Volunteer Items

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 13, 16 July 1889, Page 3

Volunteer Items

The Manchester Rifles paraded on Friday night, and notwithstanding the bad weather the attendance was very good. Lieuts. Kirton and Chamberlain were in command, and Sergt.-Major Macmillan practiced the corps in the new drill. The improvement the men are making is very marked. Later in the evening Lieut. Kirton read a letter from Colonel Stapp, in which Capt. Pleasants was directed to recover all fines inflicted up to the 30th June, unpaid on that date. Lieut. Kirton spoke at some length on the subject, and made special allusion to the fact that as the men. were supplied with uniforms and great coats free of charge, they should do their part by attending parades regularly, in order that they might earn the full capitation, so as to put the corps in funds to meet this expenditure. Each uniform cost £3 and each great coat £1 6s, which would therefore, at the rate of the former capitation grants from the Government of 30s per annum, take each man three years to earn without missing a parade, The Finance Committee had no reserve fund on which to draw to meet the expense of clothing recruits, their only revenue beinef that earned by the men themselves. In connection with the recovery of the fines Mr Kirton said the judgment summonses would not be issued for some days, as the R.M. Court did not sit till the 14th of August, therefore in the interval defaulters would have an opportunity of paying their several amounts due -to Col.Sergt Bilderbeck. He earnestly hoped this would be done, as any resource to extremities would not be very creditable to the corps. Mr Kirton spoke in high terms of praise to general conduct of members, the 'r regularity in attendance, and good conduc t when under arms. He did not speak merely from his own knowledge, but from the good opinion expressed by officers high in the service. The parade was then dismissed.