VOLUNTEER NOTES.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2644, 4 September 1906, Page 5

VOLUNTEER NOTES.

Through the removal of a number of men recently, t-ho ranks <d' the 10-jal corps have been reduced somewhat. An effort is to be made to get a few recruits to fill their places. One or two have intimated their intention of joining, and it is to be hoped that others of our young men will consider the matter in the right light and hand iri their names to the officers or non-coms. The benefits accruing from volunteering cannot be over-estimated. Owing to his retiring from the command of No. 2 Battalion, Otago Volunteers, Lieut-Col. Henderson was made the subject of a presentation, at Invercargill on Wednesday last of a handsome oil painting his own of likeness. Colonel Boyne, Officer Commanding the battalion, made the presentation in the presence of the various companies on parade. In replying to the kindly sentiments expressed by Col. Boyne, Col. Henderson made interesting reference to volunteering in general. Addressing the non-commissioned officers Colonel Henderson said he would describe them as the backbone of the volunteer f 'rce. The brains of the service were not limited to the officers. A share of them —a very large share of them—fell to the non-commissioned officers, and as the linkbetween officers and men the efficiency of the volunteers largely depended upon them. He would urge them to look upon their uniforms as being quite as valuable and as honourable as those of officers, and to maintain their positions and strive to qualify themselves to discharge their duties with the utmost efficiency. Addressing the men, Colonel Henderson said that il the non-commissioned officers were the backbone the ranks were the body of the service, and when they worethe King's uniform they were entitled to hold themselves as much above the ordinary civilian in plain dress. He had sometimes been surprised to find large numbers of young men join volunteer corps and attend week after week to go through two hours or more of severe drill, often after a hard day's work, but he explained that by an innate British love of King and country. Ho would urge them not to regard their drill as so much useless trainiug. On it depended dicipline, and time and again discipline had saved the firing line from defeat and disgraco in battle. They should continue to show zeal for volunteering.

In bis speech on the Address-in-Reply in the Legislative Council the Minister for Defence made a lengthy reference to defence matters and indicated what he proposed doing to improve the condition of things. It would be his endeavour to thoroughly familiarise himself with the requirements of the force and it whs his intention after the close of the session to visit various parts of New Zealand so that he could ascertain personally what the condition of the force was. He would also endeavour to see that the colony had an efficient force ; not only this, he would also endeavour to provide that officers and men who gave up so much of their time to military matters would be encouraged to do their duty and be given every facility to carry out those duties in a proper manner. Among other things he would .see that every man in a volunteer corps has a military coat and watersheet. Then, in regard to capitation, it so happened at present that in cases where a corps did not capitate some members had attended every parade called. An amendment could be made providing that every individual who had earned capitation should get it. The present order of things was manifestly unfair.