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Discipline.-Discipline is maintained under a per- With manent Act passed fourteen or fifteen years ago. the volunteer system, discipline really depends upon the commanding officer. Penalties can only be enforced during the time a volunteer corps is paraded (3118- 3122).

allowance. The limit of age is 30, and the standard out of them. They receive an allowance when in

camp. The corps is not really perma- of height 5 ft. 9 in.

If the camp were more regularly held the corps nent; 25 to 30 per cent. of the men are generally would improve, but at the present they are so few and drafted every year into the police force, where they get far between that many of the men when taken out have 78. a-day. The force is nothing more nor less than a never been in camp before, and the amount of drill nursery for the police, and the entire numbers change and discipline obtained is unsatisfactory (3050–3056, practically every three years. The cost to the Colony 3293-3302). is 787., or, including officers, about 851. per man per annum. The force ought to be reconstituted entirely, and the question is under consideration. The men should be required to servo for six or seven years, and should devote their attention exclusively to the guns and stores. There would be no difficulty in getting men at 5s. a day with uniform and quarters (2017, 3018, 3078-3085, 3089--3094, 3099--3106, 3237). The Royal Commission appointed in Melbourne in 1875 recommended that in lieu of this force two bat- teries of Royal Artillery should be applied for. The suggestion was acted upon, and an answer was pro- mised by the Home Government, but was never given. The application is evidence of the wish of the colonists for Imperial troops in preference to any force raised locally. There is still a strong desire for Imperial troops, and the Colony is willing to bear the expense in time of peace, provided the troops are not taken away in time of war. The prevailing wish of the Colony was, and still is, to keep Imperial troops, who would, moreover, assist in training the volunteers (8237-3250, 3281, 3283).

Volunteers.-The volunteer land forces consist of cavalry, field and garrison artillery, engineers and infantry.

Cavalry. The volunteer cavalry are fairly effective, considering how scattered the various troops are. The men find their own horses. The corps is not popular, partly on account of the expense, and partly because the drills must be in daylight. The men cannot give the time, and do not care to give up their Saturday afternoons (3309–3316).

Field Artillery. The volunteer field artillery number 393, and are divided into three batteries. The guns are good, but not the carriages, which are being altered. There is a fair stock of ammunition. The ammunition waggons are not used. The batteries are not horsed; horses-generally different each time-are hired when required (3108–3114). The field artillery seldom practice with the guns owing to the difficulty of finding a suitable place (3031-3033), and rarely exercise as a whole. The men are for the most part clerks and shopmen (3044).

Garrison Artillery--The volunteer garrison artillery number 688 men, divided into three full batteries, stationed at Williamstown, Geelong, and Emerald Hill, with detachments at Queenscliff and Drysdale. They get a fair amount of practice from the rifled guns (3034-3041, 3116). The men are mostly drawn from the artizan and labouring classes. There need be no difficulty in keeping up the numbers. Much depends on the officers, who have to use some tact and judgment (3044-3047).

Training of Volunteers.A recruit for any branch of the service before being sworn in has to go through twelve preliminary drills. He is then sworn in if deemed sufficiently advanced, and after that has to do twenty-four drills every year, at the rate of two every month. The drills are at night, and the attendance is good. The Royal Commission in 1875 and Sir W. Jervois recommended continuous periods of drill, but the recommendation has seldom been adopted (3018-3030). Field and commanding officers have recommended that there should be one daylight drill of three hours every month, one entire day every three months, and that camps for continuous periods of five or six days should be more frequently formed. objections to camps are the expense, and the waste of time in going and returning. A camp costs from 2,000% to 2,500., and Government are apt to cut out the item as they did in 1879. There is further a great want of countenance and co-operation on the part of employers, who are unwilling to spare the men. men are zealous, and any amount of work can be got

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Payment. There is no necessity for the payment of volunteers, except for camps and daylight drills, when they ought to be compensated for their loss of wages (3300, 3304-3306). The total amount now granted is 27. 10s. per man per annum, out of which everything is provided (3307).

Requirements. The numbers of the forces are suffi- cient, and the physique and intelligence of the men are satisfactory, but there should be more drill, and drill The money voted should be in daylight (3130-3134). by Parliament ought to be increased (3128, 3129). A vote is taken each year for the number of men, which But the varies little with changes of Ministry. amount of the vote varies considerably at times, and expenditure is cut down by putting off the votes for ammunition and stores, and omitting the vote for camps (3074-3077).

Volunteer Officers.--The position and duty of a volunteer officer does not involve much personal expen- diture (3057, 3058). The distinction of rank between officers and men is fairly kept up, but the great difficulty is to get men who are qualified by social position and The time of education to take the position of officers. such men is too much occupied (3124-3127). There are no retired Queen's officers in the force (3048, 3117). Promotion is by ballot up to the rank of lieutenant. A corps sends in three naines to the Commandant, who recommends one of the three, and the Governor appoints on his recommendation (3059). From the rank of captain upwards, appointments are made on the recom- mendation of the Commandant by the Governor, who might appoint a captain without ballot, but it is not the practice to do so (3060-3066). There is keen com- petition among the men for these Commissions (3067).

Examinations.-There are examinations, conducted by a Board appointed by the Governor, for every grade up to the rank of lieutenant. The examination varies in different branches of the service; the standard varies There would too, and depends entirely on the Board.

be some advantages in a permanent Board, but there have not been found many disadvantages under the present system (3068–3073).

Want of Imperial Officers.-The officers arc zealous, but deficient in knowledge of their duties (3135). Pro- lt is con- fessional training is much required (3049). sidered in the Colony as recommended by the command- ing officers themselves, and as desired by the whole volunteer force, that every regiment and battery should be commanded by an Imperial officer, with an Imperial officer at the head of the whole force. These officers would be paid by the Colony, and should be seconded, not retired. from the regular army. There would be no difficulty in keeping up a corps to the required establishment through want of local influence and experience of an Imperial officer in command, especially if the officer second in command were a local man. The appointment of officer instructors from England would not be equally satisfactory. The Colony goes further, and desires to see Imperial officers in com- The officers commanding the various volunteer corps suggested to the Royal Commission on the volun- teer force in 1875, that the Imperial Government should be asked to appoint an officer of the army to take command of the militia, and that one officer (either the commanding officer or the adjutant) in each regiment should be one who had served as an officer in the Imperial army for at least ten years. Victorian Parliament would regard the proposal

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