Nelson Evening Mail. Wednesday, October 26, 1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 255, 26 October 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. Wednesday, October 26, 1881.

A telegram « as received by Major £itt last night from Colonel Keader stating tbat the Government hed decided to recommend the Governor to call the Volunteers out for actual service. This was read to the Vofunrters, who had assembled ia the Drill Shed tn large numbers, ord waa received with great cheenrg. As there, appears in so&e quarters to be a biisonderatahdlog with regard to tbe liability _f Volunteers to serve open bbing callfd cut by special proclamation W e ttai.-k is advisable to quote the words ot me Act, « rme of which we italicise Clause 36 runs 83 follows:— " The Governor may &\ any time call but for ac ive ser-iic*-*. st_v Volunteer corps or any p 3r t thereof ; r.nd e«ery officer and Volunteer beSongn.g to any corps so called out sball be bound to n-isemble at such plact as the Governor may direct, and shall remain vi active service until released by the Governor's authority." Clauses tt and 39 provide as follows :— " .8 Dunug the time when any Volunteer corrs is in actual service, or in -camps of exercise, tbe Army Discipline Act shall apply to, and tbe powers thereby created shall be exercised by, the (dicers and Volunteers of such corps, provided tbat no Volunteer shall be liable to any corporal puuiahtnent except death or imp.isontnent, for any cf' fence against the s .id Act '* "39. The provisions of the "Military Pensions Act. 1866," and " The Colonial Forces Courts-Martial Act, 1868," shall extend and apply to the persons serving in any Volunteer Force under this Act " Any Volunteer, then, .ho refuses to obey the Governor' 3 Proclamation calling out the corps of which he is a member will lay himself open to be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the last natoed Act which applies the "Mutiny Act" in force for the time being in the Imperial Army to the Colonial Forces engaged in actual service. This provides forthe trial by Court Martial of tbe offender cud his punishment as prescribed by the "Army Discipline Act " "The Military Pensions Act, 1866." is also referred to in the clauses above quoted, the provisons of which are not psrhapS generally known. It will tberelore be satisfactory to the Volunteers to learn that in case of their being wounded in action to tbe extent of losing a limb or an eye or receiving ir juries nearly equal to the less of g limb or an eye they will be entitled to a gratuity for the first year equal to one year's full pay of the rank in which they are serving, and after that to a pension. In the event of a Volunteer being killed in action a pension is provided for hia widow, if married, according to a certain scale varying from £150 per annum for a Colonel's to £36 fcr a non-com-missioned officer's or private's widow • for his children, ranging from £20 to £8 per annum, payable to sons until 18 year 3of age, and to daughters until 21 years of tge or until th.>y marry. A mother or sister havmg a Bon or brother upon whom she is dependent, will be entitled to a pension varying from £80 to £gfi io the event of hie being killed in action. As it is well that all Volunteers should thoroughly understand their position ia the event of their being called out by Governor's Proclamation, we have thought it advisable to supply the foregoing iDformatiou.