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THE VOLUNTEEKS.
CAPT. SCB1TCH1EY OIT COX.OXXA.X.
DEFENCES.
This gentleman has given at some length his views
upon tbe sort of force which should be maintained by.
thiscolonv. He commences with stating that the pre
gress of events in England seems to poinlout that before
long all tho troops will be withdrawn, »nd the colony
left to rely upon its own resources, with tho assistance
of a certain amount of naval protection. Ho'goes on to
hv nil thnt. is norpiwarx' fnr in to do is to nlaco our&olves
in n position to repuls'o the attack of privateers, or a
fleet so small that it might elude tho vigilauce of tbe
defensivo squadron. Our main force should therefore
bo artillery, and this, he thinks, should lie imperial. Ho
objects to a colonial force becauso ho believes that only
inferior men would join, becauso it would be difficult to
got good officers, nnd because of its enormous expense,
which for 300 infantry, nnd 100 artillerymen, ho esti
mates at £50,000 per annum, exclusive of pensions,
good service money, etc Ho believes, too, that this
force would la inferior to tho regular army, and very
little better than tho volunteers. Capt. Scratchloy then
goos onto suggest —
'1. Tho maintenance of a forco ofKoyal Artillery,
without any regular infantry.
2. Tbe organisation of the police force, to act as a
military body in time of war.
3. Tho establishment of a brigade of coast nrlillery.
?1. Tho establishment of the volunteer forco on a per
manent footing.
With these means I consider that regular infantry
would not be required, and that tho police and volunteer
force (could be mado to take its plnco. In tho police
forco (both horse and foot) of this colony, we have a
body of men unequalled in tho world for intelligence,
respectability, and physical qualities. Tho forco is
already admirably disciplined and trained to net in
bodies, ond, with moro military drill nnd rifle instruc
tion, it would bo capable of taking tho place of regular
infantry, with tho volunteers in tho field. With such a
force, regular infantry is not required. In timo of war,
or in theevent of nn'attnck, tho men would havo to bo
relieved from their civil duties, and bo replaced by
special constables. The establishment of a brigade of
coast artillery ^would (consist of tbe enrolment, ns a
volunteer militia, of.tho population adjacent to tile sea
board. Tho brigade would be composed of boatmen and
others in the employ of the Government, and of all
those \yhoso pursuits necessitate a residence near tho sea.
The brigade would bo organised on a permanent footing,
and be called out for training for a fixed number of
davs during the year, when the men would be subject to
a Colonial Mutiny Act, those not in tho employ of tho
Govtrnmcnt being paid for their services during the
period of training. Tho number of days training in
each year, nfter a preliminary training of twenty-eight
days for each recruit should not be Ics3 than sixteen
and not exceed twenty-four, or bi'x in each quar
ter, ino instruction should bo exclusively in tbo
great gun drill, and such other duties as the
brigado might be called upon to perform in time of
war. A permanent staff of instructors would have to be
maintained, who would bo employed in drilling tho
volunteers during the intervals between tho quarterly
musters of the brigado of coast artillery. The strength
of the brigade would have to be in proportion to tho
number of guns to be manned ; and at present should
be fixed nt 500 men, 300 of them being seamen, and tho
remainder landsmen. I concoiTO there would bo no
difficulty in obtaining thU number; and that by offering
some pecuniary reward— such as Gd. a day additional
pay — to every person in the employ of the Government
who qualified himself as a practical gunner, most of thoso
who were in tho service would volunteer with alacrity.
A portion of tho brigade would havo lo bo raised at
Qucenscliff, where there is a number of seamen in
Government employ. Tbo rato of pay to be given to
those who wero not in Government employ should be
determined by the average amount of wages earned by
the men of the force when following their trade or
calling, and might for tho present bo fixed at Gs. Gd.
for the privates nnd seamen, and 7s Gd for the non
commissioned officers. As it is proposed to divide
the brigado into two parts, land and naval, tbe ad
jutants of the existing volunteer artillery and naval
volunteers would be also adjutants of tho coast bri
gade, in tbe same manner as tbe drill instructors for
theso corps would be instructors to the brigade. Taking
tho strength at SOO, and that 200 of that number would
be in tho servico of tho Government, tho annual cost of
maintenance may bo estimated at £5,739, or less than
£10 10s. per annum for each man.
