THE VOLUNTEERS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10074, 28 June 1898, Page 6

THE VOLUNTEERS.

Sergeant-Major Berland, of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, has recently received a letter from Captain Snow, dated Alderahot, May Bth. Captain Snow, who is evidently well informed on every detail of the working of his corps in Christchurch, first proceeds to congratulate Trooper Tasker on winning the challenge cup and the City Guards on winning the shield. Speaking of the time of the last marching competition here he says—"The officers in our mess thought it marvellous, but; in the army competitions the soldiers would have io carry a greater weight, 601bs heavy marching order, and then tire eighty rounds at the targets. I have no doubt that our Volunteers would hold their own even with the extra weight, for the menhere are so young, mauy of of them mere boys, and would not keep up like the College Rifles or Navals. . . . I am satisfied that our volunteers, with very few exceptions, are a much finer lot than many of the soldiers." Captain Snow is evidently much impressed with the perfect discipline in the army, and by the respect shown by both non-coms and men to all officers. At Aldershot Captain Snow met another colonial officer, Lieutenant Wall, of the 2nd New South Wales Infantry Regiment, who is attached to the North Lancashire Regiment. By him Captain Snow was introduced to their regimental mess, and was afterwards made an honorary member. Captain Snow is evidently in the thick ot all that is martial. The "pipers of the Gordon's and Scottish Rifles," he says, " were enough to make a man feol quite ready for war." The letter ends with a request that he be remembered to the members of the C.M.R.