THE Thames Advertiser WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1879.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XIII, Issue 3350, 25 June 1879, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1879.

There can bo no doubt that the most popular form of Volunteer training— as exemplified in Great Britain—is that which is involved in a week, or the bo;.i part of a week, under canvas. The men like the outing, and arc pleased to be like soldiers in earnest if ! only for a few days, and the officers are I naturally delighted at having their men } under their own eye and under their undisputed command for several days together. Anyone who has had to command a Volunteer corps undor circumstances which would not admit of any continuous training, knows how very unsatsfactory, in many points, the work really is, and how weary both officers and men become of the parades, at which there is no time for anything but the mere essential parts of drill, and also without making much progress in consequence of the necessity for going over the same ground again and again, for those who have either neglected to attend, or who forget from week to week what they are supposed to have learned. We say nothing of the mortification caused by scanty musters, leading certainly to a want of spirit iu the work done, and very possibly to the loss of esprit de corps. The worst is, however, the absolute impossibility under these conditions of teaching anything but mere drill. During the bare hour for which the men can only, as a rule, be got to attend, there is never any time for a proper inspection cf clothing or appointments; indeed, inspections by gaslight can only be looked inon as a farce. As to wasting the precious time in showing men how to mount guard, or any other of the minor details of soldiering, it is almost out of the question. When the men are once under canvas, if only for a few days, of course all this is changed. The commanding officer knows how •many men he can count upon when he orders a parade,; there is no limit within reason to the employment of as much time as may be necessary for inspection, kc, The officers and noncommissioned officers learn at least something of those duties of superin tendence which are as important as drill, but which our authorities never seem to think it necessary to teach Volunteers. The men learn that they must be obedient, neat, and orderly, and, above all, they find out that an officer is to bo obeyed because he is an officer, and not because he happens to belong to thoir own company or battalion. It is impossible to over-esti-mate the gocd which would accrue in this way by a week in camp, and we have very little doubt that the discipline of the whole Volunteer force would be improved in a very marked degree. With the view of the excel- ' lent results produced by the encamp. . menis of the Home Volunteers, we : cannot help wishing that some means could be found for giving the ! New Zealand Volunteers more op- . portunities of gaining similar ad- ] vantages. We are aware that there ' may be difficulties in the way, but we ] feel sanguine that our men might go , into camp if only for a few days at ] Christmas. Bearing in mind the pecu- J liar circumstances under which volun- J leering is carried on, we are disposed to c urge on the Government the desira- j bility of establishing, during the summer months, district camps at accessible a spots where drill might be carried out. l Aid is required by the volunteers from [ the Government towards the attainment of this object, in the shape of a i suitable provision of tents and camp i appliances, together with a small extra 1 grant for rations, a reasonable request j enough, when we recollect that the t volunteers devote so great a portion of ° their time without remuneration in ° acquiring proficiency in their self- f imposed military duties. It will be v well for the Thames men to enlist Sir « George Grey and Mr "William Rowe on *j their side at the approaching session of \ parliament, and they may get that o desired boon—the aunual week's en- h campm&nt, v