THE FRONTIERSMEN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 74, 30 March 1910, Page 3

THE FRONTIERSMEN.

REORGANISATION OF THE LEGION. A HOPEFUL OUTLOOK. (From Our Own Correipondent.i LONDON, 18th February. When the voluntary body which is the Legion of Frontiersmen was first foimed, some years ago, there were some reasons why bacKwoodsmen in the colonies should not affiliate. Since* then matters have come to a head, with the result that during the last few weeks a complete reorganisation of the Legion lias been carried out. As now constituted and governed, the Legion can safely make an appeal for support both in England and abroad. The objectionable elements of its constitution have been eliminated, and with strong and businesslike management it ought to commend itself to public support. Mismanagement at headquarters un der the old regime had caused grave discontent amongst the affiliated commands throughout Great Britain, and there were a number of secessions from the organisation. As it was quite evident that the Legion could make no progress under these circumstances, and even stood in danger of dissolving, several of its founders, including the Earl of Lonsdale and Colonel Sir \V." Serjeant, C.8.. took drast-ic steps to bring about a leorganisation. Early last year Sir William became acting commandant, and at the "washing-up" meeting in August he was unanimously elected commandant-general and president of the council. Steps were then taken to get the affairs of the Legion placed on the basis of an up-to-date business undertaking, and from then to date there has been a steady improvement in the recruiting and morale X>f the force. The idea of the Legion is to enrol men of British birth in all part* of the world who, by their experience and knowledge, in practically any capacity, would be of service in time of war. The Legion has already at headquarters a roll of Britishers in all parts of the world who have special qualifications as sailors, soldiers, explorers, prospectors, miners, engineers, police, traders, cowboys, stockriders, transport riders, ranchers, guides, ccoutt, hunters, trappers, lumbermen, firemen, 'telegraphists, surveyors, and so forth. The Legion is purely voluntary, and the principle is to utilise men in their own occupations and without interfering with their livelihood. Recruits can enroll in five different classes, ranging from what is practically an enlistment for active service >n any part of the world to mere honorary membership, for which sympathy with the objects of the Legion qualifies. Besides the commands which have been established all over the Empire, there are several actually on foreign soil, a fact that is possible of achievement since the Legion merely enrols and does not enlist. Quite recently the Far Eastern command has been formed with a membership covering China, Japan, and fiouth to Singapore. In' such cases the value of the members to the I>gion lies chiefly in the direction of intelligence. The recent discussion as to the shortage of horses for Army purposes has {>rompted the Commandant -General to ook into the matter, and be has issued an order to frontiersmen throughout the world to make reports with a view to ascertaining where tbe War Office could secure at once, if required, a supply of 300,000 to 500,000 remounts and artillery and transport horse.-.. Information has already reached headquarters of one lot of 40,000 in the United States, <ne of 8000 in Canada, and one of 15,v00 in Australia. The new Commandant-General ot the Legion, Colonel Sir William Serjeant, commenced his military service as a private in a volunteer battalion in Cornwall, becoming captain in 1889. He published one or two military handbooks, and in 1884 volunteered for service in Bechuanaland, where he commanded the advanced pioneering company in the Field Force. In 1896, again, he served as second in command of the Cape Boys Corps in the Matabeleland campaign, and gained distinction in the actions in the Matoppo hills. He held several | positions in the mobilisation scheme of 1899. and eventually went to South Africa in command of the fiftn battalion of the Rifle Brigade, which did excellent service on the lines of communication, repelling no less than eighty raids of the Boers. H,e received the thanks of the Commarider-in-Chief, and in 1904 the decoration of C.B. On retiring from the command of the fifth battalion in 1907 Colonel Serjeant was knighted. His connection with the Legion commenced with the Legion itself. Members will be glad to know that Colonel Serjeant has always been prominent in his advocacy of reforms in the treatment and clothing of the soldier. Ho was employed for some time in connection with the reorganisation of the Army after the Boer War.

An amusing instance of anomaly in railway charges is thus furnished by an Auckland correspondent : A Pukekohe corespondent discloses to v ono of tho Auckland dailies a curious railway anomaly. He writes as follows : — "Until just recently I always paid 5s 4d for a sec-ond-class return from Pukekohe to Auckland, which is at the rate of Id pe* mile, together with the usual terminal charge for issuing a ticket ; but a friend of mine informed me that by taking return to Papakura from Pukekohe, and then another return from Papakura (which is within the suburban area) to Auckland, I would save Is 2d, so I determined to try the experiment, and after putting the Railway Department to the extra trouble of issuing two tickets instead of one, I found that I was carried to the city and back for 4s 2d, as against the usual charge of 5s 4d. I will, therefore, advise all my friends in the Waikato to take advantage of the sub-fares as far as PapaKUra, and thus save Is 2d on a secondclasi, and 2i 4d on a first-dais ticket."