3

H.—9a

To His Excellency the Earl of Glasgow, Governor and Commauder-in-Chief, New Zealand. My Lord, — Defence Office, Wellington, 19th April, 1893. I have the honour to forward herewith a report supplementary to the one dated the 14th February, 1893, Avhich is already in possession of your Government. This supplementary report contains the result of my inspection of the various Volunteer corps in the Westland, Nelson, and Marlborough Districts, and a report on the Easter encampments of this year. It in no way alters the recommendations which I have already tendered to your Excellency and to your Government. I regret that, although it is now two months since these recommendations were in the hands of your Ministers, nothing has so far been done to give them effect; but, as a matter of fact, a step has been taken which will make the carrying-out of several of the most important and urgent of these recommendations a matter of very great difficulty. I refer to the acceptance of the resignation of Mr. Arthur Bell, the Defence Engineer. At the beginning of the year I was aware that the Hon. the Minister of Defence had ordered Mr. Bell to take up the duties of Resident Engineer for Public Works in the Wellington District, and took the first opportunity of seeing the Minister on the subject, and of pointingout that I considered I had been hardly dealt with in having my most important officer taken from me without being consulted in the matter. The Minister replied that I, of my own free-will, had not taken up the duties of Commandant, and that therefore he saw no reason for consulting me as regards his action concerning Mr. Bell; that Mr. Bell would remain as Defence Engineer, but would do the work in the other department in addition to his Defence duties. Knowing that my report would be in the Minister's hands within a few days of the date of my interview (Ist February, 1893), and trusting that your Government would see fit to adopt the recommendations contained in that report —at any rate, in so far as the putting the Works and Submarine Mining-stations in proper order, which would necessitate the retention of the whole of Mr. Bell's services in the Defence Department for the next three years, and also knowing that Mr. Bell could not be taken from the Defence Department until after my report was completed and sent to your Excellency, I, having entered my protest, withdrew. My report was handed to your Government by permission of Your Excellency on the 18th February, 1893. After due time for consideration, and in the face of my most plainly-expressed opinion that Mr. Bell's services were wholly required in the Defence Department, and that his salary of .£6OO per annum was but a very small insurance on the sums outlaid in construction of works, &c, the Defence Minister ordered Mr. Bell to take up duties in the Public Works Department on the Ist April, 1893, as a Resident Engineer. This Mr. Bell refused to do, and tendered his resignation, while I was absent from Wellington on inspection duties. Mr. Bell's resignation was accepted without any reference to me. Had I been referred to, that resignation would have been reconsidered, and the services of a most able engineer saved to the colony. Mr. Bell having had the advantage of working for some years under Royal Engineer officers, and subsequently having had charge of the construction of works, combined in himself very high qualifications both as a civil and a military engineer—a combination but rarely met with, and therefore of very great value. If my recommendations as to the completion of the works for the submarine mining defence, and for concentrating and improving the artillery defence, are to be acted upon— and I most distinctly affirm that they should—the only proper course under the circumstances will be for your Government to apply that H.R.H. the Commander-in-Chief may be pleased to permit of the services of a Royal Engineer officer, with experience in submarine mining and construction of works, being placed at its disposal for the space of three years. I have the honour to be, My Lord, Your Excellency's most obedient servant, Fkancis J. Fox, Local Lieut.-Colonel and Colonel N.Z. Militia, Commandant, N.Z. Forces.