A RECRUIT ON DRILL.

Kumara Times, Issue 1521, 12 August 1881, Page 3

A RECRUIT ON DRILL.

[to THE EDITOR.] Sir—l was in some hopes when we got rid of thte officer who commanded hud pretended to drill us for the last three years that we stood a fair show of getting a man in bis place that could drill us ] but for some reason best known to the powers that be, we got from the frying-pan into the fire; and, although I give our present officer the credit of being , very good, considering everything, (and that he tries all he can,- no one can deny), still I must with every respect to him, deyy that he is sufficiently posted up in military drill to undertake to instruct others, especially young hands. Now, as an illustration, I will tell a man who never saw such a thing done, to put in a set of timber—could he do it? I answer, no j the probability is that he would take and throw the timber into the drive, or tunnel, as the case may be, or perhaps pot it into the nearest house and leave it there, and feel satisfied that he did what I told him, viz., put in a set of timber. Now, to do it properly, he must be shown how it is done. The same applies to military drill. Our local Rifles are in existence nearly four years, and now what do we, for I am one of them, know about drill ? Simply nothing; and, why simply ? Because the men that pretend to drill us did not know it themselves—except the district drill instructor, who gives us a whole hour’s instruction every month; and for that matter we would be better without him—for this reason, that all our local instruction is anything but what it should be, and when we get a flying visit from the Government instructor it makes confusion worse confounded. Although his instructions . are clear and distinct, but as Latin to us, in consequence of b dng drilled—the opposite way ; and I think it is high time such bungling was thrown overboard; and as we conde--scend to give our time to attend -1 parades, let ns at least have a man to instruct who knows how, more especially when he is to be found in our ranks, and though a man that don’t care about having a bread knife, which I believe he can use, if required, dangling at his side, when there are no loaves to cut, he may be prevailed upon to take the position of instructor to the corps ; and, I see no reason why he should not get some little remuneration for it. At all events if some move is not made in the matter, I, as well as others I know of, will only attend inspection parades when there is a proper instructor. We had pomps and display long enough; now let us have a little useful knowledge.—l am, &c., Recruit.