THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1881. OUR VOLUNTEER FORCE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2299, 16 August 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1881. OUR VOLUNTEER FORCE.

In our yesterday’s issue a correspondent, who states he has served many years as a Volunteer in the mother country, described what he had seen on a visit to the drill shed on Tuesday, the 9th inst. Ho shows on that occasion the officer who was drilling the Volunteers was absolutely compelled to throw up the sponge and retire because ha had; not the slightest idea how to handle his men. We can assure our readers that the picture of the inspection in question drawn by our correspondent was not in the least overcolored—if anything it was undercolored. Nor was the inspection an exceptional one. Only last night, at parade, the gallant captain in command endeavored to put his men through the manual exercise in close ranks! Anybody who knows anything about drill must know that to go through the manual exercise under such conditions is a physical impossibility; and very lucky it is too, because, wore the exercise possible, there might well be considerable danger for the volunteers in the front ranks. However, the valiant captain in question was considerably annoyed that his men did not answer to his word of command, and was only mollified when the impossibility of obeying his order was pointed out to him ! All this is, no doubt, very funny, and to anyone thinking of writing a military burlesque valuable hints might be obtained by attending regularly at the drillshed, but most volunteers, not being burlesque writers, are utterly sick of the farce and are longing for a change. Attention also has been called in these . columns, by a correspondent signing himself “ Faugb-a-Ballagh,” to the attempt that has been made to form another volunteer corps in Christchurch, and to the late outbreak of insubordination in the Engineer Company. Now, wetio not wish in any way to find excuses for such unmilitary conduct, but, as far as we have been able to ascertain, the instance in question was an example of what may often be expected under the existing system. It is absurd to sneer at the Volunteers as citizen-soldiers. Of course they are citizen-soldiers, and do not pretend or wish to be anything else. Some of the best soldiers that the world has ever seen have been citizen-soldiers. And our volunteer officers are citizen officers, elected presumably by their fellow citizens because at one time they were coni sidered to possess superior military capacity, and to be willing to devote time and attention to their military duties. If . the citizen-soldiers are mistaken, and the ! citizen-officers persist in retaining their commands under false pretences, what then? "Why, we are afraid that the result will 5 be the too frequent occurrence of such a* scene as disgraced our Engineer Company on the 12th of April last. In the occur- ' rence under consideration it appears to I ns that there were faults on both sides, but the root of the matter lay in the 1 system. There is no safety valve in the 1 present arrangement, or, if there is, the ; officers in too many instances carefully . sit on it. Inefficient and careless officers may, apparently, do just as they please, and remain as long as they like to worry and irritate, by their inefficiency and. carelessness, those who elected them to their commands. There exists no machinery by which Volunteers may rectify 1 a mistake when once it has been made. We have been drawn into making these remarks by observing the provision made i for Volunteers in the Estimates, It would appear that the arrangement proposed is much as follows. The Government have placed down a sum of £3586 as a capitation grant to volunteers at the Thames, in Taranaki, and Poverty. Bay. For the “ Reorganisation of the Volunteer Force as recommended by Colonel Scratchley” the sum of £10,414 is put down, making a total of £14,000 for capitation and reorganisation. Last year the sums asked for were £9764 10s for the North Island and £8709 for the South Island, being a total of £18,464 10s. Of this amount £9OOO was knocked off in committee of supply, on a resolution that half the capitation grant should be abolished, thus leaving £9464 10s. Of this amount but a little over £SOOO was in reality spent. For the present year for the whole volunteer service £30,043 4s 6d is asked, as against £30,640 3s 9d voted last year after the £9OOO had been struck off. It will be seen that the amount placed on the estimates this year is very nearly the same as that voted for last year, after it had been determined to halve the capitation allowance. What the Government consider the reorganisation of the force will cost it is impossible to ascertain until the vote comes under consideration, but it may be presumed that anything that may bo loft over of the £10,414 will bo distributed as capitation allowance, or handed over in some form or other to the various corps. But, while the intentions of the Government are not at present fully clear, they may well bo congratulated on having given the matter their consideration, and a hope may fairly be expressed that, since they have undertaken the matter, the reorganisation may be at once vigorous and thorough. The Volunteers of Canterbury, at all events, will not be satisfied with half measures, As the proper officering of the force >s the burning question, there appears to ns to be two methods by which the desired reform in this direction could be effected. By one method all commissions might be cancelled, and new commissions issued. By the other method an expert might bo sent round to report on the state of the various corps and the efficiency of their officers, and all those who did not come up to the standard imposed might at once give way to more useful men. But in either case local influence should bo allowed to count for nothing. Because a man is a “good fellow,” or occupies a certain social position, he should not on that account bo allowed a command in the Voluntoers. We have had enough of playing at soldiers. Our citizen-soldiers require really efficient officers at their head; they are sick of the incapacity displayed by too many of those who are at present supposed to lead them. As to the general wants of the Volunteers, we have previously summarized them, and now take the liberty of repeating our remarks. What they desire is this: — Mpre efficient officers; more efficient drill instruction; camps where the practical duties of a soldier could bo properly learnt; more opportunities of learning how to skirmish ; some practical outcome to the various reports that are furnished to Government by exports, both in the direction of attaching responsibility for failure where it should lie, and in more general directions. To this wo may add

that, if the present system of electing officers he adhered to, a safety valve should he provided by which the rank and file may, in case of emergency, appeal to the proper authorities.