THE DEPUTY-LIE UTENANGY. (To sus Emma or see .Srsor........1 Silk—Yon
were good enough to publish a letter from me on the above subject in your issue of March 27th. and perhaps you would kindly allow me a further short space.
I was glad to notice in a letter written by " Another D. L," also by references elsewhere, that the question was interesting to those concerned. The suggestion in your footnote to your correspondents in your issue of the 3rd inst. is of course very good, and should be carried out. 1 should like, however, to propose that the Lords-Lieutenant should be instructed to divide the county into sections, placing each section under the control, for recruiting purposes, of a Deputy-Lieutenant. In this way he could, in the opinion of myself and others, be of great service to the Government recruiting agent, who in this county, at any rate, finds his usefulness pretty well exhausted. It is no answer to the question to any that we could act without official orders seeing that the requisite authority would be wanting.
Whit I desire to bring about is that it shall be the absolute duty of every Deputy-Lieutenant to exercise his influence throughout his particular section of the county, and make him personally responsible for results ; and though it may be inconvenient for some (and I would exempt all over seventy years of age), nevertheless they have, in my opinion, no right to hold a quasi-official position without putting in positive and regular work in these times; otherwise they should be struck of It seems to be generally admitted that we are going to try to get through our troubles without compulsion, and I think this ie the better way ; but I am not one of those who believe in an early finish, and consider that all preparations must be made for a campaign next winter. May I say that it is within my own knowledge that there are hundreds of men in my own county of military age who ought to join the colours P They are not doing so partly from apathy, but largely from ignor- ance, and the right kind of pressure brought to bear would, I think, have a very good effect. I bare now tabled my sugges- tion, and leave it to others, if they think fit, to issue the neces- sary instructions, stating, in conclusion, that certain Lords- Lieutenant are willing to move, but cannot do so unless they receive an order to that effect. —I am, Sir, Au., D. L.
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