THE VOLUNTEER REVIEW.

Evening Star, Issue 4897, 11 November 1878, Page 1

THE VOLUNTEER REVIEW.

Two accidents occurred at the review on Saturday. The first was to a son of Mr Cousens, who got in front of a gun as it was being discharged, and had his face scorched. The other was of a more serious nature. A little girl named Mary Ann Powell took up a loaded carbine belonging to one of the cadets and shot another girl named Edith Evauswith it on the cheek. The wound was dressed by Drs Ferguson and Borrows. The Garrison Races, which took place after our last messenger left the ground, occasioned a good deal of interest. The Hurdle Race proved an easy thing for Camelia, piloted by Lieutenant W. Mackay, of Otepopo, who gained at every jump ; Stockman running second. Kafoozlum, starting at scratch, was most fancied for the Trottinßßace ; but, although he passed most of the horses in quick succession, he was n o 6 A er able *° Bet8 et on tems Charlie (200 yards), owned and ridden by Captain Samson, of the South District Rifles. Iu the Hurdle Race, Te Kooti, ridden by P. Muir, carried 611b. overweight, and was consequently outpaced from the start. In the evening THE DINNER was held at the new Oddfellows' Hall, Lieutenant-Colonel Stavely presiding, supported on his right by the Hon. the Defence Minister, and on his left by the Hon. the Native Minister. There were about fifty officers present; and an excellent spread was provided by Mr Waters, of the Prince of Wales Hotel. We have only room for xhe principal speeches. In replying to the toast of the "Army, Navy, and Volunteers" the Hon. Colonel Whitmore said that when lie undertook the duties of his office he made a resolution that he would try, and try until he deprived those who did not like the movement, and whose influence, to a certain extent, kept it back of the right of saying that it was all foolery, and to have the volunteers not only strong in numbers, but well-uniformed and disciplined, and then it would bo a thing which those who saw its working would admit was efficient and good of its kind.—(Hear, hear.) He thought the minimum of any volunteer company should be fixed at fifty effective men, and he even thought it should be higher. (Major Lean : Mo.) At any rate, whether they carried that into effect or not, he was determined, as far as in him lay, that he would come down to Parliament next session and say " We want a larger sum of money for the Volunteers, because they are efficient, and I defy you to say they are not."—(Applause.) Without money it was impossible to organise the Volunteers. Now they had an old offioer in House who had seen a great deal of service m every part of the East, and whose evidence was continually quoted against the Volunteer forces. Every time he had Broken he had held the Volunteers up to ridicule 1 ; but in his place in Parliament this year he had admitted that the force had taken a move in the right direction, and that he was inclined to rescind all that he had said regarding them. He felt that that was the general opinion of the country, and that in asking Parliament for a larger vote for the Volunteers he should be backed up by it. He had that day seen a very large collection of Volunteers from the southern part of the Colony, and many number of the corps had excited his admiration. He was not going to specify any particular one, as nothing was more invidious than to make comparisons, but he wanted to say that one battalion carried with it all his sympathy. He alluded to the Cadets.—(Hear, hear.) That battalion was to his mind the most encouraging feature in the Volunteer movement of New Zealand, showing as it did that it carried with it the cordial enthusiasm of the young ; and it also showed that, if ihey had not an army like the Old Country, nor the pomp and circumstance of war, in this country they had still the same Anglo-Saxon soldierly feeling in the boys of New Zealand. There was one company, the Naval Cadets, who marched past in a way which could not be surpassed by a regiment of Guards. They marched past most beautifully. In the event of the circumstances related in that day's latest telegrams arising, so that they had to depend on the Volunteer force to defend their homes, he felt that they would do so, and, moreover, he believed that Parliament would yet deal very liberally in an appropriation towards keeping up that force. He regretted that they had not got good field armament guns in the gunnery ; but when he could get such arms here he contemplated associating a good deal the artillery and naval brigades using them, m fact, as marine artillery. The guns they possessed at present were not worthy of the force they had ; but it was a costly matter, and one which they would have to solicit strongly about before they could get proper artillery. He further contemplated to station an artillery officer at each country district. He hoped to organise the Artillery corps into one regiment, like the British Artillery, and to have the Naval Brigade and the Artillery to assist each other in working a shore battery. In conclusion, he again thanked them for giving him that opportunity of speaking to them—he had not spoken to bo many Volunteer officers before—and he asked them to assist him regarding the Volunteer vote, because without their aid he would not be able to do what he would like to do for them in Parliament.

The Chairman then proposed "The Ministry of New Zealand,' coupled with the names of the Hon. Colonel Whitmore and the Hon. John Sheehan.

The Hob. Mr Sheehan had always been opposed to sham volunteering, as it tended to lower the tone of the force. He held that no system of education would be complete until every child was as well informed in military drill as it was in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Until the lion should lie down' with the lamb—a time that he confessed he felt doubts about—they must breed a military spirit in their children. True they had not Spartan mothers, but they could train the youngsters to the details of drill, and must make them think of something besides getting money—they must propagate a national spirit and a love of a national home.— (Hear, hear.) If such were done he thought there would be no need for paying volunteers, because ftveryone would be used to arms. The men composing their forces would be scattered all over the country, and when danger arose they would be available for service at a very short notice. When he heard some time ago that the army of the South was mustering, and that a bloody engagement would take place on 'the Forbury Park, he became much excited, and went down with some friends of his to take a flag of truce. Unfortunately, however, he arrived on the ground late, and the en emj' were then in possession of the field. He was glad to say that he did not see any dead bodies, but only the usual accompaniment of "dead marines," and of course he hoped that within their own border they would never haTe anything but " dead marines." He was of opinion that the time had gone past whes the Volunteer force of this Colony would be called upon to put down internal trouble. (Cheers.) In proposing the toast the chairman hid said they would hear something from him, and if he meant by that as to the intentions of the Ministry, what they intended to do, he would leave them as wise as they were when he commenced. At a festive gathering he did not think it would be well to introduce that disturbing little element of politics. Several other toasts were honored, the company not separating until midnight.