CAPABILITIES OF COLONIAL TROOPS.

Motueka Star, Volume II, Issue 51, 7 February 1902, Page 4

CAPABILITIES OF COLONIAL TROOPS.

i (Correspondent Evening Post.)

London, 20th Bee.

A. London paper is of t.pinion that the South African war will have to be settled, as was the Maoi i \v-—• in New Zealand, by the withdrawal of the Imperial troops, except from cei tain .-tt ategic points and lines, which it wi.uld be desirable that they should still garrison and patrol. The task of tracking and smashing the Boers -uiuld then be in the hands of the local colonial troops and men from Australia, and New Zealand, who would volunteer by tlie thousand, and with vastly more enthusiasm than at present, if they knew that they were to work 'on their own■' and not as mere appendages to Imperial corps. That the latter feeling is very, predominant we may gather," _it_continues. " from the despatch of Mr Sed-I don, the patriotic New Zealand Premier, who wishes the new and the-old." contingents from the Britain of the South to operate as a unit. We can only hope that this may be found possible, and that the New Zealanders may be thus enabled .to show w.hat,. as unadulterated material, they are capable of in a military sense. We have no fear as to what would be the outcome of the "test, and the result-would be to. create a homogeneous martial and patriotic, spirit < f esprit de corps among the JMaorilanders, which would not only weld their- rationality, but infect the Empire. We are glad to note that Lord Rose.bery gives the first place in his subjects uf enquiry into the South African war to the surrenders in the field. We shall then know who the real ' white livered curs' are. In the meantime, we should like to know from tl e War Office whether General Beatson ever used this historic and infamous phrase. If he never utteied the words, why should he labor under the stigma.? and, if he did, what has been, or is t.) be, the punishment of his blunderingcrime, against the Empire?"

The three keepers of the well known Gris-Nez i ghthouse, near Boulogne, have just been found guilty of a curious offence against the French game laws. Taking advantage of the fact that immense numbers of birds are attracted to the vicinity by the powerful light, the men spread a net beneath the lantern and snared thousands of victims, which they afterw.-uds collected and sold. In four djrvs thev caught 5914 birds.

In opening a conference of school inspectors at Melbourne last wee I', 1 ', the Victorian Minister of Education made a lo ig speech, in which Ire said he desired to place educational matters in the State on the highest possible level. He outlined the subjects for consideration, which included the training of teachers, special instruction to pupils according to their natural bent of mind, night instruction in country schools, the subsidising of teachers engaged.by parents, and the providing of school materials in districts too sparsely populated 1 to establish schools, university benefits for teachers, commercial education, and extension of technical education and kindergarten scheme. A lad 17 years of age was found very drunk in charge of a ho se at Feilding last week. It has been decided to re-erect the 1 err ace School, Wellington, which was burnt aown list July, at. a cost of .£SOOO. The building is to be in brick. The- Premier stated last week, at a social in Wellington, that the Government is going to maintain a strong fLr ante in future, and will not allow any works to proceed that Parliament had not granted ways and means for. "Politics killed the last Society,'' said a member of the Master-ton Horticultural Society at a late meeting.