Page 2 Advertisements Column 3

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 6, Issue 296, 19 June 1862, Page 2

Notice., rgMIE Annual Meeting of the Ratepayers Ji of the Tiumliaere District will be held at the residence of Mr. Jolm Walker, on Friday, the 18th of July next, at 12 noon, to elect a Board of Wardens for the ensuing two years; also to appoint three gentlemen to audit the Recounts for the pafet year. GEO. ROBERTS, < Chairman Tunahaere Board of Wardens. Wanganui. June 12, 1802. COLONIAL FORCES. THE following letter from the DeputyAdjutant General of Militia and Volunteers to the late acting Adjutant of the Wanganui Militia, is published by order of the Government. By command of the Deputy Adjutant General of Militia and Volunteers. CM AS C. liO ORES, Major Commanding Wanganui , Mditia District., - Colonial Forces. NO. 21. Depul Adjutant Genc'-al's OJice, Auckland, sth Feb. 1802. SIR, —With reference to the letter noted in the margin. * I am directed by Mr, Fox, to write to you to the following effect, and to request you to publish in a General Order that part of it which relates to the piy of the Militia men, and to forward a copy of it to Captain Cooper. [n placing a portion of the Wanganui Militia on pay, subsequent to the receipt of distinct instructions to the contrary given in the letter of the late Colonial Secretary, Mr. Stafford, of 7th Maj% 1861, Major Cooper was guilty of disobedience, which laid lie continued in the service of the Government would have entailed ou .him very serious consequences. The excuses offered by him for having done so are : Ist—That lie had instructions to re-enrol the men. This is perfectly true ; but he had no instructions to put.any of them on payOn the contrary it was distinctly stated in Mr. Stafford’s letter before referred to, that all pay, except that of the Staff was to cease. 2ndly—Major Cooper says that even if he had received no instructions to re-enrol men, he would have done so without instructions; as he had the power to do so. This is an entire misapprehension on Major Cooper’s part, lie hud no power of the sort. If he conceives that his appointment of Governor’s Deputy gave him such power, lie is mistaken, and even if it had done so that appointment was not conferred on him till 3rd July, and could not be known to him for at least a fortnight afterwards, while the enrolment took place some weeks previously. But even supposing that he had thepower to enroll without, instructions still, us before stated, he hud ..no power to put the enrolled men on pay, and that contrary to express instructions, “ that all pay except that of the Staff was to cease.” 3dly —Major Cooper assigns a great variety of political objects which he had itt view, which he believed could not be attained without War, and lie says that he deemed it necessary therefore that every man should continue accustomed to the use of arms. Neither Major Cooper’s political opinions, nor what he deemed necessary, are any justification for a deliberate disregard of positive orders. It is for the Government to consider the political necessities of the case, and it is to be presumed that Mr. Stafford had duly considered them, when he wrote the letter directing all pay to cease. The course pursued by Major Cooper, therefore, appears entirely without excuse, and the Government feels that it would be perfectly justified in throwing the responsibility upon him, 1 and declining to sanction the pay-lists now under consideration. But as it appears that Major Cooper while holding a commission as Officer Commanding the Militia, and so far representing the Government, did virtually pledge it to the payment in question, although entirely without authority and against' positive instructions, the Government will not disappoint those to whom such pledge was made, and will sanction pay for Company No. 1, as per (Pay-lists, to 20th November, 1861, the date of the G.eneral Order issued by Major Cooper. As regards the explanation offered by Major Cooper in reference to his receiving lodging allowance while residing in the Militia Office, Ili3 Military rule on this subject is perfectly well known, and in ller Majesty’s Service any infringement of it is visited with severe punishment. Government will not require any refund on this account, but it must be struck out of the paylists now pending.