OUR VOLUNTEERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 11, 13 January 1871, Page 2

OUR VOLUNTEERS.

To the Editor of the Nelson Evenixg Mail. Sir— l was astonished to fiul in au issue of-yours of last week a letter from Major Morse, accusing me of stating a falsehood at the political meeting at Wakapuaka. Unfortunately for Major Morse, the papers did not give a full report of the meeting, otherwise I think it would have prevented him irom so far forgetting himself as to accuse me in such strong terms of being guilty of falsehood. T will now lay before you what I really did say — " My reasons for asking the candidate, if elected, whether he would endeavor to do away with the Volunteers in Nelson was — In this district the Artillery has cost the colony this last four years about £350, Provincial and General Government grants, then reckoning our share of expense of the drill sergeant and Captain Lockett, the last cannot be less than £6000 in that time, and what have we benefitted by this large cost ? There are about 33 on the roll, out of this number, one detatchtnent, or about 12 bave some knowledge of tho gun exercise and the others know nothing about it. When families were butchered and the children thrown to the pigs by the natives in the North Island, Major Morse called a parade for the purpose of ascertaining whether auy of the company would volunteer to assist in putting down the rebellion, and not one of us spoke." Captain Slater spoke after me when he very truthfully stated: — " I wish to inform the meeting that Mr. Martin was a Volunteer, and he also refused to go" This fully endorsed what I had stated. Had I made such a statement on the occasion, referred to, there were other members of the company present who would certainly have contradicted me. I have taken the trouble to ask the members what recollection they had at the time referred to, and all agreed in stating that they did not offer their services lo Major Morse. Major Morse says : — "lt required." The very fact of families bwng murdered, children thrown tortile pigs, and homesteads burnt .J-y^ the natives, and advertisements in the public journals wanting Volunteers to put down the rebellion, showed the dire necessity for help,

and not one of the Wakapuaka Artillery went. If Major Morse had followed the example of the officers of the India mutiny, and had said — "Follow me, and let us revenge the foul deed" how different would have been the effect, but as the gallant Major preferred — "Living to fight, another day", we naturally followed his exrrnp'le. Were I alone concerned, I would have treated such au assertion whh contempt, but it is a debt I owe to my country, to clearly point out the fact that the prop on which it . trusts its safety is rotten, and if Major For remainder of News see Fourth page. = / =

Morse, Commander, of Militia and Volunteers, of the Nelson District had done his duty, he .would have long since made known to the authorities the utter uselessness of the Nelson Volunteer force, which costs the colony above £1,000 a-year. Yours, &c., C. H. Martin. Mount Haraburtr, Wakapuaka, Jan. 10, 1871.