VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 289, 5 December 1900, Page 3

VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

(B|y Rifleman.)

The "E" Battery (Christchurch) are adopting1 khaki for a working uniform.

The Auckland Mounted Eifles will go into camp at the outer Domain on Saturday.

The Minister of Defence lias approved the formation of a, submarine mining' corps for Wellington.

Next Saturday afternoon the- Auckland. Naval Artillery complete their ten days' under canvas at Devonport.

With v view of encouraging" the cadet movement, the Government are granting- £1 capitation for each efficient cadet. This is with a view of getting the bo3 r& to come forward.

The tallest man in the Denniston Volunteer Corps (Canterbury) is Mr Cfeo. Learmouth, 6ft 7in, his brother James Coming- next, 6ft 3jin., and two more tie at 6ft 2in. The average height is sft 9in, and Qhest measurement 3Sin.

The New Zealand Contingent for the Australian Commonwealth celebrations includes eight members of Maori corps in the Wairarapa, one of whom is Lieut. Rieinene.

In the course of his speech of welcome to the returning New Zealand troopers last week at Wellington, Mr Seddon announced that it was intended to give all returning troopers a month's furlough on full pay.

The quarterly examination of officers commenced at the Drill Hall at 10 a.m. to-day. The Board of Examiners on this occasion are Lt.-Col. White (president), Major Pirie, and Capt. McKenzie.

A number of appointments to noncommissioned rank have been made from the ranks of the No. l Battalion, in order to have all vacancies filled for the encampment.

The newly-formed cycle, corps, wlio have now received their uniforms, an? in earajj with the No. 1 Battalion. The week's 'training will help them along a lot in their drill.

.Among the candidates for the officers' examination to-day are Lieut. Hugh Boscawen, of the No. 3 Natives, