VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 211, 6 September 1899, Page 3

VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

(By llifleman.)

Lieut.-Colonel Murray returned from Wellington on Monday by the s.s. Eotoiti.

The fine music of the Thames Naval Band was one of the features of v the naval parade last Sunday.

Tho quarterly examination of officers is taking place to-day in the Drill Hall. Among the candidates holding acting-appointments are Lieuts. Walker and D'Arcy, of the Auckland Engineers, Lieut. Shaw, of the No. 2 Victorias, and Lieut. O'Sullivan, of the Newton Rifles.

The No. 1 and No. 3 Natives and the Auckland Itifles parade for inspection and drill this evening; the Devonport Navals on Friday evening; the Ponsonby Navals, Engineers and Auckland Bearer Corps on Monday evening next.

A course of ambulance drill for volunteers belonging to the various garrison corps will be commenced this evening, two men being detailed from each corps.

The Auckland Engineers ■will elect a captain at their parade next Monday evening; there will also be a vacant lieutenancy to fill.

Captain J. P. Oakes, of the No. 2 Natives' Rifles, left yesterday for Christchurch, Avhere he intends to settle.

It has been decided to form a local Volunteer 'Cricket Association, but Avhether the membership will be confined to companies in the No. 1 Battalion, or extended so as to admit all garrison corps, has not yet been settled.

The Devonport Torpedo Corps will hold their annual social in St. Benedict's Hall on Friday evening. The tickets have sold remarkably well, and a vei-y successful function is anticipated.

Jt would be. hard to equal Vie. Mounted Rifle Clulow's bit of horsemanship at Sale lately. Whilst a horse harnessed to a buggy, in which was seated a little boy, was bolting' in the main street Clulow (says the "Bulletin") raced up alongside and, whilst: at full gallop, jumped out of the saddle into the buggy and pulled the horse up.

The. funds of the King's College Cadet Corps must have benefited materially by the dramatic entertainment given at the Opera House on Monday evening. The building was crowded to the doors. The exhibition drill of the Cadet Corps was exceedingly good; the audience were obviously impressed and applauded the youthful warriors with great heartiness. The "old" bayonet exercise, which is more interesting to watch than tlie new style, was gone through remarkably well.

Lieut. T. Taylor has resigned his acting-appointment as lieutenant in the Auckland Mounted Eifles. Owing to pressure of business he did not present himself for examination at the last quarterly examination and was instructed in consequence that he required re-election by the corps before he could present himself again. Why this should be necessary is not clear, as in several cases extension of time has been granted when an officer, on, account of bona fide business engagements, wae unable to pro up for examination at the appointed time.

Captain Owen, the new Adjutant of the New Zealand Military Forces, was at- one time in Ihe Volunteer Artillery of New South. Wales, and "was a member of the Soudan contingent. There is already an adjutant for the Auckland district, anil the Defence Department has not yet decided in which centre Captain Owen will be stationed. His duties will bp to assist the oilicer in command of the district to which he is allotted.

According to British small-arm experts, the British military (Lee-Met-ford and Lee-Eufleld) rilles are not "in the same street" with the Mauser (with which the Boers are armed) for power, accuracy, and reliability of mechanism. And when to this are added the considerations that the Loer artillery is also superior to the British, and that the British "Mark IV." ammunition (from which so much was expected) is an utter failure —the campaigning prospects of Bull in Safrica are none too rosy after all. Britain's great advantage is the fact of the Boers being utterly shut in and unable to get further war-stores. —Sydney "Bulletin."

Recently an attempt was made by some members of the Christchurch Engineers to institute long-distance signalling. An arrangement was made with a party to signal from the Port Hills to Mount Peel, which was to act as an intermediate station between Christchurch and Waimate. Owing to the fact of the weather being unsuitable, the task had to be abandoned, but another attempt will be made shortly, and it is not at all improbable that communications will be established with Dunedin.

Mr W. S. Richards, V.D., who wa3 a member of thirty-one years' standing- in the South Middlesex V.H.C., recntly fired eleven rounds on the Staines range at GOO yards, making an inner for a sighting shot, and ten consecutive, bull's-eyes with the remaining cartridges. Mr Richards is sixty-eight years of age.

Lord Roberts, V.C., is of opinion that too many young men in the ranks is likely to be the cause of military failure, of indifferent strategy, or of want of discipline.

Colonel Adye, R.A.,has the following very sensible remark on the necessity of colonial defence: —"European wars mays involve us once in a century or generation smaller campaigns may frequently arise, but the duty of maintaining our foreign (colonial) armies and garrisons in a state of efficiency continues from day to day, and knows no intermittance. For this reason it constitutes our most pressing obligations."

There is no truth whatever in the statement, which has gone the rounds recently, that it is the intention of Lord Wolseley to resign the Comman-dership-in-chief. It is a fact that he has been unwell, but he is now much better, and after a short holiday which he is intending to give himself, he will, we trust, be quite well (says an English paper). Meanwhile, it is quite certain that Lord Wolseley will not be harried out of office by newspaper paragrahps, never mind by whom manufactured.

Colonel Maitland, 8.G.C., says:—"No strength in numbers, individual bravery, nor excellence of individual units will really make an army formidable in the field, unless its organisation has been brought to a high pitch of perfection, which required standard cannot be attained nor approached if the field armjr is not organised and maintained in the time of peace."