THE VOLUNTEERS.

Evening Star, Issue 2976, 2 September 1872, Page 2

THE VOLUNTEERS.

The annual report of the Inspector of Volunteers is before us, and like its predecessors, it is noticeable for its want of practicableness, and the strong bias Colonel Harington has in favor of the North Island. The report begins by contrasting the s'rength of the force in March of this year with last year. In 1871 there were 3725 adult volunteers and 177 cadets in the North Island, and 2190 adult volunteers and 54S cadets in the South. This year the North has 4038 adult volunteers and 1004 cadets; the South 2004 adult volunteers and 439 cadets, showing a decrease of 325 adults, and an increase of 177 cadets. Every one knows the cause of the increase of cadets. The Colonial meeting being held at Auckland in 1871, ga\e a wonderful impetus to volunteering there; and one of the results was that cadet companies sprang into existence as rapidly as mushrooms. The falling off in the number of cadets in the South was more than balanced by their increase in the North ; but no cause is assigned for the decrease in the strength of the volunteers. Colonel Harington must know as well as we, that during this year in the South Island, and in Otago in particular, the companies have been very strict in the matter of attendance in drill; and numbers have been struck off the rolls for nou-attendanc". the result, while redivlog the strength of corps, being to add to the efficiency of each. Surely the fact might have been mentioned. We have neither room nor the inclination to go through the clauses of the report seriatim , dealing with districts. But in reading them over we were struck wiJi Lire extraordinary manner in which Colonel Harrington refers to them. He speaks of company and battalion drills as mere matters of course ; and is content to chronicle the simple fact that such were held at this place or that. There is hardly the breath of a suggestion as to how or the manner m which any company or battalion acquitted itself : whether its movements exhibited any degree of excellence or the reverse. Speaking with our limited knowledge of volunteer matters, we were always under the impression that it was essentially the duty of an Inspector of Volunteers to make his report the medium of informing the commanders of districts in what respects the companies under their charges had done credit to their training, as being some recognition of the services of the staff officers, and in what they had failed, and were deserving of condemnation, in order that steps might be taken in the future to correct the faults of the past. Such, wo know, is done by volunteer inspectors in England,—men of ability and experience,—and we cannot understand why the practice is cot followed out here. Of one thing we are

certain ; if it were done the effect would be most beneficial on the force generally. Before noticing tba portion of the report which deals with our own • rovince, and the Colonial prize tiring as being the next subject of importance calling for a few observations, we might remark upon some features that present themselves in connexion with Col. Banugtou’s reports of the various districts in the ' orth Island. In the first place we would like to know why it is thought necessary to notice separately, and at some length each district in the Provinces of Auckland and Wellington, while the Provinces of the Middle Island are passed over with a notice scarcely equal to that given to a country corps. If Col. Haringtou finds it advantageous to notice every small corps in the Waikato or at the Thames, why not do the same for Otago and Canterbury"? The mention of Waik-ito reminds us that that district furnished two representatives for the Colonial firing. This immediately raises the question why were the men permitted to compete for representatives, when, as the report states, they were but partly drilled, in our opinion no man should be qualified to fire for place as a representative unless he had previously practised in class-tiring Two of the northern companies are armed with the Snider rifle. Being frontier companies and the iikliest to be called into active service, it is quite right that they should be placed in possession, of the best procurable weapons ; but we would urge that the Government having in store a number of the same \veapon, should distribute them, so that the force might become familiar with the use of it. It would be monstrous, in case of emergency, to serve out to men arms with which they have not the slightest acquaintance. The proposition is so self-evident as not to require to be enlarged upon.

We will now turn to that part of the report which deals with Otago. On March, 1871, the Province, including Southland, mustered 10 0 adult volunteers, of whom 701 earned capitation ; in March, 1872, there were 1008 enrolled, of whom 827 were efficient Here the deficiency in numbers stands recorded, but no explanation is given, as it should have been. The reason we have attempted to supply above. Reference is made by the Inspector to his annual inspection of companies, but in the briefest possible manner. Here it is present two artillery, fifteen rifle, and two naval corps, all of which I inspected, except those at Southland, which place 1 could not vi'it in consequence of my being obliged to icturu to Christchurch for the prize-firing by

a certain day. On the whole, I found the several corps improved since last year, excepting those in outlying districts, which all mustered strongly, except the Waikouaiti.” Here again we must accuse Colonel Haringtoa of want of candor. He should have been at the trouble to explain the cause that interfered to prevent the Waikouaiti company mustering—namely, the alteration of the parade day at very short notice. But what we most complain of is the way in which he hurries over everthing connected with Otago. Surely the companies could be individually named, as has been done in the case of North Island companies, and their strength on pai ade given. But apart from it being an act of simple justice, the musters of every company in the Colony should have appeared ; and thus very useful information would have been given to the entire force. And lastly, the unfortunate cadets come in for their share of the strange forgetfulness which seems to have overtaken Colonel Harrington in respect to everything partaining to Otago. Did the Dunedin cadets ever parade v, bite the Inspector was here, or were they ever inspected by him, for there is no mention in the report of one or the other having taken place ? Tin re is certainly an allusion to the High School cadets having a gymnasium at their disposal and a reference to the advantages of gymnastic exercises, but in the superlative praise that is given to the Rangitikei cadets, no mention is made why Otago, which has hitherto held a good place in the cadet competitions, has failed to do so this year. It was supplied by Major Atkinson in his report published here on June 27, and must have been within the knowledge of the Inspector, whose report is dated a month later. The reason was that the Otago boys had been practising with the Lancaster lifle until a week or two before the tiring took place, when they were armed with carbines. The only part of the report that meets with our approval is where Ciedit is given to Major Atkinson and his staff sergeants “for their untiring zeal in the performance of their duties,” in which opinion all volunteers of this .Province will agree. That portion of the report which deals with the Colonial Prize F.ring must form the subject of a separate article.