there is every possibility of their receiving better treatment Many of mombers rode miles over unloaded country to attend the-meetings. At least sixteen of them were old continCenters, and several were well-known shots. We could not have formed: a volunteer company, as owing to tile Government polioy of lockiug up the Native lands there is no in--ducement for a permanent population, and those who have tried know how hopeless a task it is to try and maintain aii efficient volunteer corps with a floating population. I havo written thiß to show that it. is not altogether tho lack of enthusiasm among tho peoplo that is responsible for, tho decline of : our defence forces, but rather the taihoa policy of tho Government. Thanking you for youl kind attention.—l am, etc.. . m ' W.I.C. Taumarwiui, May 26. .