The Feilding Star SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 1889. Country Corps

Feilding Star, Volume X, Issue 110, 23 March 1889, Page 2

The Feilding Star SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 1889. Country Corps

Our esteemed contemporary, the Post^ finds in the circular of the Defence Minister re Rifle Cluba another occasion for an attack oh the existence of country volunteer corps, and says : —

" The Defence Minister Beems at last to have come round to the opinion which has often been expressed in these columns — that the maintenance of Volunteer Corps in remote country districts is a mistake, and that liifle Clubs would be much more useful and less expensive. Isolated country corps can scarcely ever be brought to a high state of military efficiency. They seldom learn much beyond simple company drill, and they devote to this much time which might with far greater advantage be given to improving their shooting. The cost of maintaining a company also entails heavy expenses on both the men and the Government. If the volunteer force should ever be called on to protect the colony from an external foe, the demand will almost certainly be a sudden oue, and the country corps, in many instances, could neither be got together nor conveyed to the coast in time to be of any use. Even if they were on the spot, they would be of more use as individual marksmen than acting as a military body."

We do not pretend to dispute that there is a certain amount of truth in this indictment, but we hold that the writer entirely mistakes the position. Iv the first place he does not explain what he intends to convey by the phrase " remote country districts" and secondly, he leaves his readers to imagine how " Kifle Clubs would be much more useful and less expensive than Volunteer Corps. It is notorious among shooting men that Rifle Clubs are seldom a success unless in very largely populated centres or districts, because as good rifle shots are exceptional, it requires a great number of men from whom may be recruited sufficient to make up the minimum required by the regulations. It is safe to assume that no man will join a Rifle Club unless he is a good average shot. Now, men do not enter the ranks of Volunteer Corps merely to fire at targets and win prizes and cups, They do so from higher motives because they have a sincere and honest desire to deserve well of their country should the occasion arise for their services as soldiers, and to be prepared for such occasion, they assist as far as in their power lies to make themselves properly qualified by authorised military training and education. The sacrifices they make of their time are entirely unselfish, and we do think, whether such sacrifices are made in "a remote country district" or in a seaport town, they should escape condemnation from the Wellington Post.