VOLUNTEERING IN AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 97, 26 April 1893, Page 5

VOLUNTEERING IN AUCKLAND.

- tc IT UNPOPULAR? WHS 1^ lx J., obbb""«» mssallß

, ...An army that will stand, & the toast, 'An £»_ d bf} d unk t»tnot a standing *"»'». b tf eW z ea . g'Sybody j^itpo'rtance to us aW: statedS3 disciplined citizen are bodies of trawe nies to, say, "oldie" .than are sue £ urgelvos upo n ■theßritish isie-. \ impendence, and point to the entire J rf A p P eria l supporting this wa'aß,' a Whether o ur self - ««■*• ** be So to boast of m the would V Britain going to war with a «vent ° „!S. however, very questionEuropean power is, a our own ( bla-and ye ™via sho £ ld have to <' In 2te"but little protection £toad' Q v„l or military could the Admiralty eithernava ormmta y Doeßan yone or *?£ lab him bub ask the cause of the ol?Tresent miniature Austraformation of o F Ragg . an scare of liaaDaJ y; South Vales asked the Home ]BS4, N°lfcto place a few more warships GoVeTel tra Si station. Back came "P 0" th! r That in the event of war, so far theaT« Admiralty Biding additional {rom tbLi, they should be forced to war vessels,Jjey wQre al . «'itb/ rZ the station. Thus were the "files rudely-awakened to their ■sKess position, and the .present d S3 navy is bhe result of such awaken00Tin a democratic counbry such as Ah ft is not advisable to foster a strong *rf tv soirit So much more the need St E volunteer force. Without Intowithouttrained civilians, weshould gll an easy prey to a mere handful of fore.gn in£'is no disguising the fact that volunteeringinAucldandhinaveryuneatisfactory state at present, and for on eSSs of defence may be regarded a S ally nseless. For some time past S ranlca 7 have been gradually thinning, while officers who have been years in bhe service havo lately resigned without giving satisfactory reasons for so doing. If the rumour currenb bhab the t.icy Guards and Newton Rifles are not to be allowed todraw camp allowance for the recent Kohimarama encampment—owing to their poor attendance-be correct, and bhat the members of these companies who were pre- ■ E enb have to pay for their rations out of their own pockets, then nothing remains for the Guards and the Newton bub dis-bandment-disbandment, indeed, threatens the whole garrison. Companies with a muster-roll of 6Q have an average attendance at parade of about 23 or 24. Few recruits offer themselves, and company officers to fill vacated positions are not to be g ob. This is owing to a variety of reasons, chief among them being the insufficient capitation paid by the Government to companies. Two pounds per man is the munificient sum allowed each corps. To obtain this amount, two-thirds of the whole number on the roll must turn out at each parade — one man short of the number prohibiting the company from charging. This system is manifestly unfair, as the regular attendees are bhe sufferers for the absentees. And out of the bare pittance so obtained, uniforms have to be bought, rent, gas and sundries have to be paid for. In other words, the Government, instead of encouraging the movement, seem determined—by their hard and fast capitation regulations—to stamp it out altogether. We say "seem" because we do not believe such is tbe intention. This is undoubtedly the cause of the unpopularity of volunteering in the ranks; but as this particular regulation has existed for years it does nob account for the recenb resignation of officers and the more than ordinarily prevalenb spirit of discontent ab presenb exisbing in the garrison. The cause of this is alleged to be in another quarter. Officers and men who give their services for nexb to naught are certainly deserving of courteous treatment at the hands of the officer commanding the district, and this it ia alleged has not been vouchsafed them. Captain Parker and Lieutenant Smith do nob disguise the fact that their resignations are directly the result of the treatment they have received from Lieut.-Col. Goring. Capt. Parker has been over 30 years in the volunteer force, and has always proved himsetf an efficient officer in the service. We believe there is ample room for a strict inquiry into the whole of the volunteer matters in Auckland. Something further remains to be said on this head, and ib will appear in future issue.