Ihe establishment of a coast brigade nt such a small
cost would enable the Government to reduce the strength
of the volunteer force, nnd tho expenditure which would
be caved by this reduction would go towards tho main
tenance of tbe brigade, which would in a short timo bo
a forco wo could rely upon with confidence in timo of
war.
Tho present cost of each effective volunteer is about
£7 per annum ; and tho question for consideration is,
Whether it is not a waste of moncv to expend £23,000
per annum on a forco which it is a'draittcd is not perfect
in every respect ; when, for the same amount, wo might
establish a volunteer militia on the system abovs de
tailed, smaller in numbers, but decidedly more efficient?
Tho establishment of tho volunteer forco on a permanent
footing would necessitate tho remodelling of its present
constitution and defective organisation. It is now gene
rally admitted that tho constitution ol tho forco is bad;
but, strango to say, thero appears lo bo an unwillingness
to remodel it. An impression prevails that tho forco
cannot bo constituted in tho same mannor ns that of tho
mother country, becauso tho political conditions of tbo
two countries aro dissimilar. This is a mistake ; there is
no valid reason why the main features of tho English
system should not be introduced. I hold that tho nearer
the constitution of the forco is assimilated to that of tho
mother country the greater will be its cflicioncy. It is
true that there is a marked diflsrenco between (ha duties,
in tirao of war, of tho volunteers of this colony nnd thoso
of the English volunteors; but I maintain that this very
difference necessitates tbo adoption of a system founded
on experience, and not one founded on no experionco at
all. Becauso this colony is highly prosperous, and has
increased in population and wealth in an unprecedented
manner, is that a sufficient reason why wo should try
coitly experiments, and disregard tho oxperience of
tbo old world? It is nlso truo that the volun
toers will hold tho same position in this colony
as tho regular army and militia do at home On
them will devolve tbo task of meeting tho enemy,
should he attempt to land on our shores. On examining
the English Volunteer Act, it will be seen that although
the English volunteers receive very little assistance from
tho Government, they nro governed by stringent laws,
and the force is given a military organisation. I contend
that tbo Volunteer Act of Victoria, as lately amended,
has destroyed neorly all the military orginfcition which
was given to the force when it was first established. By
tho amended Act, tbe officers nnd non-commissioned
officers are elected by thoir men, and the form of con
firming the appointment is gone through by tho Governor
in Council. What isthorcsultof this arrangement? Wo
havo a body of officers who, it is alleged, aro incompetent,
and unfit to command thoir corp3 in action. If thi« bo
really tbo caso, tho volunteer forco cannot bo said to bo
in an efficient state, and tho Booner tbo incompetent
ofneors are removed, and othors appointed by tho
Governor in Council, after passing a strict examina
tion in drill, etc., tbo bettor. It will In further seen
that the English Act compels a volunteer to attend
twenty-four days' drill in each year, if ho wishes to be
considered effective, and thnt thero aro three other classes
of volunteors— non-effectives, who bavo not saddled tho
requirements of the Act in rognrd to tho attendnnco at
drill ; supernumeraries, who aro members in oxcess
of ths strength of their corps; i-nd honorary members,
who contribute to tho funds of their corps, but are
not_ enrolled. The Victorian Act is silent on tho
subject of drills, and in consequence, every volunteer in
Jbis colony is, to a certain extent, considered effective.
This is manifestly unjust to thoso members who are
regular in thoir tttendance at drill ; for on field-days tho
regularity of tho movements is liable to bo destroyed by
tho mistakes of tin irregular attendants. Untfer tho
existing constitution of tbo force, commanding ofilcora
of corps are powerless. They cannot, as in England,
elect their own non-commissioned officers, nor dismiss
meinbors for diso-bedienco of orders. Tho flection of
tho non-commissioned oflicers by tho members, U a
highly unmilitary proceeding, which cannot bo justified
for ono single instant. Tho defects I havo detailed are
thoso I find in the constitution of tho force. Thero are
othora which may be termed defects of organisation, and
do not rcquiro tho action of Parliament to remedy them :
and to which I will briefly nlludo:
1. Tho colonel of volunteers is a paid officer, which U
contrary to thopriuciplo on which voluuteera aro en
rolled.*
2. Th4 drill-instruotors of tho forco, instead of being
treated as soldiers, aro allowed a groat deal too much
liberty; and in many cases (ns in tho artillery, with a
few exceptions) aro totally unfit for tho post. This can
bo accounted for, inasmuch that tho drill-instructors are
not, as in England, obtained from tbo regular army, but
are picked up hero nnd there. Unless those for tho
artillery nro obtained from that nrm in tho Imperial
servico, it will bo impossible to obtain efficient instruc
tors. An artillery drill-instructor should bo possessed of
peculiar qualifications, nnd should havo gone through
tho course of instruction at Woolwich.
