1786

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 102

for any corps whose strength is below the minimum establish-
ment on the last day of the Volunteer year.
149. Applications for advance of capitation will not be con-
sidered unless under urgent circumstances which must be
indorsed by the Officer in Command of the District, and in no
case can they be entertained until the Appropriation Act for
the financial year has been passed by Parliament.

CAMPS.

150. A camp may be held in a district once a year for three
     or more consecutive days, exclusive of the days of arrival and
     departure.

151. Volunteers attending at a camp will be granted free
     passes by railway, and an allowance of 2s. 6d. per diem if pre-
     sent during the whole period of the camp.

152. The Officer in Command may appoint such temporary
     staff from the officers and non-commissioned officers of corps as
     may be required to carry on the duties of the camp.

153. Camp equipage, if in store and available, will be sup-
     plied on loan as far as practicable, but all losses and deficiencies
     which are not satisfactorily accounted for will be charged
     against the capitation grants of the corps forming the encamp-
     ment.

154. Artillery Volunteer corps will be permitted to form
     encampments for gun practice at such stations only where this
     practice can be carried on.

155. No attack is to be made by any Volunteer corps by night
     or by day on any quarters or encampment of Volunteers unless
     a mutual understanding between Officers in Command has first
     been arrived at.

156. Volunteers attending at a camp are not to be allowed to
     quit their lines or billets except in uniform.

157. Attendance at an encampment will not be allowed to
     reckon towards qualification for capitation.

158. At least two drills per diem, each of not less than an
     hour and a half's duration, are to be held on each working day
     in which the camp is formed.

159. A non-commissioned officer is to be placed in charge of
     the camp equipage issued to each corps, and it will be his special
     duty to see that the equipment is returned to store or handed
     over to an authorized person complete and in proper order.

COURTS OF INQUIRY.

160. A Court of Inquiry is not a judicial body; and has no
     power to administer an oath. It is to be considered as a
     Board of which the Commanding Officer of a District may
     make use to assist him in arriving at a correct conclusion on any
     subject upon which it may be expedient for him to institute
     an inquiry.

161. If it be found necessary to cause the conduct of an
     officer to be investigated by Court of Inquiry, the Defence
     Minister, or the Officer Commanding the District, with the
     sanction of the Defence Minister, can alone convene the Court,
     which in such a case must be composed exclusively of officers of
     the Militia, Volunteer, or Armed Constabulary Forces.

162. The duties of a Court of Inquiry, unless otherwise
     ordered, will be to collect and arrange evidence, and to give
     an opinion as to the facts established by that evidence; but it
     has no power to pronounce any judgment as to the course to
     be taken by the convening authority in dealing with these
     facts.

163. When facts connected with the conduct of an individual
     are submitted to the investigation of a Court of Inquiry, it is
     necessary that the instructions for the guidance of the Court
     should be sufficiently explicit as regards matters, names, dates,
     and places, to convey clearly to the Court the nature of the
     subject into which it is appointed to inquire, and also to enable
     the person whose conduct is called in question to know what he
     has to answer.

164. It rests with the authority who orders the assembly of
     a Court of Inquiry to decide whether it shall be open or
     closed.

165. All evidence taken by a Court of Inquiry is to be re-
     corded as nearly as possible in the words of the witnesses, and
     in the order in which it is received.

166. The proceedings, when closed, are to be signed by the
     President and members, after which they are to be forwarded
     by the President to the convening authority.

167. A Court of Inquiry may be reassembled as often as the
     convening authority may deem necessary; and on every occa-
     sion of its meeting it is competent to receive and record new
     evidence.

168. The following declaration shall be made by the Presi-
     dent and members of every Court of Inquiry: "I, A. B., do
     declare upon my honour that I will duly and impartially in-
     quire into the matters to be brought before this Court. I
     further declare upon my honour that I will not on any account
     or at any time disclose or discover my own vote or opinion, or
     that of any particular member of the Court, unless required to
     do so by competent authority."

169. A record of such declaration, having been taken, shall be
     entered in the proceedings of the Court.

DISCIPLINE.

