ENROLMENT AT DUNEDIN.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11151, 18 December 1901, Page 8

ENROLMENT AT DUNEDIN.

A RETURNED TROOPER'S SUGGESTIONS. (SPECIAL TO "THE PBESS.") DUNiEDIN, December, 17. Over 100 applications have now been received for enrolment in. the Eighth Contingent. Members of former Contingents are not applying so freely as -was first expectedi os out of the above total only about ten are returned troopers. Two medical officers ore among the applicants. "Returned Volunteer". writes: —"It is to be hoped the Contingent will be forwarded properly equipped, and in this, connection the wordflT of a Canterbury officer to a Christchuroh paper should be widely quoted. He said the men were badly officered before in almost all . cases, and*, this would not encourage them to return. The officering all along had been too much of a 'political job,' and in (the last Contingents sent two-thirds of the men had bean political 'pets/ who had been rejected for one reason or another from the Contingents. No doubt they had done very well. The men had proved all right, but their officers htfd not. Major Jowsey and Colonel Robin were the only two officers out of all who had shown themselves fife to go with another Contingent This is very plain speaking-, but there is some truth in, it, and those who have been there before will want to know something of those who are to lead. The Premier's request that the Contingent is to go out to be brigaded with the other two Contingents now in Africa, is unworkable, inasmuch as no column'is at all likdy to have so many purely mounted infantry in its strength as the combin€cl Contingents would, represent."