SAVAGES, NOT SOLDIERS.

NZ Truth, Issue 137, 1 February 1908, Page 5

SAVAGES, NOT SOLDIERS.

MORE VILE, VICIOUS VOLUNTEERS. Human Hogs at' Ship Cove. A Complaint to the Defence ' Department. Volunteers, unhappily just now, are beginning to stink iii- the nostrils of the public. Everybody, everywhere is getting heartily sick and disgusted of the eternal squabbles that are goinp. on m various corps, and it is really up to the Defence- Department to thoroughly reorganise what volunteer corps are at present standing with' any degree of efficiency, and to wipe out the squabblers, who are playing merry Hades with soldiering generally. "Truth," naturally, has had its say on military and naval matters. It started with the submarines, it knocked the "navals, it bounced beery boys of the bull-dog-breed, and only last issue it gave an impartial account - ! of the intestine strife m the ranks of the haughty Heretaungas. The beery boys of the bull-dogs who played up at Christchurdh, were severely dealt with m these pages, and the tale has been told that some of the Jackr, on visiting ships vowed vengeance, and were determined on wrecking this office when; they reached Wellington^ either wiser ' counsels prevailed, or the officers got wind of the plot and squelched it, as this office still stands de- ! fiant and resembles (to outsiders) an impregnable fortress . Anyhow, the terrible threat didn't cause any loss of sleep .to "Truth's" stafiy and the fighting Editor was anxious to show his prowess, and Togo sharpened his teeth, and "Moses," the latest • canine acquisition, howled dismally, but now calm pervades all. Now, leaving all the errors of the dim past to care for themselves and to afiord lessons for the future, this paper wants to deal with the latest and ' DIRTIEST BIT' OF BUSINESS for which the .volunteers are. held responsible- The complaint comes from ' the Marlbbrough district^ arid the Defence Department had better listen and learn arid investigate, and, if necessary, teach the dirty dingoes responsible a lesson that they will never forget, even, if recourse has to to be had to the Police Court. Just about Christmas a volunteer company, of the naval branch, , camped at beautiful Ship Cove: There wtte forty of the beasts under canvas and they set out to have ; a great and glorious time. If, instead of being pigs, and riot of 'bipeds, ithese naval volunteers could not have had a better time, because, to quote the respectable words of a respectable Marlborough paper, after the fortnight's stay, they left the beautiful little cove "m a most smellful and unsanitary state," which means, m a respectable paper, that the hogs left the scene of their orgies m a condition that a dung-heap would sound I and perhaps &nell sweet m comparison with. The pigs, or rather navalvolunteers, who went out camping, and ' suffered some of the fatigues of a bloody battlefield, quite forgot when they erected their kennels, or rather tents, > that it might be necessary to FIX UP TEMPORARY, LATRINES. Near the cove where the hogs camped is a clear little stream, only recently cleaned out, and . from this stream picnic parties and others secured their drinking water, Now, after the naval hogs had finished their, swill, or whatever they call their occupation of Ship Cove, that" water was quite unfit for human consumption. Decayed fish, their guts and gills, everything that was vile and filthy, was strewn about, and even the .stream was not spared. A few days after the . volunteers, vicious hogs they should ,bo termed, had left the* scene, a party, of ladies and gentlemen who were bent on* a pleasure trip , to the Cove, were promptly warned by one 'gentleman, who was first ashore, . that it was- out of l the question for the ladies to land, and the party had to seek their pleasure elsewhere. The caretaker of the Cove, who resides ori the Mbtuara Island v has, so it is understood, made a complaint, and it is presumed that the matter will be brought under the notice of the authorities. The object of the complaint, according to a Marlborough paper, is to make it clear that volunteer corps must conform to sanitary camp usages, even when away from the eye of the colonel. It is with a different object, however, that "Truth" is giving the matter prominence. Volunteers, A when out camping, ■.ought to be clearly instructed that v they should conform to .; , The tenets of civilisation and not act as if they were savages. "Truth" doesn't know whether the Colonel was away or not, and it doesn't care either. If the presence of a Colonel is necessary m order that the pigs should keep themselves and .their surroundings clean, then hip 'hip hooray for volunteering, particularly of "the naval branch. Now, there can be no possible .excuse for any delay on, the part of the Defence Department m ascertaining what volunteer corps were m camp at Ship, Cove at the period indicated. No; delay should be made m . teaching the pigs that they are sent out camping as soldiers not to promptly turn sava-ges, and there is no reason why the pigs should not be brought to their bearings and severely punished. A lot is said about the uniform these hogs wear. "Truth" has heard it declared often that navals and volunteers have an awfully great regard for the King's clobber, but they have a funny way of showing it when theyi are sent away from town. A beautiful military or naval training they must receive, surely, They ought to be couriHm/artiaUed and , shot— into a latrine.