THE LATE VOLUNTEER REVIEW.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 110, 8 May 1880, Page 1

THE LATE VOLUNTEER REVIEW.

;' ;^ln>ii aVticle 1 on! the late review »t f ' 5 'Ohristchurchi the Niw Zealand Volu\i*, flays :— On such occasions 5 .^nel^fen^Ui^ to ask what profit or s ;?ga l in iti T e£p£(ienee * has been the on tjpojne of^the effort, involving .as it do ri<- ', Conßiderable sacrifice t o who to< ifc : .part in it. besidea a deal of prelimina 'y •• * pt^arßtioii on ftie^aft $f Jthe officers' 1 .^a.otllet.B 1 getting the respective cor ps< Cf r^yjfqr the field; " r It would' be up*' 4 reaßObable io espaot that eadb an ondqr- '; taking could " have i'^Been. carried out' y bi under b of, '^flome , j^itid , and ' some mistakes. '; Still we are persuad bh ■ " : s ft^a^ maoh could have been done tb ! * ' Jnake thd .thing * a grieater . succeßß had ; fthe ititboritieß befi/owed more care' a ad 1 .forethought on dataijs. Qreat leniency' . a , c «hWld be exten^d' tb the^^bnjmi'ttee inlu jijdging of the' arranpenieijts made wi thr c hbt'elkeeperß and for billetiag 1 Jf ' Ittlffifftl, They b ad : a .difficult duty to ';, $6tf6yth(Ap<l? doabtlesa, fel.t h,smpei|e9! 'ftoin uncertainty as to waya and mecnßj! ,the : indepe.ndeot attitude of " inine 'libit^^ra^manyplace, Ith6^nea1 th6^near approach" of the races, and so on— Bdd^d to'o first Attempt, Our coroplaint is no so^maob ilj as to the arrangements, they made, as Bgoinßt the senior (officers, or Qaartor c - ; maater's Departmenf, in not Beeingthat 1 the billete, food, washing, and cleaning^ apd other necesaar ieB for the men were : rigidly inspected, and contractors kept up to the mark. The supervision—r daily— is a leading feature .in M h6l management of troppe, whether in ea Dp '. or quarters ; and the sooner ouir W6\\ inV teer authorities learn their business |in this section, the more certainly they '; may reckon oo the arinual gathering" !f being well attended. " ' - : ' ' \ -^ Our criticism lies more with . military dispensation, and here th 3re : mig^V have bef n \ much '■ more 'inte 11k ? gence ; and 'displayed* We huve; always understood that the officer; cojm- : mknding the Canterbury district had ; isbme army experience, and believed "that fir his hands, a camp, review, ipr other ; military organization would |be Jf ¥ellhanaifld ; j and here we are obliged, -•however reluctantly, to draw cooaparison between the order and arrange, ment which prevailed during the faster ofl 879, which* was wholly managed by amateurs, with f be. want of orjier . and ! looseness which surrounded the, •'Easter of 1880. No one could get any informalioD. If any orders did appear, j ttiey were circulated generally when 5 the pfficers and men for whom tb^y were intended were either in bed or . oat of quarters. Instead of instrjuo-' l \ tions filtering through '■ prescribed ch-an-u nels— -viz., ' from ' seniorß to juniorJ3~' they were "jerked 0 abpat without py order or direction. Who web responsible for this state of things ? ' ; Then we come to 'the field cjay. Many corps were coming from distant ; points '/ to be brigaded together. Offij. . .' eers were anxious to 'know what was! - to be done, in order that they migb.t ; have an opportunity given them j of' "robbing up. A favored few were ijqn-. ored with a copy of a sard setting out ■the day's business. • Shades of Vy"ellington and Clyde, such a produotijon ! Its contents were Greek to most of j the ' modern drills in the force. Better! fox the .author, whoever he was, that | the card bad never seen the light. Les -m. hope it is not a sample of Volun|teer education in Canterbury. Here again we draw a comparison between j^e " day's %ork done at Invercargill \*sil r . that at Christchurch. Officers |an4' men of the Volunteer fdrce of ( New' Zealand have a right to expect (that something useful, practical, and modern shall be taught them when they asuembie en masse once in twelve months. Another brilliant conception on the part of the authorities was to mako the • > whplo ; Brigade march to the review ground adistanee of five miles, ovsr a hpt, dusty road, go through the ; fatigues of a field-day, and march home. Now this at first sight does not appear a'very deadly thing to exact, neither "" it'lsj i biit'itihas gqt'to ;be ; gradually '.worked up by previous -daily exercise. ,:^, ,tb ' retarn' home' 7:: on Moo4ay ,oigktiiopg 4iB^np^ ? .and to - taatheiri strength in jthewAyprppoßed !r ,:- u daiea^^-in Wnjifoffßfl'^i^ch'tfeßy were measureseattemptod. ,.; : g Jad ; to' 1 be in a position to say that certain of

