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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9130, 11 August 1888, Page 5

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INTERVIEW WITH LIEUTENANTCOLONEL MAHON. VOLUNTEER GOSSIP. SOME INTERESTING COMPARISONS. THE EXODUS TO VICTORIA. A WORD OF WARNING. THE LABOUR MARKET OVERSTOCKED. UNWELCOME AS CHINESE. [BY telegraph.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Christchurch, Friday. Lieutenant-Colonei., Maiion, of Auckland, passed through Christehurch yesterday, and a member of the Press staff had a long and interesting interview with him on volunteer matters, particularly as regarded the comparison between the Australian and Now Zealand Volunteers. the centennial matches. T.he first subject touched upon was the centennial matches in Melbourne in connection with the Exhibition. On Colonel Mahon arriving in Melbourne, ho placed himself in communication with Major Kelly, the secretary of the Victorian Kille Association. Major Kelly wrote to Lieutenant - Colonel Mahon the following lotter :— " Dear Sir: I have much pleasure in forwarding you tho accompanying outline of the programme of our centennial matches, to bo hold in November next. You will please observe that wo are giving the very handsome sum of £4000 as prizes (of which £1350 will be open to be shot for by competitors of your forces), and that every inducement is held out to all shooting men to participate in some of the good prizes. As soon as the programme is printed 1 will forward the same to you with entry forms. Trusting your colony will be represented, I have, etc., R. W. Kelly, Hon. Sec., v.n.A." some conditions. "An idea has got abroad," said Lieu-tenant-Colonel Mahon, " that the teams from New Zealand could fire in all matches, but this is a mistake. The matches open to Volunteers, for which £1350 is allotted in prizes, are restricted to any regiment of cavalry, corps of engineers, brigade ci artillery, or battalion of infantry, or mounted rifles. The value of the Queen's Prize, open to all riflemen in the colonies, has been increased from £250 to £300, and the entrance fee has been reduced from £1 to 10s. The Intercolonial Skirmishing Match is open fur teams of ten representing the Australian colonies, for which prizes amounting to £150 are provided. The meeting will take place in November next." GOOD SHOW FOK OCR MEN. Lieutenant-Colonel Mahon, who is an authority in the matter, is of opinion that a New Zealand team would stand a very good show in the competition, and from what he sawhilst in Victoria, lie is of opinion that New Zealand volunteers have nothing to fear in meeting their Victorian confreres, as the average in shooting is not so large as in New Zealand, even though the Victoria's tire with improved Martini-Henry rifles. " The volunteers who go over," said Colonel Mahon, "''will be well treated in every respect. Indeed, Major Kelly went so far as to say that, it they had not rifles to practice with they would be lent them. I think that the New Zealand volunteers have a big show in the matches open to them, as their average shooting is far before that of the Victorians." THE VICTORIAN VOLUNTEERS. The conversation then drifted into a comparison of the volunteer systems of Victoria and New Zealand. " The military organisation of Victoria," he said, " is mainly of a permanent character —that is, the men are paid. They are, of course, volunteer companies, but as a whole they more nearly approach Imperial troops than anything we have here. They are dressed like them, parading with knapsacks and in heavy marching order twice a month. On other occasions they parade with great-coats and blankets. They are also exercised like the Imperial troops, and have valise equipments." M iKETIi V INSTRUCTION. Another tiling they pay special attention to is musketry instruction ; but while the} are exercised a good deal in this, the practical result is not so good as ours. There is one thing in which the volunteers are exercised which is a very valuable method of instruction, viz., tiring at unknown distances. Men in New Zealand grumble at judgingdistance parades as waste of time; but-1 have always considered that this practice is of infinite value, as giving them an idea of what would take place in actual warfare. A body of men advancing areata distance unknown to the opposing force, and unless they have been trained in judging distance, it, is impossible for them to know at what distance to sight. In Victoria the men are taken to the range, halted at a certain point, and told to fire — the distance being judged by them. THEIR DISCIPLINE AND APPEARANCE. As regards drill and general appearance, I have seen the Victorian volunteers, anil! have had every opportunity of judging of their discipline and appearance. 1 have also seen the first Canterbury Battalion under Lieut.-Colonel Toswill, and I can unhesitatingly pay, though i command a battalion in Auckland, that there is nothing in the colony here or in Victoria to beat you. The wheeling into line, which is now done away with, is far better done by Cantebury than anything I saw in Victoria. As regards examinations in Victoria, that, for field officers is very much stiller than here, and the lieutenants have to pass an examination of a higher class than the captains do here. The mounted infantry there, which is called the Nordcnfeldt Battery, is a remarkably smart corps. It. is part of the Permanent Force that is paid, but I do not think it would come up to our mounted infantry here as regards work over stiff country. DRILL-SHEDS. There are no orderly-rooms in Victoria such as you have here. Indeed your orderlyrooms in Canterbury are the best in the colonies, not. even excepting Australia, and the drill-sheds there are exceedingly small. There is not room in the largest of them to move two companies comfortably. In this respect Victoria is badly off as compared with New Zealand, but they are far ahead of us in the way in which they encourage volunteering, as will be seen when I tell you what occurred during the late war scare. THE NAVALS. In respect to their Naval Volunteers both Victoria and New Sout Wales are ahead of New Zealand. There anyone who de- | sires to join the Naval Volunteers must have been a sailor, and they are examined by a doctor as to sound health the same as in the Imperial service. Here, let me say, the same rule is in force with regard to anyone entering the volunteer force. In Australia everyone is examined by a doctor as in the Imperial forces, and no one can join unless lie passes tho examination. I must give the palm to the New South Wales Naval Brigade as a splendid body of men, well disciplined, and turning out in first-class order. The fines for non-atten-dance, too, in the Victorian forces are strictly enforced. HOW THEY PROMOTE VOLUNTEERING. As showing tho feeling with regard to volunteering over there, let me just relate you what happened in connection with the Harbour Trust Artillery during the recent war scare. Men belonging to this company are employed by the Trust, which is similar to our Harbour Boards here. If such a thing occurred here as the men being called off to attend to their military duties, they would probably find on returning that their places had been filled by others, but in Victoria things arc different. On the morning on which the men were to attend their battery, an advertisement appeared from the Harbour Trust, giving them leave of absence until their military duties were over, and another calling for labour to temporarily fill their places. The men were paid for the time they were absent, so that they lost nothing. THE EXODUS TO VICTORIA. Colonel Mahon referred to the encouragement given to cadets in Australia, and to other matters. The conversation then drifted on to general topics, and speaking of the exodus to Victoria, lie said there were a number of men who had left New Zealand who would be glad to get back again. The place, he said, was over- ■<

estimated. Whilst whore "*"s nlenty of work, there were also plenty of men 10 do it. In fact, so far as labour was concerned the supply was far in excess of the demand. THE STRUGGLE FOR WORK. " For instance," he said, " if a clerk was advertised for in the morning papers, by eight o'clock 80 or 100 applicants would be round the office, Mailing for the first turn to see the employer. It would be better for those who spent their money getting to Victoria to have imitated Micawber, and ' waited for something to turn up.' Many will regret that they ever left New Zealaud, and only be too glad to return. UNWELCOME GUESTS. " In Melbourne, I may tell you, the New Zealanders are looked upon almost in the same light as the Chinese, and, indeed, on the last trip of the Rotomahana they were pelted by lumpers on the wharf."