THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 826, 28 September 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1906.

On several occasions reference has been made in these columns to the recently-formed Legion of Frontiersmen. The movement is not merely au interesting one, but we believe with the founder that it is destined to prove of very great value to the Empire, and especially iu time of war. Space will not permit of our elaborating all the, objects that Mr Pooook has in view in binding together the "braves" of the Empire into one organised body, ani moreover we attempted tu c*,o so some little time ago. In another column we publish a letter received by Dr. Rupert Hosking of this town, from Mr Pooook, and we are, also, indebted to Dr. Hosking for further information than we had received in regard to the constitution and objects of the Leg'ion. The sort of spirit with which the founder set about his task may be gathered from the opening paragraph of a patqphlet he has Issued—it reads as follows:—"Frontiersmen,— Tho fron-

tier is the region beyond the edge of civilisation, consisting of mountains, forests, grass lands, deserts, and the great eea. We Frontiersmen, of course, are the idiots who go there to hunt for trouble, instead of staying where we were put in the fat pastures of civilised life. We belong to certain trades, sueh as fighting and seafaring; we are explorers, prospectors, gold-miners, naturalists, missionaries, mounted polioe, officials and traders among savages, packers, stage-drivers, freighters, mail riders, voyagers, and makers of railways, stookmen, cowboys, horse-breakers, and planters, guides and soouts, hunters, trappers, wolfers, rangers, foresters, lumbermen, pearlers and sea hunters. These occupations we know as the damned fool trades, beoause we who serve in them get only a small part of our wages in cash, taking the balanoe iu kind, in excitement, ad? venture, discomfort, plague, . pestilence, and famine, battle, murder, and sudden death. No sensible man could ba hired at any such wages, and in our lucid intervals we know that we are fools." Briefly, -the scheme and object of the Legion is the organisation of a civilian, selfgoverning and self-supporting tody of British Frontiersmen, throughout the Empire, associated for the promotion of Imperial interests in time of peace, and whose services shall bo available if called upon, for lm perial defenoe in time of war. The term frontiersmen Includes men trained and qualified by previous completed military service, or by working, hunting, or fighting in wild countries, or at sea, who for various leasons do not or cannot serve in the existing military fcroes of the Empire, and who are not prepared, by reason of temperament or vacation to submit themselves to the ordinary routine of military discipline, except in time of war. l'he writer has had inquiries from outside tiie Wairarapa as to the movement, asd if there are any New Zealand "Pocock's" afcout, who will take the matter up with the enthusiasm it deserves, the Legion of Frontiersmen will shortly number a good many New Zealanders among its ranks.