Sunday, September 1. OUR DEFENCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 972, 5 September 1889, Page 15

Sunday, September 1. OUR DEFENCES.

The annual report on the defences of the colony pays a high compliment to the manner in which the permanent artillery have performed the work [of mounting the guns — a duty which, however/ considerably interfered with the work of instruction. The experiment of introducing instructors from the royal artillery has been attended with most satisfactory results. These instructors have up to the present been employed in the Middle Island, but will shortly be transferred to the North. With reference to the volunteer force, Colonel Humfrey is of opinion that the amended volunteer regulations which came into force on the Ist of January last, have proved acceptable to the force as being an improvement on those which preceded them. The report; goes on to say that it had been frequently urged that naval and garrison artillery corps had no legitimate duties to perform, but this reproach ia now removed, and the special training which they now undergo will eventually convert them into a valuable auxiliary force to the artillery and torpedo branches of the permanent militia. In several districts the new duties have been taken up with commendable zeal and enthusiasm. The hope is expressed that it may not be necessary to alter the pregent regulation for some time to come, as frequent amendment of the regulations tends to unsettle volunteers. The strength of volunteers on 31st March last was 134 corps and 7776 men— a difference of 13 corps and 288 uaen as against the previous year. The periodical inspection of the volunteers have proved, beyond their more immediate and direct results to the force, that carelessness and maladministration are likely by their agency to be more readily detected and more easily rectified.

REWARD FOR GOLD DISCOVERIES. Major Steward has presented a petition from George Titmus, who seems to have been a kind of pilot to all the gold discoveries of the Middle Island. He asks for a reward for" the discovery of goldfields.