THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1880. VOLUNTEER MATTERS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2049, 17 September 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1880. VOLUNTEER MATTERS.

Thb formation of the Naval Brigade in Lyttelton will bo remarked with much pleasure. There can bo no doubt but that such corps are among the most useful that can be got together. The defence of our harbors is a matter of the strictest necesssity, and, ia the event of war breaking out between Great Britain and a foreign power, the naval brigades in the various New Zealand ports would, in all probability, be first called upon to show the stuff of which they are made. Colonel Seratchley, in his report, particularly dwelt on the value of the service, and poinled out tho method in which the brigades should be worked. He touched on the comparatively small expense at which most solid good could be arrived at, at the samo timo not endeavouriug to hide the extensive risks run by those working torpedoes in time of war, or, for the matter of that, oven when practising with them in time of peace. And it is in view of tho great utility of the brigade just started in Lyttelton, and of the exceptional risks of much of tho service they will have to render, that must make it a matter of regret that the Government have not been able to see their way towards placing them on the same footing, as regards the capitation allowance, with other "Volunteer corps. No doubt great economy has to be used in these hard times, but, in the face of the fact that the Government have voted £SOO towards the exponses of the shooting meeting at Nelson, we think the Lyttelton Naval Brigade are somewhat hardly used. We have always upheld the interests of rifle shooting in New Zealand, and should be sorry to see the annual meeting fall through from want of funds, ' but, nevertheless, we look upon the said i meeting as more or less of a luxury, whereas the formation of naval brigades is a necessity. The expenses of a rifle meeting have been found to be large, exclusive of the sum given away in prizes. Officials with numberless cocked hats flock to the rendezvous, and the paraphernalia of a camp is there to delight the admiring public. But all this costs money, and, however desirable in itself, sometimes, perhaps, does not return a quid pro quo. Tho bett men from the various provinces are not always those who can manage to get away, and although tho meeting may serve to keep up a healthy rivalry between tho various corps in the two islands, yet in these days of economy this may possibly be done at. two heavy an expense. But the work to be per- ■ formed by any naval brigade is no fancy work. If there is one body of men more than any other that must be thoroughly efficient to render it of any use at all, that body is a navalbrigado. Notonly determined but skilful men are required for the manoeuvres they have to go through. Its officers must know their drill, and the men must be under thorough control, or the results may be most disastrous. "We repeat that it seems a !pity that the Government have not been able to take all this into consideration, and it certainly shows that enteprise and patriotism is not dead among the Lytteltonians when we find them undertaking to form a brigade unassisted by the State. Tho determination of the men, too, to delay choosing their officers until some timo after the affair has been got into working order, with tho view of obtaining the most capable, is a stop decidedly in the right direction. Turning to volunteer matters in general, it seems a pity that the Saturday afternoon movement has proved to be a failure. Still we cannot help thinking that the fault lies more or less with those who had tho management of the affair. When some time back wo advocated the movement it was on the grounds that the men might, for example, be taken into the park and taught skirmishing and other manoeuvres invaluable in time of war. Such drill would not only be more tisoful, but far moro interesting. Now it is a well known fact that a good beginning in most enterprises goes a long way towards ensuring success. But in the present [iustanco for the first few Saturday aftornoons, when tho attendance of volunteers was fair, tho old ABC drill was adhered to ir>. tho drill onclosuro, and the men wore not taken out into tho open. Tlio natural consequence ensued. Tho men became disgusted, and did not reappear. And thou what happens ? Why, tho Saturday before last, when the attendance had dwindled away to seven, this small but devoted band were moved out into the park and commenced skirmishing evolutions ! As the matter of'hiding from an enemy is one of the chief points in skirmishing, perhaps these seven volunteers were at an advautago by roason of thoir small number,

but otherwise the affair naturally turned out & fiasco. At a late inspection, too, it was promised that the men some of these fine moonlight nights should be moved out into the country with artillery and so on. But where is the fruition of this promise? The moon has stood by its part of the bargain with the greatest fidelity. It has risen iu " cloudless majesty" night after night, but where are the volunteers filing into the country with their cannon and their band ? Echo and the volunteers and the public at large all answer—Where ?