DEFENCE OF THE COLONY.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1306, 27 May 1878, Page 3

DEFENCE OF THE COLONY.

[From the Dunedin “Evening Star.”] It is quite evident that as things now are the volunteers, so far as numbers are concerned, cannot bo depended upon for the defence of the colony, and that their ranks are not likely to be sufficiently augmented for the purpose unless certain pressure is exerted; and further, that they would be practically useless in an emergency, unless subject to military law and the provisions of the Mutiny Act. This being so, and few sensible persons will be found to doubt it, tbe plain duty of the Government was some weeks ago, and is still more imperatively now, to call out the militia of the first class for organisation and training. If the war cloud happily passes away, no harm will have been done; and should our worst fears be realised, a few weeks would give us a force numerically so large that we, even with the indifferent arms which would be immediately available, should bo able to repel any attempt at effecting a landing, and thereby reduce to a minimum the damages which an enemy might do in the absence of defensive batteries. The effect of calling out the militia would be immediate upon the volunteer forces, which would bo very soon found up to thair full strength, and, having the advantages of previous organisation and training, would very soon be really effective for service. When the militia in the Wellington province wore called out in 1866 C 7, danger of a general Native rising being imminent, it was found that the

bers of effective members, the service being more popular, naturally enough, than the militia, and military training in one or the other not to be escaped. It may be interesting to sketch the leading features of the present Militia Act, which was passed in 1870. Provision is made for constituting militia districts, not to exceed in area 1000 square miles, the original districts in the North Island being maintained, and power, which has never yet been exercised, given to the Governor to d vide the South Island. The district being proclaimed, the Governor may at any time call out the militia for training or service, upon fourteen days’ notice. Districts are to bo subdivided into battalion or independent company divisions, battalion divisions into company divisions, the whole subdivisions forming the regiment of a district. Persons eligible for service are divided into three classes. The first-class includes unmarried men between the ages of seventeen and thirty; the second, unmarried men between thirty and forty; the third, all married men below forty, and all men between forty and fiftyfive. It is enacted that the second class cannot be called upon until the draught upon the first class is exhausted ; nor the third, in like manner, until the first and second fail to provide the number of men necessary. The militia, when called out and on active service, are under the Mutiny Act. It will be at once noted that when it is determined to call out the militia of the South Island a considerable amount of time must necessarily be expended in preliminaries. Districts have to be proclaimed and rolls made of persona eligible within them under the different classes ; these rolls might possibly be just now pretty correctly compiled from the recent census papers. Given the proclamation of districts, the enrolment, the fourteen days’ notice, it would be at least six weeks before the men were got together for even rudimentary drill, so that waiting until, as Mr Eisher says, “ it is definitely known that war is declared before moving in the volunteer and militia question,” appears a most suicidal policy, and a veritable tempting of Providence. If this trouble be tided over, others are bound in due course to arise, and the organisation of our militia forces, with an annual calling out for training, will be a wise precaution against the eventualities of the future.