COLONEL DAVIES AND THE VOLUNTEERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 249, 18 October 1907, Page 6

COLONEL DAVIES AND THE VOLUNTEERS.

(To the Editor.)

Sir—ln your Saturdays issue there appeared a letter from Mr W. J. Napier, in which, under the pretence of defending the volunteers from what the writer calls "an insolent reference by Colonel Davies at Christchurch to the volunteer force of New Zealand as 'weeds,'" he makes a personal attack upon that distinguished officer. Anyone who read the short telegraphic report of what Colonel Davies was supposed to have said, would see tbat the remarks attributed to hint were never intended to bear the distorted interpretation Mr Napier, for his own purposes, would like to put upon them, and anybody, who. knows Colonel Davies —and most people know him by reputation, if not personally, just as they know Mr Napier , by reputation if not personally —would know that he is incapable of casting an unmerited slur upon the New Zealand volunteer force. It was quite clear that he was thinking and talking Imperially, and stating what he believed would be the effect of a universal service system upon the forces of the Empire, having no doubt more in his-jnind the standing army of the iMother country, which, it j is well known, under the. present voluntary system of enlistment, has to be. content with recruiting largely from the ; physically inferior of the nation's manhood . .-• _■ ' ■ a-. 'I am quite "satisfied that"Mr Napier j knew this when he-wrote, and if he did not he should have done so, for Colonel Davies' first report as Inspector-General of the New Zealand Forces was published in extenso in the Press of the Dominion quite recently. In that report Colonel Davies, in referring to such of the corps as he had been able to inspect during "the short period he had held the office of Inspector-General, remarks generally *on the good stamp," '"keenness," "very good physique" of the. men, and at the end of his report, under the heading,. "General State of Efficiency of Officers and Men,* 5 he makes the following statements; — '""In dealing with this subject generally, I desire to make it quite clear that I am sure tho spirit -which animates all ranks of the force is excellent. If it were not so they would not be giving up their time and cheerfully to the sacred duty of .trying to become fit to protect their country, their homes, their mothers, sisters, wives, and children, while the enormous majority of able-bodied manhood of the country is merely looking on, and sometimes, I regret to say, trying to discourage them. The excellent material of which the force in this country is composed demands higher training and qualification in its officers than ordinary. The rank and file being of a much higher standard of intelligence than is usual in forces, de•inand a -higher standard still in its officers." I think there is no need for mc to say any more on this part of Mr Napier's courteous effusion. Next Mr Napier attempts to disparage Colonel Davies and his qualifications in the follower sentence:—"Colonel Davies is a surveyor from Hawera, and at present Inspector of the Forces." Colonel Davies' military reputation and qualifications are too well known to need any statement by mc, and I shall let that pass, as 1 am satisfied he would wish it passed •without the comment and comparisons I fmight draw. ' This is tbe third attempt I have noticed by Mr Napier to disparage the" present Inspector-Genera-1 of the Forces, : and X, and possibly -the public, would" like to know the reason. As the Americans say, "Guess inarms a nigger in that wood pile Somewhere";'and I think we should have him out. These-attacks started shortly after Mr Napier ceased to be a member of the volunteer force, and have continued since.—l am, etc., .VOLUNTEER.