VOLUNTEER NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 125, 21 June 1901, Page 2

VOLUNTEER NOTES.

(By Yeteran.)

The veterans are gradually drifting back from the Empire city and all express themselves well pl-a?t d at their treatment and wit.h what' hey 6P»w. Pi ivit's F and H. Bellringer were suddenly recalled from Wellington on Monday, owing to the lamented death of their fitter. Priva es Bicon and Clark who were down witn xne~catt&ts 'ofr morning to join the Tararaki Rifles, The train with the cadets reached Wellington shortly after 8 o'clock. By the lime Palm rston North was reicbed the numbers were swelled to over 400 s'rong. The N, Z, Times says;—" The Mararoa which I fb at elev n o'clock last evening took ther. mainder of thrW«.l-j lington cade's (236) and tl\a Wanginui! (445) and Hawke's Bay (280) detach-1 ments, 961 in all. They go to Lyttelton in charge of Mijor Poi-ritt. The accommolation provided on this vessel was a great improvement on that of the Corinna. Over 200 of the boys were iccomuiodated in the steerage berths, two beys to each lower berth and one in the upper berth*. The remainder were comfortably camped in the 'tween deiks, and the officers were given si'om accommodation," Eight hundred and eixty-six cadets had left in 'he Cotinra a few hours earlier in the evening.

No fewer than 3700 volunte°rs aud cadets left here yesfeiday and to-day for Ghrig^ctiU'oh.

Imperial volunteer officers, decorations have b°en granted to Surgeon Lieut mant-Oolonel R id and Lieut. H. Cameron, East Taieri Rifles, and to Lieut. George Cook, of the Ttranaki R fles, for long service. Great complaints are being nnde regardirg the rations served ou 1 ". to the men. The infantry are said to have held an inquest over the me*t served o t to them, and then polomenly interred it with funeral ceremonies Judging by the New Zealand Times the mounted msD are faring rather woi se, our contemporary says : —The heavy rain which has f-illen during ■he last few days has converted New'on Park into a quagmire, and matters have bsen made very uncomfortable for the tmunted volunteers who, to the rumbT rf about ons thousand meo, •ire located around the place. Yesterday the Park and hillsides were in a dreadful st ite. Several inches of mud J and water were on its suiface, and thef moistur.) found i's way through inlc the tents, sotting the s'raw bods and belongings of the men, and makirg them very unhappy. Tue camp ar rangements have evidently been sadly neglected. Sv- ral deputitions of m-n *ho fisited this office campi ined of insufficiency of accomoda'ion, an! lark of food, and said that their liaises w; ro practically starving tht-ie being a Uck of fodder and water for their use. Whea the men went to get fome hot water to make tea yesterday there was none available, the supply having been cut off. Wh n they informed tho' officer in command that unless they were adequately provisiored they would leave camp, he threatened 'hem wi h pains and penalties. Un'efwr r.-d by the terrors of militarism, a " a sl;ol(.-ton army" of men in uniform ac'ually paraded the streets of Wellingt ii ye-t?rday carrying som.i s'ale and ques ionable meat upon s polo, a beard above which bore thf s'goifbant 1 gond "Our Ritione." Numbe-s of the V o !unte*r< declare that they will not gi to Christchurch to nttnnd the imviow theri t<fter th n ir We'liogtan "xp-riences Theyeay that thi orecntivn ofli er-i in We'lington are ciTrltss of tho welfare of !ha men Ufd.rtHeir cha-ge, and that the cimp irracgemer.ts wera at first bad, but htve sine-) the wet weather cornmencd become worse and worse.