THE DEFENCE OF THE COLONY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11962, 8 February 1901, Page 6

THE DEFENCE OF THE COLONY.

INTERA'IEW WITH COLONEL ■ WYNDHAJI. On (he way to Chnistchtirch yesterday a re» preventative of this pnper had a short chat with Colouel Wyndham, and although the commandant of the Imperial troops did not pare to speak on the question of the colony's defences, he readily gave a few of his impresssions of the volunteer force. ■Ho said:: "I Ihink you have a very'fino body of mounted riflc-s. Tho men are hardy, good riders, and, lam told,- good shots. They are well mounted ou a good stamp of horses up to weight." As to the possibility of another contin- £«>' oaag despatched to South Africa,' Colonel Wyndhsun eaid with a smile: " Welly if any more men axe required from Now Zealand, you have only to send somo move of the sort already out there, and there will be no complaint;." " fhera seems to be no laok of men," he continued, "for, from what I can gather,' there seem to be 10 men ready to go for every one selected for service. , " I thiuk a weakness in the defence of. the colonies is in the volunteer officer, and it it because he doe 3 not get the opportunity of training that regular officers do. Officers require far more (mining than the men, and, as far as I can see, the only remedy is (or you to import instructors from the Homo country. Unless officers are well taught, they cannot feach their men. Besides this, I think you ought to send a certain number of officers over to England every year for a course of training iu drill, musketry, 6taff duties, gun-, nery, etc., and also let them, have an oppbrtuuity of seeing the foreign manoeuvres. Of course, all this would cost a great deal of money, but it woidd be money well spent. I am very glad to see that the colony is divided up into volunteer districts, and each trict under its own commandant—that shows a good system of organisation. There is no doubt that the officers and men who have been to South Africa will come back with a great deal of valuable experience, and the defonce force of the colony should get the benefit of it." . .-...•

Speaking; of good shooting, Colonel Wyndham emphasised the need for drill and its effect in improving the shooting of the men in the field. He said that many a man who was able to lie down in a. comfortable position on a range where he knew the distance could put on bull after bull; but put him out in a country where he hail to fight against a'u enemy whom ihe could seldom see, and' when ho did catch sight of him there was not much to aim at—it was then that the drilled shot came out better than the marksman on the rifle range. .