3. Tho great expense of tho forco can bo accounted for
by the unnecessarily high rates of pay i;iven to instruc
tors, tho extravnganco in clothing the men, nnd tbo
maintenance of corps of cavalry, which aro stated to be
inefficient, nnd of up-country corps who would bo of no
uso for defence.
?1. The general want of 'accord1' between the different
arms, is caused by a defectivo arrangement of having
staff officers for tbo rifles, acting directly under tho
orders of the commandant of tho whole forco ; whilst
there nro only adjutants for the cavalry, naval brigado,
artillery and engineers, acting under tho orders of tbo
ollicers commanding thoso corps. t
I hold that tho whole of tho dofecf s herein detailed nro
obviouB, nnd admitted by thoso competent to judge in
tho matter. I thercforo do not feel nny hesitation in
making recommendations with tho view to tho establish
ment of tho foroo on n permanent nnd satisfactory basis.
* I understand Ilia* it is tho Intention of the present com
mandaat of the volunteer lorco to rcotlfy thin, mid to intro
duce nucli other reform! as luny bo found ncccs-tary
t I believe this will Bhortly bo rectified by the present
oommnndant of tho force, ?
I would repeal the clause in the amended Act which
refers to the election of officers and non-commissioned
officers, and combine tho whole of tbe throe acts into ono,
inserting clauses authorising the following :— ?
1. Tho appointment of officers by the Governor in
Couucil. ,
2. Tho appointment of non-commissioned officers by
tho commanding officers of corps.
3. The division of tho corps into four classes— effec-
tives, non-effectives, supernumeraries, and honorary
?1. Tho n.'imber of dayB' drill in each year to cntitlo n
member to btf considered effective to bo twenty-four.
6. Commandi.ii; officers to dismiss members, except
commissioned officers, for disobedience of orders when
not on activo service, and for non-attendance nt drill.
This clause to be inserted, ns thero are no penalties for
being non-effective members, ns in England.
0. Tho examination of all oflicers, nftcr three or six
months' notice.
7. Tho commissions of officers unable lo pass tho ex
amination to bo cancelled.
With regard to tbo organisation, I would abolish tho
rank of colonel of volunteers, and of adjutant, nnd sub
stitute that of chief stall olliccr, nnd fitnll oiucer, unuer
suitable titles. I would dismiss all incompetent drill
instructors, replacing them bv soldiers from the regular
army, trained at Hytho nnd Woolwich. I would clothe
the men in n dress suitable to tho climate, plain nnd
serviceable, and prohibit vngnries In uniform, and hond
dresses. I would revcrso for tho present tbo proportions
now existing between tho different nrms, by having a
lnrger number of m^n trained to tho servico of guns thnn
to tho uso of the rifle; for the reason that riflemen will
bo required to support tbo artillery in batteries, and not
to resist any landing of a large number of troops. I
would enact stringent laws to compel the cavalry to
attend exercise; and lastly, would establish tho up
country corps on tho English system. To return to the
general question of military defenco. By tbo mninto
nanco of a detachment of tbo'Koynl Artillery, tho organi
sation of tho police, nnd tho establishment of a brigade
of const nrlillery, tho strength of tho volunteers might
bo safely reduced, with the view of providing for tho
inoroasod expenditure which would be incurred in tho
now scheme of militnry defence, by n reduction in tbo
expenses of maintaining the force nt its present strength.
In conclusion, I would remark that I conceive it lo bo a
miBtnkc, in n military point of view, lo exercise the
volunteers in duties which they will not in timo tf war
bo called upon to porform, and which may plenso the
spectators nt reviews, but bavo a tendency to make
people believe that the force is in n highly efficient stnto
when such is not tho ciso ; and I would ndvocato n syste
matic courso of pr.totical instruction for the wholo of the
forces, regular nnd others, in tho batteries oreotcd for
tho deforce of the port, and on tho ground they would
have to fight upon if Rttnckcd.
P. H. ScrtATCULEY, Cnptnin K.E.,
Cummnnding lloyal Eugincers.
Melbourno, 31 st March, 18C2.
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