Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1909. VOLUNTEERS: A CASE FOR CONSIDERATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7934, 16 December 1909, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1909. VOLUNTEERS: A CASE FOR CONSIDERATION.

There need be no wonder that, m a i measure so extensive as the Defence Bill there should be oversights and anomalies. One of these was brought into view on Tuesday night when the i House had the Bill under consideration m Committee. We refer to what I took place m connection with Clause 26 which provides for the assets and 1 liabilities of volunteer corps passing to the Crown. > Several members considered that this would be an injustice to corps with assets but no liabilities. Indeed, Mr Fisher, who has himself been a volunteer, suggested that the clause should be held over, but the Premier declined to do this, and moved to report progress. This, however, cannot be the last or the m titter. To understand Clause 26 quite clearly as it stands, it is necessary to know the text of Clause 25, which provides that "On a day to be notified by proclamation, being not earlier than twenty-eight days after the gazetting of the proclamation, all volunteer corps (including reserves to volunteer corps) and reserve corps then m existence under the Defence Act, 1908, shall cease to exist." Then we have Clause 26, which provides (1) that "on or before the day so notified all arms, clothing, and appointments (being public property or the property of the corps) issued to any member of any such corps or reserve, shall, m the prescribed manner, be delivered to the proscribed officer"; and (2) that on the day so notified all the assets of any volunteer corps and all the liabilities of any such corps incurred prior to tne gazetting of the said proclamation, which after investigation by the Council of Defence are considered lawful and necessary, shall become the assets and liabilities of the Crown, and all j>ersons other than the Crown shall be deemed to/ bo effectually discharged from any such liability." All this is simple enough, and civilians as well as volunteers will easily understand it. This cannot but be true at least with respect to those who know the history and position of the Ashburton volunteer corps. Members of both these corps have from time to time, acquitted themselves with credit at various military manoeuvres and competitions; and individually and collectively, the members of the corps have all along applied themselves with a fine earnest unselfishness to promote and maintain their efficiency as units of the country's defence forces. This we know has been done by volunteers m other parts of tho dominion; but at present we are dealing solely with the case of those of our own district. Of course, our volunteers, like others, have had the capitation grant, but this has been barely sufficient to clothe them; and funds for well nigh all the numerous other purposes of effective volunteering have had to be found, partly by the men and officers, partly by business men with public spirit, and partly by the residents generally; with he result that, m addition to the efficiency which the corps have m this way been able to acquire as volunteers, the corps have also acquired assets which, while they belong to them-only as corps, have been obtained by private means, and are not, strictly speaking, public property. To appropriate such assets under Clause 26 of the Defence Bill would be to do a thing with a taint of confiscation m it; and we must hope that, before the measure finally passes into law, this will be recognised by the Government, and means found to deal with such cases m a generous spirit of fairness and justice. Mr Nosworthy, as member for Ashburton, will doubtless bring the ease for our local volnnteers clearly and strongly under the notice of Parliament, and of Sir Joseph Ward as Minister of Defence.