VOLUNTEERING.

Evening Star, Issue 11265, 12 June 1900, Page 5

VOLUNTEERING.

Major E. R. Smith last night presented to the City Guards an enlarged.photograph of Captain F. J. Moss, the first captain of the company. In the early provincial dnvs, Major Smith explained, Captain Moss was a merchant in this City, and was also Provincial Treasurer. At the saine time he had the honor of being captain of that company. Later on he left this colony and went down to Fiji, where he lived for some time. He then went for a trip round the South Sen Islands, and its a, result of that trip he wrote Through the Atolls and Islands of the 1 acinc' Ho subsequently returned to this colony and settled at Parnell, which place he represented in the House of Representatives. Eventually he was appointed as British Resident at Raratonga. In sending his photograph he desired to be specially remembered to any of his old comrades here. But none of them were in the company now, although some of them were still living in Dunedin. Captain Moss was in command of the company in 1864. On the 17th of February of that year the City Guards, to the number of thirty-six, were present at the laying of the foundation stone of the first Exhibition. They and No. 2 Company, under the command of Captain Cargill, were the only two companies present.—Captain Crawford briefly returned thanks on behalf oi the .company, and said he was sure that the members would value the portrait very highly.—Major Smith said he had now rather an unpleasant duty to perform. He had to intimate that he had received a letter from Colonel Webb stating that all members of the corps above a certain age must resign. Colonel Webb said: "While fully recognising the good services rendered by these volunteers in the past, the time has now come (as it must to all of us) when they must bo called upon to retire, and make way for younger men. To retain them as active members detracts from the effective value of the corps, and stops the steady flow of promotion to which all the younger members are entitled to look forward." There was only one member of the corps to whom this now rule specially referred—viz., to his old friend and comrade Sergeant Provo. Ha (Major Smith) knew that the sergeant would feel very much having to resign, and every member of the company would sympathise with him. He was also quite sure that if it came to hard work or to hard knocks Sergeant Provo would still be able to show many younger members of the company the mad.—(Applause.) He had great sympathy with him himself; but he thought "that the rule that had been laid clown was an absolutely necessary one.