VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 230, 28 September 1899, Page 3

VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

(By Rifleman.)

The handsome silver-mounted belt presented to the Auckland Mounted Rifles by Lieut. J. Knight was fired for on Saturday afternoon, at the Mt. Eden Rifle Range. About thirty members of the corps competed. The ranges were 200 yds (sitting) and 300 yds (lying down), seven shots, with sighters, at each range, the .303 rifles being used. The winner proved to be Corporal Jas. Ferguson, who is thus entitled to hold the trophy for one year. It is a pity that the regulations forbid the wearing of prize-belts on parade. Good shooting should be encouraged as much as possible, and the privilege of wearing a belt for marksmanship would undoubtedly act as an incentive in this direction. The officers and non-coms, of the No. 1 Battalion are being instructed in musketry under the supervision of Major White. They will be put through the whole course, including Morris tube shooting, and will then be in a position to impart the instruction to their several companies. It is ex- ! pected that a start will be made with Morris tube practice for recruits next week. Six targets will be provided at the Drill Hall, so that when three companies are on parade there will be a couple of targets available for each company, ! Very little activity appears to be evidenced here in connection with volunteering for service in the Transvaal, The idea is being taken up more readily in the South, and Canterbury in particular is to the fore with an offer of men. One thing seems very clear— that any contingent sent by New Zealand wiil consist exclusively of mounted men. It is said that several of the Auckland Mounted Infantry are prepared to volunteer for the Transvaal. The Mounted Infantry have not yet decided upon a successor to Lieut. T. Taylor (resigned). An election for the position of second lieutenant will be held at Saturday afternoon's parade. Volunteers will regret to learn that Lieutenant George Watson, of the Ponsonby Navals, intends resigning at an early date. He is one of the most popular and capable officers in the Auckland volunteer force, and his retirement will be felt by his own corps very much, The Defence Department will shortly issue a book embodying Rifle Exercises, etc., and the New Zealand Musketry Regulations, which is to replace the book at present in use. The book, which will be illustrated, is being compiled by Major Madocks, A.D.C. to Colonel Pole-Penton. A Mauser self-loading 10-shot pistol, said to. be the most powerful kind of pistol in existence, is on view in Mr W. H. Hazard's window. It is a curi-ous-looking weappn and has attracted a good deal of attention. While weighing little more than a revolver, it appears to have most of the advantages of a magazine rifle. A bullet from the Mauser pistol .can penetrate seventeen inches of pine, and will travel a mile. Six shots a second can be fired, or between SO and 100 a minute, and a wooden stock like that of a rifle ensures steadiness of aim. The pistol is sighted up to 540 yards. The Christchurch "Press" is responsible for the statement that the Mar-tinj-Henry rjfle will be used at the

next Association meeting in Wanganui. This has doubtless been decided upon owing to the fact that South Island volunteers have not yet received ' the .303 weapon. There is no doubt : that the marksman using the latter rifle has a, decided advantage over a competitor shooting with the MartiniHenry. It is a question also whether the Wanganui range is suitable for the long range rifle. It is understood that the officers of the several naval artillery corps purpose going hi for up-to-date mess uniforms. Some little time ago rumour had it that the officers of the Auckland Infantry Battalion had decided upon ordering a full-dress with a view to attending social functions, but only one or two appeal- to have gone in for it.

Last night the forts were manned by the naval artillery corps for practice in repelling a mimic attack on Auckland by water. The South battery at the North Head was manned by the Auckland Navals, under Lieut.-Com-mander Clemens, the North Battery and Fort Cautley by the Ponsonby Navals, under Lt. Commander Patterson, and Fort Takapuna by the Devonport Coastguards under Capt. Napier, while a detachment of the Auckland Navals occupied Fort Resolution, on the south side of the harbour. The torpedo launch "Isabella," assuming for the nonce the role of an attacking cruiser, came in from the Rangitoto Beacon towards the harbour mouth. The electric light at the North Head was turned on the advancing boat, and the guns were manned arid run up for action. There was a good muster of each company, and the men went through their work well. Assistance in range finding, etc., was given by members of the Permanent Artilery. It cannot be too strongly impressed upon every volunteer that the capacity of a corps can only be attained by the constant attendance at parade of every individual who can possibly go. Anything short of this is likely 1o bring volunteering into disrepute, and men who will not attend when they can arc as likely to make good volunteers as they are to shine in any other department of life.—"Canterbury Times." A" Parliamentary return shows that the cost of the Permanent Force for the year ending March 31, 1899, was £51,288. This includes £10,158 for harbour defence. The cost of the volunteer force for the same period was £53,710. Sydney cyclists have been tryinghard for months past to have a military cycle corps established in their midst, and now that Major General French, Commandant of the N.S.W. Military Forces, has expressed himself as" favourable to the movement, great interest has been taken in the matter, and a widely signed petition has been presented to the Minister of Defence urging the formation of a cycle corps at once. Although there are at present in existence sections of cycle corps attached to the militia in several of the colonies, there is no complete cycle regiment in Australia, so that if the Sydney movement meets with success there is every likelihood of similar corps being formed in the other Australian colonies.

The Sydney "Bulletin," discussing the proposal to send an Australian volunteer couting-eut to* the Transvaal, suggests "that Maoriland, N.S.W., and Queensland, if they must needs go to war, should hit somebody nearer to their own size instead of wading in against a smull State that has done them no harm, und that is already facing odds of over 500 to 1. . . . If any section of the Australian people feels so patriotically fervent that it must go and hit one of the smallest States in the world, it should pay its own passage, and buy its own gun, and do the whole thing at its own expense. The individual who is so consumed with patriotic ardour that he must be paid good wages for letting his feelings loose is a fraud and a hypocrite and a mercenary." The Christ's College Rifles (Christchurch) have gone in for scarlet uniforms, and can now claim to be, in the matter of full-dress, the best-dressed corps in the district. The new tunio is scarlet, faced with yellow, the cuffs being black, with yellow braid. The collar is of blue velvet, bound with yellow, while the new pattern gilt buttons help to "set off" the uniform. The Akarana Rifle Club will formally open the season with a teams' match at their range at Avondale next Saturday, when non-members of the club are invited to take part in the shooting. The club is one which deserves every encouragement, The members have by their own energy possessed themselves of an admirable range, whose only drawback is its distance from town. Even this, however, has its advantages, for it saves the club from those nervpus individu--als who are so ready to write to the papers about "the dangerous condition" of this rifle range or that. Besides, the drive out to the range on a fine day is very pleasant. When tho membership is larger no doubt tho railway authorities will see their way to arrange, their time-table so as to allow the shootists to reach Avondale by train. This would shorten tho journey considerably, bringing tire range within easy distance of town. I am surprised that more of our volunteers do not join this club. If they want good "coaching" and plenty of practice at the butts —and most of them need both —they could not do better than fill in their Saturday afternoons on the Akarana range. Apart altogether from its military value, rifle-shooting as a sport is hard to beat, as any "old hand" will tell you, The match next Saturday will be between teams picked on the ground, and the ranges to be fired are 200 yds, 500 yds, and 000 yds, seven shots at each range. A brake leaves the Metropolitan Hotel at .1.15 p.m. sharp, proceeding via Newton and Archhill, Amunitlon, both Martini-Henry and .303, may be obtained on the range.