MR. SEDDON'S RETRENCHMENTS. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume XLI, Issue 74, 30 March 1891, Page 4

MR. SEDDON'S RETRENCHMENTS. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir — I should like to enquire through the columns of your valuable paper who was Mr. Seddon's adviser about the recent sweeping changes in the Defence Department. Why where the whole of the North Island District Commanders dismissed ? Colonel Sheppard was an Imperial Offioer who has been employed for the last eight years with the Volunteers at Auckland, Colonel Stapp enlisted when a boy, andhae been a Boldier all his life, and for the last 20 years has been in the New Zealand service. Lieut.-Col. Butts served with Mb regiment, the Royal Irish, through the New Zealand war from 1863 to 1869. He left the servioe in 1881 owing to the new rule of compnleory retirement, at the age of 40. He waa one of the few whom the Imperial Government offered to reinstate in hia own regiment, but owing to the heavy expense he had been pnt to in coming from India to New Zealand he was unfortunately unable to aocept the high honour paid him. These three officers are now, without any fault of theiri, ohosen as the beat ones to be saorifioed to the god "Retrenchment." Colonel Humfrey, too, hai served the oountry faithfully for so many years. Surely no batter Under-Seoretary oonld ba found in N«w Zealand. Captains Taylor and Merrison, what have they done that they also, after so many years of faithful service, should be oast adrift to starve P If the Permanent Militia is ovvr-ofnoered, anrely there are others witbleasolaims who ihould go first, Certainly Mr. Seddon's adviser mnat have had lome special interest in some oaaea or he wonld not have paßßed them over. And it seems hard that good and tried men, men who had fought for their oountry, should be dismissed, and men who have no olaims should be retained. There is no doubt, in spite of Mr. Seddon'i apepohea about the Volunteers, that he intenda there should be no snoh thing. The staff was always overworked, and now they expect one poor man to do the New Plymouth, Wellington, Napier, and Wairarapa distriota. Why, even Lord Wolseley himaolf oould not do it. I hope I have not trespasjod too mnoh on your valuable ipaoe. I am, &c, RUDTABD KIPLINO. 23rd Maroh. [We have boon compelled to omit a portion of thiß letter, as we cannot permit cotres- j pondonts to single out officers for attacks or urge the dismissal of individuals.— Ed E.P.") .

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