THE EASTER MANOEUVRES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11249, 14 April 1908, Page 2

THE EASTER MANOEUVRES.

Td-morvow contingents .of -the local volunteer forces leave by for Napier to take' part in the ' *• Easter manoeuvres, .^yhicli . ai*e to. .bei conducted this year 'on. a, scale of consj^eHble^magnitude /and on conditions ; approximating closely to. those existing;. jn time of wai'. \t is many years since lo%al'troqps/v6nt'; forth under Strict, warlike conditions; the last occasion, if We : rementbier rightly, being when.- tliey ; were . despaicli/d with a. force, of permanent, artillery from Wel - v lington o a*nd .a.centiiigeiit I'o£',Ngatipordu1 ' o£ ', Ngatipordu .Na ti ves t 0 " the Motuo aiid-o pppti ki to intercept'^e.Koqt^^^^^^ hie threatened to revisit the scene of his former murderous exploitSj^agSinsto -the Y ; ex*p:yess ■ command of the Goyei'miWnt. /.:On;t|iat occasion the lateSir,'Htfrry,.Atk'n^o^vV's'ted Gisbornej arid in< sending;- the 'men- away at midnight on their .somewhat' serious errand the then Premier >st6od on/ the top of a. gatepost not far f^om wjiere the Puha railway ' station now stands and exhorted them to quit themselves like men, and to veincnibei' ..that„th£y. ...>v.ei;e spying ,^ e > r Queen and., country.-. It is hardly.'nepes--sary when , our v Volunteers ai-e oiily^ 1 piaying at war, ■as Ytli _y: • will/ 'Ug v^he n ext f e w : days'/ to accord t lierh #d' *iiup£essive a send-oft" as Hy'i^s ogivetto'iivtlfilt Occasion, but seeihg that tlie siiceesfcoof |ho manoeuvres will depend . veiy largely >upon the military bearing of the troops and the manner in which . they apprehend the actualities of warfare it may not be out of place to femindthem of the words uttered by Sir Harry Atkinson on 'local soil some nineteen years ago. Tlie local forces, both mounted and infantry, will, we are sure, ac<juit themselves with Credit to the district ,and honor .to their battall.ions. It is no rpystering picnic tliat the men are to be engaged in; they will find, if the scheme of the military authorities is carried; through, they will have to endure a good deal of . rough, heavy work involved in the rapid mov<&Ujient of troops to defend positions assailed and long night vigils guarding bridges and other points of . strategical .vantage: It is a good many years since the practice of holding big sham, fights at Easter was discontinued, and the concentrations thai) '-are to take place during' the next few days will be quite the most extensive that have ever\been held; The, project is>, to oiir mind, an admirable one^ and vastly superior to the holding .of local encampments. ; : Both officers and men will gain a vast amount of useful experience ok what warlike service really is, ahd 'will realise something of the problems .that are involved in the defence; of their country. , Though the experiences of roughing it may no,t ' always be pleasant, we are sure they will be borne-: cheerfully, and the outing rather than dampening the spirits of the men Y\Vill ' be almost ■ certain to give a stimulus to the volunteer movement. The public should learn from the manoeuvres how important it is if the, country is to possess any measure of safeguard for time of war that we should have a strong and mobile volunteer force, and we hope that the presentation of the spectacle of New Zealand in a state, of siege will appeal to the patriotism of our city residents aiid country settlers, and lead them to give much greater encouragement to the defence forces than they have done in the past. , „.■■: ■ 7/ .-■