Volunteer Inspection

Southland Times, Issue 18063, 5 February 1903, Page 2

Volunteer Inspection

VISIT OF THE COMMANDANT.

Major-General Babington, Commander of the New Zealand Forces, paid his first visit to Invercargill yesterday for tho purpose of inspecting the local corps. He is accompanied by Lieut.Colonel Robin i(commanding the otago District), and Captain Campbell (staff ofl'icer)- The Southland Mounted Rides paraded at 2 o'olock in the Western Reserve, 40 men beiug present under Capt. Todd, Lieuts. Shand, Clare, and Boyd. The staff-officers present were Liout.-Col-onel Hawkins, Captain-adjutant Hazlett, Battalion Quartermaster Richards, and Bugler-Major O'Rourke. Tho company rode to the racecourse.-^where General Babington received a general salute and inspected them at 3 p.m. After the inspection the non-coms, wero juestioned on their duties as to outposts, patrols, advance guards, etc., and then each non.-com. in turn exercised units of the squadron. Captain Todd exercised the company as a. whole, throwing put a lino of extended sections on ground pointed out by the General. At the conclusion of the manoeuvres, which lasted nearly two hours, General Babington said that he was pleased to (earn that* the company was up to its full strength, ! but he was sorry to sea they were unable to raiso a larger muster, lie had no doubt, from the work he had seen done by them, that they were gathering the idea upon which he was working for the better training of the mounted forces. ff« hoped that all ranks would aim at learning their own particular work, and also gather as much information us possible of the work appertaining to the higher branches of the s_rvice.Anothcr visit of inspection would probably be paid at a later date, and he hoped to see an improvement.

There was a large crowd on the Western Reserve in tha evening to v itness tho inspection of the Infantry Battalion by General Babington. The hour fixed for tho parade, 6.15 p.m., was much too early, a large number of the volunteers not being in their plates till about 7 p.m. The General, accompanied by Liout.-Colonel Robin and Captain Campbell, arrived shortly after 6.80. He was received With thO general salute, the battalion being drawn up in line. Tho following was the parade state :— Battalion staff officers— Lieut.-Colonel Henderson, Major Boyne, Captain and Adjutant Murphy, Battalion Sergt.-Major Flaus. F.ve companies— lnvercargill City Guards .(Lieut. Murdoch), 5i rank and file ; Oreti Rifles (^Captain Lennie. Lieuts. Roach and Johnston), .3 ; Awarua Rifles .(Lieut. Hawkins). )9 ; Mercantile Rifles ("Captain Watson, Lieuts. Royds and Moffett), 83 ,- BluO Guards (Captain Barber and Lieut. Nichol), 37. The inspection of the battalion in single file was first taken, ancT then tho companies were exercised Individually In tbe new drill. The General appeared to show considerable interest in the companies, and his examination was apparently care4ul and close. The men were questioned in the ranks, then the non.--come. were called in front, questioned as to their duties, and directed to put their companies through the drill formation movements. That the latter task must be a difficult one for the non.-cqms. was apparent from the beginning, as the men aro not yet thoroughly conversant with the new drill. This was particularly in the larger companies, who have to cover a very wide area.

After having inspected each company ,on parade the Genera, caused it to be* formed up in two sides of a square when jhe addressed them. He referred to the absolute necessity of good discipline throughout the force, and to havo tbat it was necessary that each rank should know more than the one^mder it. He was pleased with what he had seen but when he came down next time he. would look for a great improvement, and he would not fail to tell them whether he thought the improvement satisfactory or not. He laid particular stress upon the kuowlarige that the non-commissioned officers should have at their finger tips. The most important branch of the work was the shooting of the individual members of a com.pa.ny, and efficiency in that could only be obtained by a thorough knowledge of the rifle, and the firing exercises. To have that it was necessary that each non.-com. should know tha details of these exercises by heart.

During the General's inspection of the rifles, and Capt. Todd's extended y movements on the racecourse in the afternoon Bugle-Major tfllourke was put to a severe test as a bugler. Capt. Campbell took the bugler at a hand galop right round the course, and asked for various " calls " which "were given so well that the officer was forced to ask if the bugler had had any Imperial training.

Throughout the General's inspection many, mistakes were made by botb mounted and infantry non-coms., but the bulk of them not so much on account of any wunt of knowledge by tho men, as on tho score of nervousness. Someiof the questions asked Were stiff ope^jfcad to answer them as coiTectly/ns th% did shows that "Infantry TrainJngr'l9o2 " has been well studied by tK> non-COips. and men.

The parade states on the whole were disappointing, with the exception ot the City Guards, and the absence of two captains was particularly noticeable.

Several officers commanding country corps were present at the Infantry Bat^ talion's inspection, evidently anxious to pick up a tip for their oWn company's inspection.

Tho General, accompanied by Colonel Robin and Capt. Campbell, will inspect the Colac Boy Rifles this afternabn at 5 o'clock and then go on to Orepuki, ytafcing the company, there in the evening.

On Saturday the Kelso Mounted antf, Tapanui Rifles were inspected, 'on yMton-. day the General inspected "the Mataura Mounted and Gore Rifles and; on, Tuesday the Murihiku Mpunted.' Rifles. Tin all. cases the mounted musters wero poor • but the attendance of the infantry companies was satisfactory.

That the General is a practical |nan was evidenced by the careful., manner 7in : which he inspected ytbef rifles, almost of. "every man, and tto care he .took to explain any queßtion asked of a man. .

The large attendance of tho public--over SOO at one period of the inspection —shows that the interest takeu by the general public in tlie volunteers has not abated since the termination of tbo war, as was predicted , by 7ttiany.

Tho absence of the Battalion Band was particularly noted, nnd had they beon, on parade, in addition to tho general salute being mado more imposing, it would have beon pleasant to tho spect nr tors to havo had some music to enliven the intervals between tlie manoeuvres of the different companies