VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 239, 7 October 1903, Page 6

VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

(BY RIFLEMAN.)

The band performance at Onehunga,which .the rain -prevented last Sunday, is to come off next Sunday.

Among the competitors in the gun and sword exercises at the military gymkhana next month will be detachments of the A Battery.

Tlie Devonport Coastguard Artillery Volunteers arc to parade to morrow evening at Devonport. for big gun diill at Fort Cautley.

Bandmaster Eugene Hulse, of Auckland, a well known -and competent musician, is contributing -an interesting series of articles to the "N.Z. Graphic," entitled "The Bra-ss Bandsman."

A lecture on defence matters is to be given to-night at the Drill Hall to the members of bhe Auckland Naval Artillery, and Should at the present time prove inte-rest-iug and instructive.

Corporal Morey again won the Gordon Rifles' miniature ramie competition last week- with a score of 19. Sergeant Graham leads in the aggregate, aud the No. 3 section hi the section aggregate.

•The cost of volunteering in the colony during the last six years has been as fol-low|i:--Aucklan.w. £71,989; AVellington, £95,525; Nelson, £31,503; Canterbury, £69,250; Otago, £79,902.

Inspection parade of the No. S Garrison Artillery on Monday evening next: classfiring for the Auckland Mounted Rifles at Penrose next Saturday; lecture to Auckland Navals to-night: competition tor Mr S. It. Howie's trophy by the College Rifles at Mount Kd/ui next Saturday; shooting match, Gordons v. No. 2 Natives, at Mount Eden next Saturday.

The A Battery last Tihnrs-day received their monthly inspection, and after drill the prize won in the recent match between the married and single men were distributed. Captain Bosworth's gold pin for the highest score among the bachelors was won by Gunner Browne, and Corporal Greenhough's set of carvers for the married men was won by Lieut. Hazard.

Sir William Russell has given notice to ask the .Minister of Defence if he will cause returned troopers injured in the South African war, or other deserving persons incapacitated in the Government service, to be employed as doorkeepers at Parliament Buildings, so as to alkiw the Permanent Artillerymen now performing that dutyto be employed on duly more consonant with their functions as soldiers.

The right and centre troops of the A squadron of the Auckland Mounted Rifles paraded at Otahuhu last Saturday with the intention of marching to Wairoa Soutli to meet the Wairoa men in slmm fight. The weather, however, cnusced the dismissal of the parade. A few of the officers and men. however, rode through to Wairoa, where Captain Wallis and the P> squadron received and entertained them at a smoke concert. On Sunday morning the combined squadrons attended a church parade.

The Military Pensions Act Amendment Bill, recently before Parliament, provides that where any person during -military service has received injury, whether in action or in the course of his military service, or contracted illness directly attributable to such service, the Covernor may. on the recommendation of the Board, grant a pension. If such injury cause death, the pension may he granted to ihe wife and children, or the mot her or sister who before such injury or illness was dependent upon him for maintenance. Claims must be made within one year of the passing of the Act.

A match was fired between the Auckland Engineers and the Seddon Horse at Takapuna on Saturday last, when a good day's shooting was done. The conditions were: Ten men a side, aud 10 shots lying at 300 yards. The match ended in a win tor the Engineers by 33 points. The Sedd-on Horse kindly supplied refreshments, which were much appreciated by the men. The scores were as follow:—Seddon Horse: Troopers Dawson 42. E. Roper 42. Q.M.S. Lisk 40. J. Lisle 40, F. Moriec» 40, Corp. Roper 30, Bin-che-r 35. J. Collins 35, McKay 32. Sergeant Birmingham 2S: total, 370. Engineers: Serjeant Robinson 45,Lieut. ITewson 13. Q.M.S. McGregor 43. Sappers Sinclair 42. Courtney 40. Conbriek 40. Dow 30. Mitchell 37, Sergt.Mainr Robertson 37, Sergeant Robertson 37: total, 403.

The suicide of a German soldier named Kruse led to the arrest of a non-commis-sioned officer named Dunkel, who was charged with cruelty anil misuse of his powers in no fewer than 570 instances. Dunkel. who possessed high testimonials as an instructor, was put: in charge of a number of recruits, of whom many were Poles and spoke German imperfectly. Dunkel kicked and beat the men as he pleased, and invented a number of cruel punishments for small or imaginary offences. One recruit was obliged to knock his head against a cupboard several times at the word of command, and another had to-march one hundred yards with flints in his boots. The Court found that Dunkel had been guilty in at least 300 of the instances of which evidence had been given, and sentenced him to degradation and two and a half years' im- jprisonnient. A subaltern named Sta.hl was sentenced to one week's confinement to quarters for failing to report Dunkel on one occasion.

"The American and British Itifles" are composed of American and British men who, having fought, in the army or navy beneath one or both flags, have formed themselves into a special corps at San Francisco with the sanction and recognition of the State of California. Its members include mon who have fought the Maoris in Now Zealand, the Zulus, the Mntabele, and the Boers in South Africa, the Spaniards in Cuba and in the Philippines, the Filipinos, the Redskins, the Afghans, and the Samoans. This is rather a heterogenous gathering, but according to "The Army and Navy Register" of Washington "they feel themselves bonded together by the kinship of blood, that birthmark of friendship which they desire to keep ever true and firm as a bond of comradeship between the two great (English-speaking peoples of the world." The corps has a coat of arms, supported by crossed rifles and flanked by the eagle and the Hon with a ribbon of blue find red bearing the motto '"Quis separabit"—"a sentiment." adds our American contemporary, "which we trust may long signify the goodwill between the Great Republic and the British Empire."