The Lyttelton Times. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1897. THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTEERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVII, Issue 11225, 24 March 1897, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1897. THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTEERS.

“ Theee was a time when Victoria led,” said Mr Seddon at Melbourne, the other day, in reply to a complimentary allusion to the leading position taken of late years by New Zealand in progressive' legislation. Apparently, the Premier is longing to follow the lead of Victoria once more, for his treatment of the volunteers in connection with the coming record reign rejoicings appears to be modelled strictly upon Victorian methods. The Government of Sir George Turner recently resolved to retrench the annual expenditure of £2OOO on Easter encampments of volunteers, in order to find money wherewith to send a small contingent of mounted rifles to England. The Seddon Ministry Has followed suit, by cutting off the sum allowed for Easter manoeuvres and by proposing to devote the money to sending some fifty of our gallant defenders to the London demonstration. Then came news that Mr David. Syme, proprietor of the Melbourne Age, had subscribed £2OOO to send a team of Victorian marksmen to the Bisley competitions ; whereupon Mr Seddon sent a circular note to various newspaper owners in this colony, inviting them to follow Mr Syme’s example. Now, we have no objection whatever to this colony copying an excellent line of procedure, but we entirely fail to see anything in the Victorian examples that deserve the sincere flattery of imitation. Whatever-is to be done in the matter of New Zealand’s representation at the approaching rejoicings ought to be a national* affair, and the expense ought not to be haggled over as though we begrudged it. Most emphatically, the already neglected . volunteers should not be further discouraged by the withdrawal of the small sum of money hitherto devoted to their one piece of effective training. It would be paying but a sorry compliment to the Queep. to admit that we .could not celebrate her ifixty years’ reign without an act of petty retrenchment detrimental to the efficiency of our defence forces. One reason why the colony, generally, approves of sending a contingent of volunteers Home is that it would h*e a practical demonstration of Our readiness to defend ourselves against attack; hut if this cannot be done save at the cost of deterioration and discouragement, we shall expect to find a complete change in public sentiment on the subject. With a redundant revenue and a substantial surplus at the Treasury there is no ground for cheeseparing; and even if it were necessary to retrench in order to meet an ex-, traordinary expenditure of £2OOO or so, there would be many other direc* tions in which economy could be exercised without injury to the public interest. As for the begging letter sent round to certain presumably wealthy newspaper proprietors, it is surely the most extraordinary procedure ever adopted by a Government. The Victorian Ministry showed a poor enough spirit in the matter of sending riflemen to Bisley. It professed poverty and hejd aloof, whereupon Mr Syme, to rebuke its niggardliness and neglect of duty, undertook; to bear the whole cost of sending a team. We have nothing hut praieet for that gentleman’s public spirit, and should be pleased if any citizen or combination of citizens in New Zealand made a similar offer, should the Government fail in its duty. But it is quite a different thing for Ministers to “send round the hat” with a view to raising money for a State purpose. This is an evidence of “premeditated poverty,” or of a culpable shirking of responsibility that cannot be too strongly condemned. __ —-———==== )