,t>he< officers in command of , cotps inon , Sunday f*j&, n s> tji^ir r 'Jme^b^jpg, carded by r^ij at le^sfc ope x TO* ftp ♦ '. * ' i , ' ;^Jr i ftiQ*.'' r/B^^^^svdjDil^ v 'pp.!, ep|nj^le|te withont a " iftaff,'' and the* reVies? 5 j>g officer exceed in this respect, a Vfe hayeVießn ii : gi?pd ! matiy : reviews |of c ;^i}J^t^b'ri|i'* : 'ija^^ew. : 'Ze^i&.n*'d; : -96me by. jSbjVerDjQjrs of 1 °th.e Colony, -but never so.' v : fide iW "BJaf "aa on thi.e late ' occftßio.n.l 1 i>attaHpa commanclers thjat- ( day x , Blrilßglirig , through their : wo^k V>ithput- r airigle field; dfficer tp hejlp ' th6m] and niany offiperis doing Mdqa^le., [ diity r< wjtjii |heir ' companies, wjbiile a f stikff'^ as a ilpoaj' 1 inew^ijaperputlit, .were riding aboul ■[ the fiiidfitlle. J Vol.unteprB;gp to suuh- ■'; ' Jfpr/'bußineßß, no^ to Exhibit. |! '.'"'' ' '■ ' •'- i ' jail, J Materials .fpr a, ;; dSy^s Y/ork-rthe brainei yrar itr . l f " ,in£ to dispose of it— zealous officers and b .mllin'g men ; b^ttheteT. wa? . waiatmg 'I ;|bi^]3i^ting- head, and for any short-,, '■ .^ming;-rj|]^ > '''b ( afijgiiQgi 'therci can, be pp,, ( P f manner 'of, j36u^6t' who Was responsidfe. The brfjgadierw^s a stranger, apparently. ? at, the '/eie'Tefath broiir. r f There was aa • J jo^dennjg of ..duties", accbrding to aenioyi 1 ;y, , : and * those in inferior commands w« re. 'j.ii^ only J6ft 'to'' Work ' out,; matters ibr, r ttiemjßelyes f but kept in ignorance jof ■' wliat was going to be done. | i t ■ ify case .the reply be made to qur, aspersions that it is quite impossible (to carry out' a field-day without so^ne. jpriivious- training or .programme, yre, i l ' admit it ia^ but suchian attempt\wo4ld, • require a better acquaintance with tjh)e --' & t Hed ? Book &■ of 1878,. 4han- * was the>"card'^ before referred ? Ltd,' and a rerjr inuch more efficient :l complement of field officers' than wasj in x 'position last faster Monday ; and ucjtil J f the^suneriprjranks are more ably^ -filled - b0 l prudent not to-attenjpt • a thing. ; - ' Eipth men and institutions ate taught ; better by mistakea than straight learnr ing, and next month we -will endeavour ; 2 to ■fbllow- with' some prkctical'-leseonfii to 'be' derived tfrpm p r ast ; teperiences; r |