LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1020, 6 February 1869, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents. Sir,— Your correspondent of the 23rd ■alt., Mr. F. J,. Tiffen, is not content with levelling all sorts of scurrilous abuse against his officer at Patangata, but also charges our officer at Waipawa with incompetence. I must say that all here are satisfied that there is not a more competent man in the Hawke's Bay Militia than our lieutenant (Mr. Chapman) ; and lam certain that Mr. Tiffen merits the incarceration he expects for such vile slander. — lam, &c, Disciplinarian. Waipawa, Jan. 21, 1869. Sic, — The amusing letter contained in your issue of 16th ult., by one of the gallant No. 8 company, wherein Mr. Muzzle figures prominently, calls to my mind a suggestion I would numbly lay before the heads of the Militia department, which is this: that a certificate of efficiency be granted by the captains of respective companies to applicants in such companies who have perfected themselves in the drill necessary to make a good colonial soldier. I would have the applicants pass through the hands of a competent drill instructor, and all who can pass, obtain a certificate exempting them from attending the weekly drill. If officers had to pass through the same ordeal before obtaining their commissions and their companies, the colonial service would be the better for it. Field,, days, say once a njonth, would be necessary, when the^whole company woiild soon become perfect in working together, without any fear of being bayoneted by rear rank men. In fact there would soon be no such /men as Mr. Muzzle, for when the parts of the machine are perfect, the machine itself will work well. The suggestion speaks for itself, therefore needs no comment. lam led to make it, as there are in most of the Militia companies, some men who are able and willing to learn their drill — the greater number are so, I believe — I will say two-thirds of them. The remaining one-third are of the Muzzle class, who argue thus, I know I shall never make a soldier, and as I have to attend drill for two hours weekly, I may as well get as much sport out of it as possible. Now, sir, dtfty is one thing, self-interest as another, and I venture to say that, were certificates obtainable, every man's self-interest would prompt him to perfect ibimself and obtain one, and be free of the somewhat irksome weekly drill. The willing ones have to, suffer now for the men who take but little interest to learn ; and (unless all are willing, and made so by self interest over and above the call of duty, the civilian force will never be efficient. That officers in command should be perfect in their drill, and also competent to drill the men, is indisputable. I see by Gazette a few more captains have been created. I trust they will not be placed overthe heads of officers old in the militia service — ensigns, lieutenants, &c, who are fit to take command ; for, however estimable some of them may be, I am at a loss to see why in fairness they should obtain military preference before those officers who are more entitled to the rank. I have heard such reasons as these given : " They have so much property, and such a stake in. the country." lam sorry to say most of us have our all in it—in that respect, all are equal. lam no aspirant to military distinction myself, except it were in the field, but I like to see fairness used, especially to officers that have served Government well for many years. — I am ■&c, . A. M. Newman, No. 5 Company. Sir,— Easy as it is to make a statement, it is none the easier to deny it, but denial does riot always carry conviction with it, otherwise the remarks I made in my last letter would all be untruths. But fortunately there are too many here know them to be stern facts ; and as far as Mr. Weston is concerned, Mr. Chapman would only require to have been in that officer's company on two particular days last week to convince 'even his champion of the truth of my remarks. But he requires no proof. We. are given to understand by our Lieutenant of No. 6 Company's letter that he is perfect in his drill — is an outandrout snot (among rooks), and an unexceptional drill instructor, yet why, in mentioning my untruth No. 3, he leaves out "Shoulder arms," after "Unfix bayonets," and before coming to the "Eight face," &c, I am a loss to know, unless he wants to lodge arms from the order, or is a part of his style of improvement on the drill. The absence of this gentleman from the Horse Guards, Mr. Editor, is a lamentable national loss, such as we must weep over. I now see the necessity he found of letimg qff the gas, for when a man can shoot seven dozen of rooks a day, I expect his piece does get rather warm, necessitating the removal of more caps than one;: "...'■.,■ ' ■ . Fortunately I was not on the ground when the lieutenant read out the bayonet drill, or I'm sure I should have laughed at him, and you know that is a terrible crime. The drill taught us on the first day was direct from his Sunday's instruction, given by Mr. Fitzgerald, and it would have been against Mr. Chapman's religion to have allowed the man an hour or two on a week day to give it. Two other instances of his instruction, and I have done. They were the only two orders I've seen Lieutenant Chapman gn>& &% Waipffffta, aa<2 khe? were so «<&- cctlous that I can't kelp mentioning them. / «*yThe first ''Was 'ob an occasion when Sergeant Horen was trying all he could to get the rear rank of an awkward squad to step back in forming fours, but the more lie tried the more they wouldn't, so the then ensign (doubtlessly his maiden instruction) told the men it was only the left files stepped back! The sergeant couldn't stand that, so he growled out "They're not left. files, sir, and made another attempt, whilst I rode off to suppress a roar of laughter. The other mistake was made from horseback — imagining himself nothing less than a colonel, no doubt-r-when he ordered the men to " Fall in," whereas the men were merely standing easy at the time, after a halfmile march; That I am vexed to find others placed over me, as the lieutenant says I am, may be inferred from the fact of his asking me, long before Weston's appointment, if I should like to be the ensign, when I replied that I would have nothing to do with the toilitia; and, as soon as the third class were called out, rather than be that gallant officer's sergeant, or servant — the same thing — I resigned my sergeantship, which I had held for the past five or six .years. Were it not for Lieut. Chapman's conceit in his drill instruction, I should never; have exposed his blunders, which have been witnessed by fifteen or sixteen others; as well as by yours, &c, F. J. Tim-en, Pt. No. 6 Co., Napier Militia. Feb. 2, 1869.