The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1874.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1802, 12 October 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1874.

Ma joe Ctobdon's Eeporfc of his Inspection of the Volunteer Force is now publi»hed Copies can be had of the Government Printer at the price of one shilling, and the sum would be well laid out by all volunteers who would wish to know tho gallant Major's opinion of them. The prevailing element m the report ii faultfinding ; there is scarcely a company that escapes, and where the gallant officer could not decently withhold a little praise, in nearly every instance his commendations were qualified by some exhibition of querulousness. The report is brimful of V recommendations," some of which are not at all complimentary to Major Gordon's, superior officers. In some cases these impertinences on the part of the Inspecting Officer have, been resented by the objects; in others they appear to have been disregarded by the Defence Minister and the officers indicated by the " recommendations." It would be impossible to refer to the many features of this precious report in one article. The Inspection Officer- certainly appears to hare gone in for wholesale condemnation!, without " fear, favor, or affection." One thing appears to have grieved Major Gordon very much during his tour—the

number of majors lie came in contact with. One of his recommendations is to do away with the arky of majors in tSe colony. In the portion of the report under the heading " Observationi and suggestioni," Major Gordon makes a sweeping charge against Officers Commanding Districts. Into this the Defence Minister should certainly cause an enquiry to he made, for the simple reason that as these superior officers are well paid for their services, an impartial exercise^of their duties should be exacted of them. "While not necessarily as strict disciplinarians as the Inspector of Volunteers appears to be, they should not lay themselves open to a charge of " habitually ignoring the directions given to them for their guidance." From the following extract it wijU.be seen that Major Gordon directly blames the officers Commanding DistriGts-r-in fact, charges them with being the cause of the present condition of the volunteer force, with useless and wanton expenditure, and with ignoring the Volunteer Regulations :—

That the Volunteer Force of the Colony is not ia the condition in which it has be«n represented to be from time to time by officers commanding districts, in the capitation returns signed by them and transmitted to your office, cannot be denied: that it has been in a very inefficient condition for some years past, is to me very obvious ; and I regret to have .to record my conscientious belief that tbe amount of public money expended as capitation on the 31st of March last is lamentably in excess of the sum which should otherwise represent the state of efficiency of the force in gtneral, so that immediate and effectual measures should be had recourse to, to arrest for the future the useless and wanton expenditure which has for so long a period been carried •xx, and for which officers commanding districts are primarily accountable.

It would be unfair and unjust to attach much blame to the Volunteers themselves (for most of them know nothing of the regulations of the service in. which they are enrolLd), when many of the officers appointed by the Government, to administer the Volunteer Regulations, and who are commanded in their commissions carefully and diligently to discharge the duties of their rank by exercising and well-disciplining the force under their charge, habitually ignore the directions given to them for their guidance.

Further on in his report Major Gordon accuses the Press of exercising " a most pernicious and detrimental influence on the Volunteer movement." In taking this absurd ground Major Gordon shows his utter ignorance of the rise and progress of volunteering in New Zealand. He must surely be the veriest new chum to be ignorant of the fact that the Press of the Colony has done a vast deal towards fostering the movement—" though we say it as shouldn't say it." But the Major's comments on the Press are about as sensible as they are impertinent. The Press trod on his corns—expoied his unfit* nesi to have anything to do without soldier-citizens, and the Press is condemned as mischievous. We agree with Major Gordon that the Volunteer Force is not what it should be— that it is not even what it has been represented to be. This conclusion we had arrived at and given expression to long before Major Gordon's inspection took place; and now that we have his report we do not see any reason to alter that opinion. At the same time it is evident that Major Godon's inspection has not conduced to improve the condition of volunteers much. He has come into antagonism with older and more experienced officers than himself, and his strictures on individual companies were in many cases admittedly uncalled for, leading the members unwittingly into acts of insubordination, the punishment for which has been disbandment. There are one or two points in the report which wo shall notice another time.