The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 1905. IMPRISONMENT OF A VOLUNTEER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7870, 12 July 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 1905. IMPRISONMENT OF A VOLUNTEER.

The case which Mr Jcnni">igs brought before the House relative to imprison- I of a youthful mt-mfucr of'the In- ■ glewood Volunteers for refusing to jpa.v a. fine of £1 imposed by the | Magistrate r-onwdj.uent on the youth's failure to attehH a certain parade, I'as in it many features on which a diversity of opinion may find expression. In replying to Mr Jennings question on the subject the Minister of Defence pointed out that the volunte«r'had full right of appeal against tha military action, but appeared to have defied it at the instigation of his parents, ami that every endeavour way made to obtain- the payment of the Hn! ix-foi-e the matte]- was transferred by tho ofTicer in charge to tho jurittliaiioli of the Ma4i st rate's Court, and then tho law had to take its course. Tho lad refused to pay the ill fine- and l»i.> faUier declined to do so with the result that hvc

Conner was imprisoned (for contempt, of Court, not for debt) arid treated not as n dcMor. hut as a criminal. It is this extreme measure that Jius catr**d the trouble, which is by .some rr-tfarded as a scandal. Although the law which apjdied to the cas*o in question has Ijuoti in force for some twen-

Ihjcti seldom put into foic.\ This speaks well for the Volunteers as a wholo and is most creditable to the good sense of tho units. A commanding oflicvr of a corps has his duty to perform, and discipline must br maintained at all costs, evon al though -it entails which he cs greatly averse to hiking. It is rare ly that his liat is openly defied, for as u rule the Volunteers nrognist that wty'ii th«\v join a corps they subject themselves to c/.Ttain rules and

orders «Visch thc.v know must In 1 olje.ved. The Minister put tho (its*.* fairly .when he Raid thai if two or three jolnnt<vrs refused to attend parade. ;i f the end of the year Ihey could In \ their" conduct prevent the corps from earning" capitation, and thus entail upon it heavy financial loss that might lead U> disbandment and financial ruin to the officers. I'n'dier these circumstances, which are well known to fie Volunteers, the importance of lxsing present at the necessary number of parades is recognis"d, and the linos for inon-attendance are generally paid more or less willingly. When, however, a commtinding officer 5s brought fact- Jo face with a case of open defiance he is in an awkward predicament, yet thora is but ono way out of thu difficulty, and l«Jnishment is metwl out to the offender it is practically thivwgh his own seeking. At the same time lew ]*y>pl<- will consider that the offence is sufficient to cause tho olTiy*lcr to. Ire treated as a criminal, and it is not surprising that the Minister considers Unit an nit"ration of the law jn this particular wouldl )*■ a move in ths right direction. Tho easiest ami best mi\ins of overcoming the difficulty is that which is found to 'be usually adopted, namely, payment o/ the frno, or not incurring rt. Mr Jennings has acta! rightly in ventilating tfeo tnat•<y, and it is* to be hoped Ihat the cus* will prove? an effective warning! to all' Aoluntwrsj who forget the duty of obediVaicc to the regulations of th.' Service.