Volunteer Notes.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2091, 5 April 1898, Page 2

Volunteer Notes.

THE EASTER ENCAMPMENT.

In view of the war feeling it is of interest to learn that the forthcoming Easter encampment of Auckland volunteers, which is to be held on the North Shore Racecourse, is expected to be the largest military encampment held in Auckland since the Russian scare some twelve years ago. Fully 800 men will be in camp, including several corps from the Thames, Te Aroha, Paeroa and Hamilton. The men go into camp on Thursday evening for four days* drill. Captain Miller is acting as Camp Quartermaster, and in conjunction with Col. Banka and Captain Grant, District Adjutant, is laying off the camp, and, will superintend the pitching of the camps of the various companies. The two Thames rifle corps will arrive in Auckland on Thursday evening, and the Paeroa, Te Aroha and Waikato corps will go down by train on that day. As we stated in our last issue Colonel Banks has arranged with the Railway Department to have a special train for she conveyance of the Te Aroha, Paeroa, and Waikato men. The train leaves Te Aroha at 4.50 on Thursday. Several of the companies, including the New Zealand Native Rifles, are hiring large marquees to be used as mess tents for their men, so that the men may have their meals in comfort. A canteen is to be estab-lished-afc the camp. Some opposition was manifested to the proposal to have a canteen, bat it was eventually decided by tbe officers to adhere to the usual custom, as being a source of revenue and also being conducive to discipline (as it would keep the men in oamp.) The military manoeuvre© on Easier Monday will, it is expected, take the form of resisting an imaginary attack on Auckland by an armed force landing in the vicinity of Lake Takapuna and proceeding over to Northoote to take Auckland in the rear of the forts. The opinion has often been advanced that an enemy would not run the gauntlet of the forts and the mines at the entrance to Auckland harbour, the. plans of which are perfectly familiar to them, but would adopt the course of attacking the city in its vulnerable parts by coming overland from Waiwera, or the Wade, or Takapuna. On Easter Monday, we heat, the officer in command will act on this idea, and the base of operations in the field will be the Wairau Oreekj or its vicinity, ft Takapuna '#’P^/ ; work should give the rifle corps especially good training in skivmisliihcfdriil,. - It is sugges'ed that H.Mt© Torch, which is now in port, might take part in the mimic attack, that Commander Preedy might be induced lo allow a portion of his crew to land in their boats and form part of the attacking force,