THE VOLUNTEERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 130, 3 June 1907, Page 3

THE VOLUNTEERS.

XEW GARRISON HALL. SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR. The foundation-stone of the new Garlhon H.tll to be erected <it Buckle-street \uis laid by his Excellency tho Governor on Saturday uftcmoon. Time was ;i lurye muster of volunteers, )vho picsentecl a fine show in their bright and vaiied uniforms, the p.ir.ido being in charge of Colonel Collins, V.D., and the Gairison Band and the Engineais' Bind played selections of music before and after the eeremonv. The colours weie carried by Lieutenants IvEabcn and Roadie. The Heretaunga Movintsd Rifles supplied the escort, and the Field Engineers carried out the arrangements in connection with tho lowering of the heavy foundationstone iv position. The Attinp-llirister of Defence (Hon. R. M'Nab), in r.skhig his Excellency to lav the £oundation-s>toiif\ said that the occasion marked a iiew era in volunteering in the Empive City. The conditions under which volunteeis had besn trained in Wellington could be sufficiently indicated when lie told them tint tlio present accommodation dated back for ;>. period of ttmty years. During that time the number of volunteers had enormously increased. He believed that ■» hen* the present accommodation was first built the number of volunteers in ths city did not exceed 250 officers and men ; now the number was 1138, and niturally, tlie accommodation was not equal to tho rcqaiiements. In addition to the increase in the number of volunteers there had been a great development in the science of warfare all over tho world. The number of the branches of the service had enormously increased. Ike umodijt of time and attention which li.'d to be given fo those br.-nclies increased as the years went by, and the Government must pro-side- accommodation and facilities for officers and men to be educated and to educate one Miother in their noble profession. After :i gieat de-.l of trouble and anxiety, the Government had consented, to erect a structure that would be suitable to the requirements of to-day, and they i\eie there to lay tho foundation-stone ' of tint edifice. It was sufficient to say that there would bo accommodation for drill purposes, for lecture puiposes, and the hundred and o.ie other puiposes required. They hoped that the building would effect tho object for wh'ch it was intended, and turn out men better fitted than they kid been in the past for the defence of their countiy, although they, one and all, hoped that the 'day would j be far distant when the walls of the I new building would le-echo with the tramp of men going out of it to take part in active warfare. They trained their volunteers for the defence of the Empire, and not fur any purposes of offence, and that being so, it was to bo hop2d that the rulers of tho, Emphe, might, by their wi«e counsels, postpone to a fir distant date the time when the volunteers would be lequired to make use of the education that they ■were going to receive. (Applauze.) His Excellency was then presented wan a silver trowel by the Government Architect (Mr. J. Campbell) and duly laid the foundation-=toue. It wis indeed, ke said, a red-letter day in tho history of volunteering in the piovince of Wellington, and it was not necessary for him to enlarge upon the difficulties which the volunteers in the past had had to surmount. They all probably knew a gie.-il deal more about it. and to tke ; r co-,t, thru ho did. but lie joined wit!) them in thanking and congratulating the Government upon having now agreed to erect the excellent building which would shortly be placed , on that spot. He hoped, ho-vsver, that the people of Xew Zealand would not be satisfied with the ordinary routine, of work in instiucting and encouraging volunteers which the Government was carrying on, but that they would continue to assist in every possible way those volunteers who, in time of peace, had sacrificed themselves to be ready if necessary- for war They prided themselves on the greatness and the liberties of the British people, and upon the splendid history of loyalty and devotion, even unto death, which they had displayed in the past, but they must not forget that times die changing, said tint the white population of two great countries at ?ny rate— Germany and America — are already gientcr than the white population of the British Empire, and thDt it is growing at an e\eu faster rate than we are; nor should they forget that the Japanese, our allies, counLcd dy;ng for their country and their Emperor as an ordinary virtue, such a^ . we would hold tiuth or common honesty to be. The British Empire, therefore, could not rest satisfied by relying on the past bravery of her f-oldiers and sailor*, l'hey had to face the future — it might be the immediate future, and it was when such thought? ?s those forced themselves upon him that he rejoiced in tho splendid volunteer movement that exists in this country, and which he knew every Xe\v Zealander rejoiced in, ,and the admirabk way in which it wws being canied on. Might he be allowed to make ai appeal to thoso to whom the protec tion of the Empire and the colony were as dear as to* himself— he niear.t the mer cbant3 of the colony. lie knew that oik of the great difficulties that the Defence Council had to face was the short tim; th?t volunteers could get away from theii regular- employment. They could 'no! train efficient soldiers by merely nigln drill, or the occasional holidays whicl they so readily and cheeifully ga\e up What was needed was several da\s training altogether. The volunteer were making great sacrifices, giving i<l holiday after holiday, in older to bo pre pired to defend their country. H< l.opsd that the employers would no thei best for them, that they, in their turn would make sacrifices not only of thei convenience, but alto to a cciUiin exten in their purses. He again «:ongi\ituht cd the volunteers upon the splendid ne\ hill which was being erected, and li was quite confident that once it was ii working order they would see an cvci greater increase hi the splendid fore which the capital city alieady had i its volunteers. (Applause.) The ceremony concluded with thre hearty cheers being given for his Excel leney. The guests were subsequently entei tamed by the trustees in the oid dn hall. Captain J. O'Sullivan and Mr; O'Suliivan carrying out the duties r, host and hostess. The hall had bed appropriately decora! pd, «• prominent fc tuic being n huge 6in gun, one ol tli latcot p'tttcin, which excited a good di\ of intci-esi, jrnrliculaily among tim ci\ liun poilion of the visitors. The afLii I parsed off \eiy successfully, the wcalhc Z. being fine, ond it was witnc'-cl by ' large crowd nf spectators, who appea:e to take the liveliest mteieet in the pic ceeding*.