COLONEL WYNDHAM ON VOLUNTEER OFFICERS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10887, 12 February 1901, Page 3

COLONEL WYNDHAM ON VOLUNTEER OFFICERS.

TO THE EDITOK OF THE PB.ES9. Sir, —In your article of to-day on the sub- | ject of sending colonial volunteer officers j Home for the purpose of being trained, I i think you rather misunderstand Coload Wyndham's meaning. His proposal was to send Home volunteer officers for two years' training, but on their return he did not mean, as you seem to assume he did, that they should resume the rank of volunteer officers. His id'ia was that they should come out as permanent officials of the Defence Depart- i ineiit, as adjutants, etc. Your objection to i the sehenis seemed to be that volunteer ofli- j errs would find it inconvenient, but you will lind that ii the Government asked for applicants they could actually send a contingent j away, and .still liave a very creditable re- j serve force of would-be adjutants. Your suggestion, that the instruction should be j dons in the colony is really impracticable. j If a man wants to go through his course of I training thoroughly, lis must go Home and i live the life to obtain the experience. There ajwears to be every reason why officers commanding large bodies of mcii should have experience, and if the Govern- j ment really desire to see the service "lifted up," then every officer commanding a district, every major commanding a battalion, and every adjutant throughout New Zealand should either be Imperial, or have received Imperial training. In this way there is some small chance of an officer learning j his duty, but otherwise he blunders along in darkest ignorance, because there are an hundred and one points upon which no book will touch, hut which an instructor would j detect at a glance. It is to be honsd the Government will see their way to fall in with Colojgel Wyndham's suggestion.—Yours, etc., ~~ DRILL BOOK.