HOW TO USE OUR HOME GUARD VOLUNTEERS. [To Tan Forma
or ens “SrscraToR."]
Six,—In your issue of the 19th inst. there is an article entitled "How to Use Our Home Guard Volunteers." The writer begins by giving a very accurate description of the present Volunteer movement, but entirely fails to show how the Volunteers can be used. In fact, he raises so many imaginary and pedantic difficulties that it would seem unlikely they ever can be used. At the same time, he fails to mention the -very simple solution of the difficulty which is believed to have already received the sanction of the War Office—namely, to register the Volunteers as men of the National Reserve, Class II. They can then be called out by a Proclamation issued under Section 12 of the Reserve Forces Act, 1882. Men called up in this way would receive -usual Army pay and allowances. The writer of the article in question makes the extraordinary statement that "the Volunteers do not ask for any such indulgences." I thought it was a matter of common knowledge that the rank-and-file of the Volunteers throughout the country cannot undertake to do any active duties unless they receive pay and their wives and children receive separation allowances. No doubt some men who belong to Volunteer regiments in London and other large towns can afford to give their services, but these men are the exception. Taking the Volunteers as a whole, they crust be placed on the footing of ordinary soldiers. They must also be placed under the same discipline as soldiers, and they have not the least objection to this. The one thing that most of them want is the opportunity to be employed as soldiers as soon as possible, on suitable duties such as those indicated by the writer of the article. In many corps the men have been drilling for months; unless they soon get an opportunity of doing some real work there will not be many more recruits, and the numbers will fall off. I know that in many districts there are hundreds of men who would join at once if they knew there was real work to be done. The longer these opportunities are denied to them, the less efficient the Volun- teers will become.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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