REBELLIOUS VOLUNTEERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 84, 28 March 1908, Page 2

REBELLIOUS VOLUNTEERS.

AN INTERESTING POSITION

X'er Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. All interesting and critical position has occurred in connection with the .lolmsonville Volunteer Riiles, ami it is understood that the Council of Defence is about to take the matter into consideration. The troubles began with election of two officers of the company. Both were, elected at the same tune, but the company wanted one to be senior and the other to be junior. P?, fe . nce Department, however, could not fall iii with their wishes, as section 8 of the Defence Act, 1880, says: "Where

| any commissions of like rank ami bearing tail- the same date the holder thereof respectively shall rank accord mgly to the dates Of their prior coimnis sion and in cases where there be 110 prio commission, the aforesaid holders slml take rank alphabetically in the order o their surnames." That was done. Hene ti°" i Thl: next ste P was fn some thirty-four members of the coir pany signing a "round Robin" askin Thnt th n m ° Va / ° f a eertaiu that the Department considered an ac Ot lusubordmation u nd er the Act tl, O.C.D. himself could have dealt with i, ahl'A !T S a good dcal of feelinj about the matter he had a eonrt of en <iu ry set up and four of the men wh had B.pKd the "round Robin" wer chaigcd before it with, insubordinate , r< * ult of the inquiry has not ye been made public officially, hut there i a general impression among those inter osted that, the court found the four me; guilty. So far, however, no furthe steps have been .taken by the author! ties. Ao one knows (officially) whetlie the men are to be dismissed or re-in stated; whether they are still to rei-ai-themselves as volunteers or not Til result ,s that over forty of the mem -n n , e fol ' l>s ( tht ' rc ar c only übou uO ill together) have tendered their rnsia nations to Captain Moore, and at th weekly parade last night only s i x me put in an appearance. With'regard t the lesignations, however, the positioi l"°i q , l !! te 80 s,m plc us might be sur l : lh . e Jolmsonville Rifles has onl been m existence about six months an! section 53 of the Defence Act ,188( Iy . vohratcer *hen on aetua ■ y service may quit his corps, oi complying with certain conditions, one o ' iicl, 1S the giving of three months' nc IK', to terminate during the months o •lamiary or July (by the Act of hist ses >mn tile notice must terminate in Marcl September)." He must also pav i) mon».v cine by him or becoming £'b tr n U ,w rtte , vohmtwr I 0!" bC l en raißed wh ethw • let nf ! ose condu «t is still the aub