CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXV, Issue 11755, 19 August 1913, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

WliV.c thin column is open to nil. II i* naderitood thai we do not hold ourselves rc«po:i»iblej'or opinion! expressed by our correspondents, j

ADMINISTRATION OF DEFENCE ACT.

[To the Editor.]

Sir, — 1 read with regret the letter which obtained publicity in last night's Daily Times. I do not regret for a moment that this question has been brought up; but ! am certainly very sorry to see it before the public in such a clumsy manner, and 1 can quite understand your sub-leader dealing thereon. You have been »iven a wrong interpretation of affairs, and you naturally think there is no foundation for the remarks of the writ:γ-j- of that letter. Allow me to ask the hvui Defence authorities the following questions: —

1. Sim-e all the local Caiief. corps have been formed, what has been the average attendance of each individual and what has been the number ofcflpe roll of each company. ■*>

2. If the answer in at least two of the Companies is, that about one half of the number on the roll have attended, why have not the delinquents been punished long ere this, in spite of the fact that certain boys who have only missed one parade have been, immediately served with a summons.

3. Is it not a fact that the number of boys wearing uniforms (which are stipulated in the Defence Act) in Companies 82 and S3 amount to about onethird of the total number on the roll, and those who do not wear the regulation garments are the subject of abuse from those in mufti.

Now, Sir, while not holding with any specified view expressed by last night's correspondent, I do ask that these questions be fully answered, and that you will ask to see the roll book's of the various companies to enable you to confirm the various answers, and thus prove that the Defence Act as administered in Masterton is not a farce. —I am, etc., INTER Masterton, August 18, 1913. -mk

(In regard to this matter we have inspected the roll of 83 Company at the Defence Oiiiec, and find that at the last parade only ono man was absent. Several had" been absent from a number of previous parades but these men had been before the Court with the result that they attended on the next drill night. About twenty cadets have been prosecuted lately for not attending parades in uniform. In 85 Company it might be pointed out that the majority of the men reside outside tho radius—at Taueru, Mount Bruce, Tenui, Tβ Wharau, and other country districts. The only ground the officers have to work on is the list of men registered. If men are not registered it is no fault of the Defence officers in Masterton. They are not detectives and cannot be expected to do the wort of detectives. It may be a fact tmLa, number of youths do not attencPparades and do jeer at those whu do, but the officers are doing their utmost to 1 remedy this state of affairs by rigorously prosecuting offenders, and the roll of 83 Company goes to show that these steps are having the desired, effect.—Ed. W.D.T.) ;