VOLUNTEER ENCAMPMENTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4353, 24 February 1893, Page 3

VOLUNTEER ENCAMPMENTS.

The Easter Progiamme, Hawk's Bay, Taranaki and Wanganuito Rendezvous at Wellington, It has just been decided, says the N. Z. Times, that during Easter, separate Volunteer oncampments shall k held at Auckland, Wellington, (,Dristchuroh, Dunedin, Nelson and Wcatlaml, ov if the Volunteers of the last two named diatriots prefer they way corabinoto form oneencampmont, At any rate the Volunteer forces of Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago *ill assemble at Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin respectively, while tho Volunteers of Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, Wanganui, Manawatu and the Wairarapa will all converge upon tho metropolis and join with the local corps in investing the forts and engaging with them in resisting the attempts of the imaginary hostile force to land. In each centre the operations will proceed upon tho same theory, viz,, that the cruiser ot the auxiliary squadron has hid to run for ' the shelter of the forts, that tho foe has appeared and is about to attempt a landing in forco, and that ho mast be repelled, the local authorities being left to work out the details of the plan of attack and defence. For tho cavalry of the North Island (exolusivo of Auckland) there willbo a specialencampment at Palmerston North which offers a great advantage for the purpose by reason of its control situation, Tho encampment at Wellington bids fair to bo the largest display of the kind ever held by tho Volunteers of j the Colony, and will aflord a capital means of testing their aptitude, state of discipline and general efficiency when brought together and exeroised in large bodies. It would groatly add to the general effect if arrangements were made, say, to oloso the encamp* ment with a grand raview, which should also include the cavalry troops, who might easily bo brought down from Palmorston for the purpose. It will doubtless be remembered that shortly after Mr Seddon's &cces» sion to office ho visited the four cities of tho Colony, summoned a conference of the looal Volunteer officers at each place, submitted to them a programme based on tho lines just outlined, and invited an expression of opinion with regard to it, Tho concensus of opinion was that tho Minis* tor's plan furnished an oxcellent method of practically testing the efficienoy of the Volunteers, and of train-, ing them in useful work which would be required of them in case of emergency. It will not be known until Col. Fox's report is made public whether the commandant is disposed to permanently endorse this scheme of operations, and it may probably be that the Minister, with his usual firmness of purpose, is taking this last opportunity of giving effect to

(ho programme sketched out by him eighteen months ago. It corlainly commends itself to the ooraraon sense of laymen, and if approved by 7 tho commandant will, no doubt, bo brought into force. It will, nt any rate, furnish Colonel Pox with an opportunity of judging with what measure of celerity tlio mon can be mobilised at a required point and how they work together in a considerable body,