THE MAGISTRATES AND THE MILITIA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XIV, Issue 1461, 9 October 1860, Page 3

THE MAGISTRATES AND THE MILITIA.

WE understand that at the meeting of Magistrates on Saturday it was determined to renew the application made some time ago, for permission to call out the whole of the Militia and to erect town defences. What are the grounds for this renewed request the public have not been informed. If any new phases have occurred, it i 3 important that the public should know them. The reasons which have induced the Bench to urge these steps should be weighty ones, and the public, of whom those on the Militia List constitute so large a section, have a right to be informed of the necessity for a measure which very intimately affects them. We have always been favorable to the calling out the whole of the Militia in the neighbourhood of the Town, on the broad principle that whether there be peace or wax it is desirable that every colonist should know how to use a rifle, and thus be prepared for whatever emergency may now or hereafter arise. But we protest against the hardship and inconvenience attendant on taking the whole male population of this town from their daily avocations simply to play at soldiers — simply to be formed into line on Te Aro Flat and spend months in learning to "carry arms" or to go through the dumb motions of a pretence to " load," " present," and " fire." If the officer commanding this district is not above learning by the sad experience of Taranaki, he must see the perfect absurdity of confining the drill almost entirely to the manual exercise ; and how utterly inefficient men, whose drill is thus confined, must in the very nature of things be for all purposes of active service. If the natives were likely to try the issue on Thorndon or Te Aro Flats, then the wisdom of always marching men to and fro on some half dozen acres of open land would be manifest ; but as they would naturally avail themselves of the advantages which the bush offered, a wise commander would use every opportunity to teach the men bush skirmishing, and not leave this most important of all training to the time when every attempt to acquire it, will be at this risk of being surprised and shot. So also with the " platoon exercise " to which scarcely a dozen hours have been practically devoted. However well men may skirmish, they cannot have much faith in getting the mastery, all the while they have little or no confidence in the precision with which they can hit the object aimed at. At the battle of Waireka, it is officially recorded that the Militia were almost useless because of the short range of their must kets, and the target practice of our own volunteers on the other " side of Mount Victoria, must convince the most sceptical that with even the best weapon the eye and hand has much to be taught, before expert marksmen can be expected. If there bo only a short supply of ammunition in Wellington, then in the name of goodness why don't the Commanding Officer set to work and have an abundant supply of cartridges made. Its true there are not many soldiers who know how to make a cartridge, but surely there are civilians to be hired, who have nousc enough for such a purpose. If the Militia are to become good marksmen, many rounds of cartridge must be expended, and they should be encouraged to practice as much as possible, instead of being reminded of Courts Martial when they have shown their desire to. make

themselves efficient by blazing away a few rounds privately.

The3e are not times to mince matters. The interests at stake are far too important to allow us to keep silence. If there is reason for justifying the whole of the Militia to be called out, there must be reason why they should be trained as efficiently as possible ; and if it is still necessary to drill the 200 men already enrolled twice a week in the mere A.B.C. of military duty, it reflects no credit on the officer in command. But there is no necessity for this — the Militia know enough of the manual exercise for all practical purposes, and it is no fault of theirs that they are not long since acquainted with the more practical kind of work to which they will have to resort to keep off an enemy, should one unfortunately appear* If it is not the fault of the Militia, with whom does the fault rest ? With whom we do not pretend to say ; but there can be no question that the responsibility rests on the gentleman nominated by the Governor to the Military command of this district. We repeat ; that if there is a necessity for calling out the whole of the Militia to drill, there is every reason why they should be drilled effectively, and not made to leave their callings for mere parade. And also that if there is a necessity for calling out the whole of the Militia, there is a still greater necessity for affording opportunity by which those who have been six months in what is called " actual service," and on whom the first brunt of an outbreak would fall, may become expert marksmen and wary tac- J ticians in the bush.