VOLUNTEER NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIII, Issue 12159, 24 March 1900, Page 9

VOLUNTEER NOTES.

("Canterbury Times.”) The idea promulgated by Mr 0. A. C. Hardy, of giving our young people a military training lias been more than once advocated in them columns during the past two years. It will readily be remembered that," when the long-bow,".with which the victories of Creey (1346), Poietiers (1356) and Agincourt (1415) were won, was the chief weapon of offence, proficiency in its use was demanded of every youth and ablebodied adult in tie English kingdom. In those days wars were frequent, and the able-bodied man who could not use his bow was generally relegated to kitchen and scullery duties. In the present day—and all the worse for us—such men frequently fill high places. But there has been no timein the history of Great Britain in widen her sons have had greater occasion to stand shoulder to shoulder than they have at present, or than they are likely to have for the next half-century. Therefore, it behoves us to at least keep up to the standard of our ancestors, to whose bravery and sufferings we owe, in great measure, our present freedom. There can be no earthly reason why our sons should not attain at least as much proficiency, ■with the rifle as the sons of our forefather's did) with the long-bow, and the shouts of those who cry peace, when there ls no peace, and who would themselves shun ,

t(he fray, ought mot to doter us .from taking due measures to protect oureelyes yh. the present unsettled state of- tile world’s affairs. The three main steps which shornd he taken, and taken at onee, are(lJ The acquisition of a proper modern armament : (2). ti» calling out and due training of at. Iqaist the first-class militia; and: (3) the eyeful ana systematic military training of our . youth. * The question of the State providing or-derly-rooms for the various volunteer corps is becoming a pressing one. Through, high capitation, low capitation, and no, capitation at all, the volunteers have not -' only kept steadily on, bub have made more.progress than too prudent Governments,or a too apathetic public, had any 'right fp,■expect. ‘And the actual fighting value of bur volunteers has been more than proved in South Africa, as it was shown in the 'Maori wars of the sixties. The present capitalfioh allowance is just sufficient to keep the yoluntefir body and soul together, blit it is hot sufficient for the building of . orderly-rooms out of loan on which interest has to "be paid. Orderly-rooms have already been built by the Government in Auckland, and there is no reason why they should not be so built in Canterbury. They stand upon what is practically Government g'mnd, and are used for essentially State purposes. ■ Therefore the State ought not only to build all orderly-rooms required in the future, but it should take over all existing rooms at a fair valuation, and let them at a fair rental to the companies which desire to use them. The proposal to raise a volunteer corps of New Zealand Natives at Christchurch, though eminently patriotic, appears at first sight to be undesirable. Apart altogether fpom the fact that we have quite enough city corps already, if the tendered services of the proposed Scottish and Civil Service Rifles are accepted, and that it would manifestly be better to enlarge our present, corps than to. start new ones, there is-, another question to ,he considered. Most of; pur present volunteers are already': natives, -and the very fact of the formation of the proposed corps would in all probability not only -drain the best men from the .existing companies, but might introduce .a- clannish feeling, which does not at present exist, into our volunteering. For these reasons it would perha-ps be better if the new corps-is not started. But if a proviso is added that no volunteer at present on the strength is to join the Native Corps for at least three years, an exception might be made in its favour, as it could doubtless command the services of good men, and good officers.

“We may believe ” (says the “ Broadi Arrow”) “that a costly experience has at length impressed on our generals in South Afnca, the truth of the Continental dictum that ‘to adopt the frontal attack against an opponent possessed of modern weapons is a military sin.’ Otherwise an inspection of the diagrams in the interesting bdgk.by M. Blocb, the Polish economist, would suffice to convince the most obdurate. Probably by diagrams, as by figures, ;it : may be possible to prove anything, but with every allowance for the unconscious specialpleading of a professor airing a pet theory, it must be conceded that tbe case for the defence is amply established. Not that the point has been disregarded in our Service ; the regulations impress it, every text-book enforces it, and even an Aldershot field-day, with all its unrealities and self-deceptions, proclaims tbe numerical superiority required for a successful frontal attack. It is only in practice that the truth is ignored. Seeking for an explanation of the disregard in the field of the lessons cl the closet and the exercise ground we find it in our. habitual under-estimate of the qualities of our enemies. This habit has been fostered no doubt by successive campaigns against semi-civilised enemies. The French similarly attributed their ill-success in 1870 inno small measure to the over self-confidence* and the false lessons learned in, the campaigns in Algeria. Our first victories, too, at. Tajana Hill and Elandslaagte contributed to an exaggerated belief in our ability to dislodge the Boers from a position, for it should be remembered that in the latter engagement at least we fought with a considerable advantage in numbers ;-and. in both battles the Boers firing from a height lost the advantage of the level trajectory, that makes the modern rifle so deadly a military weapon. It is noteworthy that this secret has been revealed to them, and that of late their trenches have been constructed not on the top but at the’ has® of the kopjes.” Those who have?taken th® trouble to read the remarks of “ Rhama* bidikwi” in the “ Lyttelton Times have arrived at a similar conclusion months ago*