Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1861.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 175, 20 May 1864, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1861.

The calling out of the Militia in the Country Districts, where the population is thinly scattered over a considerable space, is a sore source of vexation and annoyance to those who are compelled to attend. Not, be it borne in mind, because of an objection to the operations of the Militia Act in the abstract,

Imt because of the little good which practically results from obliging people to leave their peaceful occupations and pursuits to attend a drill which is both desultory and unsatisfactory in the extreme. No one objects to arming the people ; on the contrary, that part of the business is very good as far as it goes, but the vexatious, distressing, and utterly useless system of drill which accompanies that arming is baneful in its effects. One week’s constant drill in the event of hostilities commencing, would be productive of much greater and more assuring results, than any number of days of irregular and intermittent manoeuvring.

We are not apprehensive of the war extendin: to this Province; the interests of the resident natives lie more in the direction of peace than of war, at present, at all events, but should that catastrophe happen, we cannot think that the country companies of the Militia would he much the better for their 21 days’ desultory drill. We are not complaining of the enrolment and mustering of the Militia—far from it, that is well enough : but we do complain that the advantages to be gained by compulsory drill are not commensurate with the loss of time and inconvenience which results therefrom to the country settler. While upon the subject of the Militia we cannot but express surprise no pains have been taken by the Government with the Mounted Volunteers. More than a hundred tine young men volunteered to form this valuable part of the service, and many more would have joined also, hut for the unaccountable and withering indifference shown by the Government in the matter. We look upon the Volunteer system as the most important and vital arm of the irregular levies. Clearly men will he more likely to work with a will under the influence of a feeling of volunteer service than under the irksome idea that they have no will in the matter.

What a cloud of men have joined the Volunteer service in England, as hy one impulse ; but the same men would be found ext remedy difficult to persuade into a proper military state of mind if they had been called upon to jo n that service under all sorts of [Mins and penalties failing their compliance with the demands made upon them. There is a manly sense of freedom, and, at the same lime, the true spirit of the patriot soldier stirred up in the breast of those men who volunteer to serve their country, a feeling far superior to the mere dog courage with which a hireling or enforced soldier fights for a cause. Volunteers naturally take a lively interest in the cause of war which has led to their being called upon to join the fighting train. Whereas the hireling dues not care for what or for whom he fights so long as he is paid and fed regularly, and the compulsory soldier is callous and indifferent to the whole affair, and is only brought into a serviceable condition by severe drills and other persuasions of a like kind.

Unless in time of actual war or during active service, no pay should be given to either Militia or Volunteers ; in fact, no right-mind-ed man would expect it. That some remuneration should he given to men called upon to support a mere abstract idea is very correct, but when men are armed and exercised for the purpose of being better able to defend their own and their neighbors’ homes, we cannot quite enter into the spirit of being paid fur doing a duty so clearly one of selfinterest. However, since money has been set aside for this particular purpose, we repeat our before-expressed opinion that that portion of it which falls to the lot of those not actively engaged in the fight should be placed by them in a fund for the relief of the widows, orphans, and wounded men, sufferers by that war.