Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1863.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 127, 26 June 1863, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1863.

Anything in connection with Governmental operations coming before us bearing the recommendatory stamp of the approval of the Herald always savours so very strongly of the odour of a “ job” that we are compelled, regardless of the excellent reasons given and sound remarks offered in its behalf, to look with considerable mistrust upon it.

The truth is that our respectable contemporary has become so completely recognised as the organ of “jobbery,” and has for so long a time enjoyed, and with great perseverance maintained, that unenviable distinction, that it is necessary to look with extreme caution upon any little matter which may receive commendation at his hands. Thus, when we notice in a late number of the Herald a laudatory paragraph or two devoted to the especial glorification of the prudence and foresight of the Government of this Province in general, but more especially in the matter of the Mounted Police Corps, we detect at once such an unmistakeable evidence of a job to hand somewhere that we are constrained to reject his potent arguments advanced in support of that theory as so much useless whiting wherewith to whiten a hidden sepulchre. This Colonial Defence Corps (save the mark ye belligerent deities) is such an unmistakeable job that whatever merit may lay hidden beneath the surface is so completely and effectually smothered that there exists at present little hope of ever getting at it. AVe start just with a triple bob-major peal rung out in laudation of the invincible Whitmore. By the way, that Major is an extraordinary man ; his qualifications and abilities, according to the Herald, are without number ; he is fitted for anything and everything under the sun. As a Civil Commissioner he shone forth with the most eyeblinking brilliancy ; as an infantry officer his like has not been seen since the days of Cromwell ; and as a cavalry officer! it is fortunate for a Bermulotte that he never had to contend against a Whitmore, for his career would have been cut short, and bis glory arid renown snuffed out. by one waive of our gallant Major’s two-edged sword. A r ery well ; the redoubtable Whitmore being safely placed in command of both horse and foot, and being also ready to give an eye or two to the artillery, nothing now remains but to provide that gallant officer with the men and the means to bring his little army into a happy state of disorganisation. This little difficulty of meu is at once got over with consummate tact by the sending an express messenger or recruiting sergeant, duly authorised to decorate his hat with brilliant and judiciouslyselected slips of rjbbou (but no beer, mind

that), down to Otago, there if possible to seduce the unwary youth of that flourishing and populous Province to enlist in'the righteous cause of “ law and order,” according to the gospel of St. George Grey. What a happy idea this is to he sure I We fully expect to hear of such a rush being made to the sergeant’s head-quarters, no'sooner does he but whisper his object, that that trustworthy individual will he compelled, in selfdefence, to fall hack upon the municipal authorities of Otago' for^protection I j: being anxious—only too anxious—to be saved from his friends.

The offer to join this Colonial Defence Corps is surpassingly tempting, in [fact so completely infected are we ourselves with the military mania, that we are only deterred from personally joining the Corps from a feeling that such a course would leave office undefended, which state of things would instantly lead to a raid from a company of the Herald’s freebooters, who are thirsting for an opportunity of securing some of our inestimable MSS., or-to find out the secret of making the like for himself. Under these circumstances we are compelled to put our ardour into a pocket, along with other little matters of the like nature, for the present, and shall give those entetprising youths who thirst for glory, and who “to dig are not able, and to beg are ashamed,” some little idea of the prodigious advantages offered them as aa inducement to ’list. Firstly, then, stands forth the undeniable advantage of being placed under the special command of Major W hitmore, than whom the like was never seen before.

Secondly, 7s. 6J. per day, and find yourself and your horse with forage. This can best be done—the Lord knows how.

Thirdly, provide yourself with a horse, the prime cost price of which is fixed by the aforesaid Major at £25. What a delightful beast to reflect upon ! Fourthly, a grant of fifty acres of land, somewhere or other not yet decided, probably on Major WVs own run, under military tenure, which tenure is made exceedingly clear of course.

With regard to item No. 1 we have little more to say than that Major Whitmore has been selected by the Government as the “ most senseless and fit person to be constable of the watch therefore “ bears he the lantern” of command.

"Upon signing articles, as per item No. 2, the recruit receives his charge, which is as follows :—“ If you meet a Maori, you may suspect him, by virtue of your office, to be no true man ; and for such kind of men the less you meddle or make with them, why, the better for your honesty,” &c., &c. Item No. 3 speaks for itself.

Item No. 4 is just like everything done under Governmental supervision and direction ; it is most ridiculous, vague, and unsatisfactory. What is a military tenure ? We are told that the Jews found it necessary, while engaged in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, to do so with a sword in one hand and a'trowel in the other ! That is what we call a military tenure, and an exceedingly pi’ecarious and disagreeable tenure too. Our young friend who has just, in the innocence of his heart and the warmth of his imagination, joined this celebrated corps, is probably not aware that, although this “ military tenure” looks very well in print, tuere are insuperable and insurmountable objections to be raised to making any attempt to dig or otherwise make use of mother earth with a sword in one hand and a spade or axe in the other. And further, it would be desirable to get this little matter of the fifty acres explained before proceeding very far in the business. The long and short of the affair, then, is just this, —unless the Government go to work in this matter of raising the corps in a proper and efficient manner, it will of necessity fall to the ground from sheer weakness. Men cannot provide their horses and themselves with forage on 7s. 6d. a day, and no

horse or man is in good working order unless well fed. And it is preposterous to expect to get a horse able to carry twelve stone (which weight presupposes that all the men are light weights) a good day’s journey for £26. The thing is ridiculous. A sort of a horse can be got for £25, but only a, very sorry sort. Above all things let the.men be mounted well. They should be prepared to go to any point of this Province within 24 hours, and if they cannot do that, then' 1 they will prove worse than useless. But .it is really too bad to waste paper and time upon the discussion of this subject. As it stands at present, it bears upon the surface of it such unraistakeable signs of tbeing a job of jobbery got of the earth earthy, that it is past endurance to be obliged to contemplate it for a moment. We believe, nevertheless, that many fine active young men have joined the corps. May they have no reason to regret that step; but we cordially admire the spirit which has actuated them to do so, and hope to hear of many more following in their steps, regardless of the mere mercenary view which we have taken of the matter. It is, however, unfortunate that the Government did not send over to Australia for a number of serviceable horses for this corps, as was done for the artillery. We cannot now mount troopers or horse guns ; our breed of horses is so miserably bad that hardly a weight-carrying horse is not to be found, and as for a strong and active light draught horse, such as is necessary for fieldpieces, they are not to be thought of.