Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-Wèkly. Price 1d. MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1887. The New Volunteer Regulations.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2012, 3 January 1887, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-Wèkly. Price Id. MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1887. The New Volunteer Regulations.

I'uk new regulations for the voluni teer Force has been published in the New Zealand Gazette. Our Volunteers will be interested in the following summary ;—Except in case of certain musicians, or by special authority, no Volunteer is to be enrolled who is not 17 years of age, and if an apprentice the master must give his consent in writing. The enrolments are to be quarterly—ln January, April, July and October of each year. No volunteer is to be entitled to claim discharge until a year after bis enrolment. The minimum height is to be, for artillery, oft 6in, and for all other corps, sft 4in. Members of corps may be enrolled, reserve or honorary. The maximum strength for cavalry or mounted infantry is 80, but at present capitation will only be paid for three officers and sixty non-commissioned officers and men. The minimum strength is 40. For Naval Artillery, Artillery, Engineers, and Rifles the maximum strength is 100, and the minimum 40, but capitation will only be paid for 63. The companies may enrol up to the maximum and ammunition and accoutrements will be given by Government, but except in the case of trained bandsmen no capitation will be given in excess of the number of men mentioned. The volunteer force is to consist of Naval Artillery, Cavalry when dismounted (when mounted they take precedence of all infantry and dismounted corps), Mounted Infantry, Artillery, Engineers, and Rifles, who will rank in the order named. Honorary reserve corps take precedence of other corps of the same arm. Full provision is made as to the relative rank of officers, and the duties of officers in command of districts, Road Adjutants, and the appointment of officers. Company officers on promotion to field rank are to resign their company commands, if officers fail to pass the required examination in three months after election, they must bo re-elected before being again examined. Full provision is made as to the Medical Stall' for individual Corps, Battalions and Defence Forces. The duties of District Drill Instructors are defined, and it is provided that enrolled members of any corps arc to be divided into efficients, non-efficients, and reserves. The first are those entitled to capitation. The reserve of each corps is formed under clause 45 of the Defence Act, 1886. A Garrison Band, where the corps number at least four, is not to exceed five bandsmen for every company, and an allowance of £2B will be given for its support. Recruits who have not undergone a military training, will, on joining, have to undergo at least 30 hours’ drill (and in artillery corps 10 hours’ gun drill extra) before joining the ranks—men who have already been trained, subject to approval, can join the ranks at once, but must attend the necessary parades before receiving capitation. Provision is made for the examination, by the Council of Military Education, of officers of all grades, and also for the examination of non commissioned officers by an officer of the permanent staff and one of the company officers. The corps of ail arms are to be classified as follows ; --(a) “ Honorary Reserve Corps,” the members of which will not receive capitation or any other pecuniary allowance, who will provide their own arms, accoutrements and ammunition, and who will be permitted to draw up special private rules for the general management of and discipline of their corps, provided such rules are not repugnant to the provisions of the Defence Act, then in force, and are submitted for the approval of His Excellency the Governor. (A) Volun teer corps, i lie members of which will be entitled to capitation. Cavalry volunteers must parade twice a day for six consecutive days, nr for three consecutive days twice in the year, and 'attend four Government i.. >n thi v inspection parades each \ar A capitation allowance at the ram ol C 3 per annum from moneys appropriated annually by Parliament will be granted to all members of Volunteer Corps who have —(c; Attended eighteen Government parades ol' drills, of which must have been by daylight, (A) Fired in (lie first, second, and third periods of target (he range is certified bv the Alnsketiy Instructor to admit of it, in the first and second periods individual practice, and in skirmishing ami volley firing, in-o iu .-l tli- tbed !>i-i-i.ui, and must

’ l ' ’ ' down iii pii 2'j [ relating >u I'C'M'v iii i; ii.-l mil, (.•_) Gone through the tii; ! | cri.xl .'I judging dioaniv jii’.nii.-i', ,iial al least filin' |■ usitsi;i■ s anil aiming drill*. Tuo [juiumlm perannua: only will In: granm-l to elHcicut volunteers who have atfi'iuled twelve or less than eighteen Government parades of two hours each, five of which must have been daylight parades, and gone through the practices as detailed in above subsecl.'-'US (b) nnd(r). Une pound per annum only will be granted to all efficient volunteers who have attended eight or less thai twelve Government parades of tao hours each, of which tour must have been daylight, and l ave gone through the practices as: detailed in the above subsections ( b) I ami (■: i Tim above rates are subject : to flie annual appropriation voted bv i I’arbaineul, and am liable to reduction j urn iala. Jt for two successive years a volunteer i';p;'s |o pass into the j siT'iinl c.i-s ~t inuslel rv in d met ion, ■ hj” ii ill i" '■■■ i ' ■ ■ t■ im’ iafter I the ICi'inio.il mu 'if ln< coin! v, ',iintier ! year. Guards of honor me mi consist j ■ d not less ihan 40 rauh and tile, and

n'O'-uits arc not detailed for them < 'nmjjaiii-.'.s are to hare power to make rules, but a model set is provided which will be held to apply to all corps when others have not been approved of No capitation will bo given to corps which are below the minimum on the last day of the volunteer year, and no volunteer is to get capitation until he has served six months with his corps. Full provision is made as to camps, for which volunteers are to be paid 2a 6d per day, for not more than four days, and attendance at a camp will reckon as two daylight drills for capitation. Meetings are not to be held for the purpose of expressing an opinion upon the acts of a superior officer, or the Defence Department, or of recommending any particular course of actiou ; nor are memorials to be drawn up to the same effect ; and no meetings except those called together by or under the authority of tho Commanding officer of a corps or battalion, who will be responsible for doing so, will be recognised. Strict rules as to the general discipline are laid down, and full regulations prescribed for muster parades, and in regard to arms, accoutrements, ammunition and stores. Every enrolled member of a corps, except reserve, is to receive 100 rounds of ball ammunition. With regard to musketry instruction, each volunteer will require to fire annually 40 rounds in class firing, and, where practicable, 20 in volley firing and skirmishidfe. Where it is not practi cable to fire the latter the last 20 rounds will be expended in class firing. To enable any volunteer to qualify for capitation, he must, as far as. target practice it concerned, have fulfilled the following conditions, viz. («) The trained volunteer, by firing sixty rounds of ammunition, and passing into or firing in the second class, (i) The recruit by firing sixty rounds of ball ammunition and passing into or firing in tho second class. No volunteer shall be eligible to fire in the second class until he shall have passed out of the third class under the new regulations. Corps, whether armed with the long or short rifle, are to adopt the drill for the short rifle ; and it is stated that a new course of target similar to that lately ordered for the Volunteer force in England will be brought into force for the year 1887, but the number of points required to pass into tho second class has been largely reduced but will hereafter be gradually increased as the shooting improves, until tho English standard is reached. Regulations are provided as to the enrolment of cadet corps, keeping of returns, dress, long service medals, fines and punishments, and other matters. In regard to medals and decorations, it is provided that no medals or decorations are allowed to be worn on the left breast, except such as have been conferred by Her Majesty for military or other service, or by a Foreign Sovqaurn with Her Majesty’s consent, the Government of New Zealand for military or long service. Medals granted by Humane Societies for saving life and decorations granted heretofore by the New Zealand Government for rifle shooting may be worn on tho right breast. A set of model rules and various forms of returns and other things are given as appendices to the regulations.