170. Meetings are not to be held for the purpose of express-
     ing an opinion upon the acts of a Commanding Officer, or of re-
     commending any particular course of action; nor are memorials
     to be drawn up to the same effect; and no meetings, except
     those called together by or under the authority of the Com-
     manding Officer of a corps or battalion, who will be responsible
     for doing so, will be recognized. If any officer or Volunteer
     has cause to think himself aggrieved, he will represent his case
     through his Commanding Officer to the Officer Commanding
     the District; any appeal against the decision of the Officer
     Commanding the District will be made through that officer for
     transmission to higher authority.

171. Officers and Volunteers of a corps or battalion are not
     individually or collectively to attend political meetings or join
     in public political discussions or demonstrations in uniform.

172. Although it is intended that every opportunity shall be
     given for inquiry into well-founded complaints and the redress
     of grievances, officers and Volunteers will be personally respon-
     sible if they prefer complaints of a litigious, frivolous, or mali-
     cious character.

173. When a Volunteer has been dismissed for misconduct,
     a notification of the fact, with the cause of dismissal, will be
     inserted in district, corps, and battalion orders.

174. Disobedience of orders or any disrespect shown to any
     officer must be instantly reported to the Officer Commanding the
     corps or battalion; and it is earnestly to be impressed upon all
     ranks that discipline depends so essentially upon obedience to
     non-commissioned officers that not only must all commissioned
     officers see that it is always duly enforced, but non-commis-
     sioned officers failing to report any contempt or neglect of their
     authority will be liable to be instantly reduced.

175. An arrest is held, in accordance with the custom of the
     military service, to mean a suspension from all military duty
     and participation in rifle-shooting until the case leading to
     such arrest may be disposed of.

176. When an officer or Volunteer is placed under arrest he
     cannot be released except by order of his Commanding Officer.

177. Duty with a corps is held to mean not only presence
     under arms on parade, but the performance of all administra-
     tive duties of a military nature in or out of uniform.

178. Any Volunteer who fails to produce, for inspection, as
     required, or on dismissal from the force for misconduct to
     deliver up any arms, accoutrements, or other property intrusted
     to his care within a reasonable time, will be proceeded against
     under the Volunteer Act.

179. Volunteers in uniform shall give the military salute to
     His Excellency the Governor and to all commissioned officers of
     the Military Forces of this colony, and officers of Her Majesty's
     Service, when in uniform.

180. Officers of corps or battalions are required to report,
     through the proper channel, all breaches of discipline and
     neglects of duty to the Officers Commanding the District.

181. If any member of the Volunteer Force shall, while
     under arms, on duty or parade, or while engaged in military
     exercise or drill, or while wearing his uniform and going or
     returning from any place of exercise or assembly, disobey the
     lawful command of his superior officer, or be guilty of miscon-
     duct, he may, if an officer, be placed under arrest by his superior
     officer; and, if not an officer, be fined any sum not exceeding
     £3; and, further, he may be suspended pending a recom-
     mendation being approved of for his dismissal from the Volun-
     teer Force.

182. Any officer or Volunteer proved to have written to a
     newspaper on matters connected with his corps, or to have
     called in question the act of any superior officer, shall, if an
     officer, be liable to be deprived of his commission, and, if a
     Volunteer, be liable to be fined a sum not exceeding £3 and
     to be summarily dismissed the force.

183. Officers and non-commissioned officers of the staff will
     be held responsible that they do not allow themselves to be
     complimented, either directly or indirectly, by means of presents
     or collective expressions of opinion from persons who are serving
     or who have served in the corps to which they are or have been
     attached.

184. No Volunteer is to reply to an officer or non-com-
     missioned officer when found fault with on duty or in the
     ranks.

185. When a Volunteer on duty wishes to address an officer,
     he must be accompanied by a non-commissioned officer.

186. No Volunteer is to address in writing an officer on any
     subject connected with duty.

187. No Volunteer is to fall out of the ranks without
     permission.

188. Commissioned officers and Sergeants only are permitted
     to wear side-arms when off duty, and then only the authorized
     weapons of their respective ranks.

MUSTER PARADE.

189. In the second month of the last quarter of the Volunteer
     year Officers Commanding Districts shall order a muster
     parade of each corps in their command, at which every enrolled.