MANUTAHI VOLUNTEERS.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 446, 23 July 1879, Page 2

MANUTAHI VOLUNTEERS.

(To the Editor of the Patea Mail. Sir, —Will you or your Manutahi correspondent answer the following questions, for the benefit of the Manutahi volunteers : “Is a' captain legally elected, if the election takes place before the company is accepted by the Government, and people are allowed to vote who do not belong to the company 7” “ Can a captain legally appoint noncommissioned officers if he himself has been illegally appointed 7” “ Is it not the usual way for volunteers to elect their own non-commissioned officers 7” “ Is the captain acting wisely in refusing a request by the company to be allowed to elect their own non-commis-sioned officers 7” “ Is it usual for a captain to appoint a near relative as an officer before men of greater experience, who are better liked by the members of the corps ?” “ Is it the way to bind a volunteer company together, to put men on as officers that the company do not wish 7” As a member, I quite approve of the action taken by the company on the 15th instant, as I believe that a fresh election of all the officers is required before the company will be on a sound footing. I will take the liberty to inform you that the captain could only get two members in the whole corps to accept appointments, and your correspondent appears to be one of the two disappointed pets. —I am &c., A MEMBER.

{To the Editor of the Pate A Mail.) Sir, —Your Manntahi correspondent, in his last letter,- attempts to be severe in his remarks upon those who differed in the mode of appointing the non-com-missioned officers of the Manutahi Rifles, and in doing so, he has, to put it mildly, distorted the facts. Now, sir, there was a committee appointed to draw up regulations, and they decided to have the non-commissioned officers elected by the company. That was agreed to by a majority of the company. In the face of this, the captain appointed his own sergeants, beginning with his own brother, who he made color-sergeant, thus forcing

big opinion against tbe' wish of the majority of the company. This was the real cause of the differences Which led to the present position of affairs. It is quite true that three members handed in their arms, but that was before the officers resigned. Sad the officers not resigned, very many more of the members of the corps would have resigned, as they do not believe in being jumped upon. A resolution, calling upon the nou-comrais-sioned officers who had been appointed by the Captain, to resign, was put to the corps, and carried unanimously. This ought to have satisfied the Captain that his conduct did not meet with the approval of his company.—l am, &c.,

FAIR PLAY.