VOLUNTEER NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 145, 21 June 1899, Page 3

VOLUNTEER NOTES.

(Ity Rifleman.)

The Commandant of the Forces is inspecting the volunteer corps in the Hawke's ISay district this week.

When are the marksmen's badges won at the end of the last volunteer

year going to arrive. They are already about four months overdue. It is most unfair to the men who have qualified for the badges. But this is only one of the many instances of the want of encouragement given to shooting by the powers that be. Major Murray's idea of giving the companies physical drill and oayonet exercise on their drill nights during the winter instead of the infantry drill will be welcomed as an agreeable change. The course will extend over eight weeks, under the able instruction of Sergt.-Major Carpenter. These exercises are admirably adapted for strengthening the muscles and gene* rally "setting up" the men, if practised with regularity and thoroughness. Last evening the three companies on parade—Nos. 1 and 2 Victorias and College Rifles—were exercised together by the sergt.-major under the supervision of Major Murray. An election will be held shortly to fill the vacant captaincy of the No. 1 Natives Rifles, consequent on the resignation of Captain Montgomery. The hitter's resignation has not yet been gazetted, hence the delay in electing a successor. Messrs J. C. Parr, C. Tunks, and Jackson Palmer are being mentioned in connection with the vacancy. The Field Engineers have also to elect a captain, owing to the resignation of Captain McGee.

I hear that a drum and fife band is being' formed in connection with the College Rifles.

The departure of His Excellency the Governor for Wellington relieves the Permanent Artillery of their daily guard duty at Government House. The No. 1 Service Company has just been reinforced by the addition of a detachment from Wellington. The commissions of those officers who were successful in passing their examination about six months ago have just come to hand from Wellington. The results of the examinations held at the beginning of this month arc not yet known.

Mr P. O'Meagher has been elected Captain of the Te Aroha Rifles. T notice that at a smoke concert, in connection with this corps some outspoken remarks were made about the want of encouragement given to country corps, the principal grievance being the lack of efficient instructors. This appears to have been really the cause of the disbandment of the Karangnhake Company the other day. The country volunteers complain, and with good reason, that the Government instructors are monopolised by the town corps, or kept busy with clerical work in town when they might be giving country corps the benefit of their valuable instruction. Mr Herries, M.H.R., who was at the social referred to, seemed to think that the Government were not aware of these grievances of the country volunteers, and that they only required publicity in order to be righted. Fond delusion!

There seems no reason why the country companies should not have more instruction than they get at present, -without necessitating1 an increase in the present staff. Tt was intender! some time ago, I believe, that Sergt.-Major Carpenter should mal<e a round of the country districts for this purpose, but the No. 1 Battalion have so far had all the benefit of his services as instructor, much to the disappointment of the companies in the No. 2 Battalion. But now that nearly all the non-coms, of the First Battalion have qualified they should be competent to put recruits through their drill and relieve the sergt.-major of a good deal of his work in connection with the battalion, and so allow him to devote some attention to the country corps. At anyrate. if the latter want more instruction it is surely in the interests of volunteering that they should get it, rather than that a feeling of dissatisfaction should be allowed to spread

A new range "Will be needed at Christehurch when the -303 rifles are served out. But the volunteers there are not likely to be "left" as badly as their unfortunate brethren in Auckland, for a Mr J. Stanley Monck has generously offered the use. of part of his property as a rifle-range. The district staff will inspect the locality, and if it prove suitable no doubt they will take advantage of the offer. What a pity we have not got a J. Stanley Monek up here! Nothing further has been heard concerning- a new rifle range for Auckland, nor has anything been done towards starting Morris tube shooting. Half a loaf, is better than no bread, and if the defence authorities cannot find a range at present, there is nothing to prevent them giving the men Morris tube practice during the winter evenings. The 26th Middlesex Cyclist Corps took out with then* to the Easter manoeuvres a Maxim gun mounted on a pneumatic-tyred carriage. Gun and carriage weighed only 140 pounds and were at firs* drawn by a motor tricycle at 20 miles an hour. Afterwards to avoid accidents three single safeties weTe joined together in single file with bamboo rods, and the last bicycle similarly connected with the g-un carriage. In this way 15 miles an hour was accomplished on good roads. Each of the eight comprising the gun team rod e a. cycle and carried on his backwheel a box containing- 250 rounds in addition to Ms regulation bandolier. The unlimbering and getting1 the gun into position were very smartly done. The first practical step towards a closer liaison of the home and colonial troops of the Empire has (says a Home exchange) been taken by the arrival on Thursday of the detachment of New South Wales Lancers for training at Aldershot. Nothing could exceed the warmth of welcome accorded to the men as they marched through London. Their presence at Aldershot is an outcome of the Jubilee of two years ago, but this time the Lancers come over for serious business. This being the case, it is earnestly to be hoped that the good sense of those with whom they may be associated will cause them to be regarded as soldiers rather than guests. Otherwise far more harm than good will undoubtedly result from the new departure. The New York "World" is informed that Great Britain must make a big financial sacrifice if she wishes to avoid some form of conscription. The military authorities are said to be at their wits' end to stixmilntp recruiting. It was recently decided to add another battalion to the Scots Guards, bxit so few recruits came forward that it was decided to give per-

mission to enlist men from Ireland, as had often been done before. Despite the inducements of pay and position recently added, the army is only getting1 the dregs of the population. Scotland, especially, is backward. This state of things is attributed partly to the good condition of the labour market, and in Ireland to political feeling. Army reformers insist that the. difficulty can only be surmounted by pn.vnig at the rate of the labour market, and giving" soldiers two shilling-.'; a day clear, instead of deducting rations from that sum, as at present.

Says "Ranger" in the "Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News"; "Not long ago I came across one of the finest pistol-shots of American nationality at present in existence. His name is Frank Flynn, and I believe he is well-known throughout the United States, as well as in Canada. He is, indeed, said to be a finer marksman than even Ira Payne, Colonel Cody, Dr. Carver, Captain Bogardus, or Mr Walter Winans. Upon one occasion when Buffalo Bill, Bogardus, and others were firing at coins pitched into the air, Flynn, using his left hand only, threw up several needles which he struck again and again with bullets fired from a small gauge revolver. Frank Flynn is a remarkably small man, a fact to which his marvellous escape from death a few years ago may in a measure be attributed. At the famous political riots at Hot Springs, between one and two hundred bullets pentrated the closed vehicle in which he and his brothers were seated, and though one of the latter was shot dead, the other seriously wounded, and both horses killed, Frank Flynn escaped untouched.

A match was fired on Saturday afternoon last between the married and single members of the No. 1 Company W raikato Mounted Rifles, and the bachelors won by 30 points. The following are the scores, the ranges being 200 yds and 300 yds, seven shots each range: —Married: Captain Reid 39, Cor. A- Livingstone 33, Lance-Cor. Baker 30, T. A. Alexander 26, Vol. S. Steele 22, Sergt. Graham 19. Sergt, Manktellow 17; total 180. Single: Vol. Richardson 42, Vol. Eyre 40. Vol. Stevens 34, Vol. A- Melville 31, Vol. Delaney 28, Cor. Ramsay 21. Vol. Willoughby 20; total 210.