It wan to the effect that no more than three persons to every hurt dred of <ho population should be allowed to volunteer. That would be re ducing the strength below what: some places would require. Making- tho dis trict population a test would be wrong.' The population of the whole Colony should be tho test. As to Volunteers.in. tho South Inland, no one could pretend to Bay that there was the «amo necessity for keeping up a Volunteer force thcro as in the North Island. Some day or other it might be required to defend the Colony from outward attack ; but it wati not started with that intention. In the North Island tho people were obliged to defend themselves against tho Natives. The number might be limited, but let them be where they were wanted. He would have no objection to the first-class MiJilia being culled out, but where was the money to come from to pay them. Ho would iiif.e to have agreed with the honorable gentle man, for, when lie held the office of De fence Minister, no man could have paid more attention to tho duties of his office. Mr M'LEAN viewed the matter in the same light as the honorable member for New Plymouth. Nothi- g was more desirable than that a force such as the Militia, both in the North ahd Middle Inlands, nhould be under the control of tho Assembly. Whoever had the paying of them should exercise a certain amount of control. It might be said that the General Government would do bo, not withstanding that tho pay was'Provincial: Wherever the Provinces and the General Government had to'pay. conjointly, it would lead to misunderstandings that ought to be avoided as far as possible. There were two questions on which tho General Government should reserve to itself unlimited control. Those were the Militia and the Native question. He did not think there ought, in it; gard to tho defence of tho country, to be any deviation from the principle that the.Govcrnmentought to retain in its own handa the control of the forces. 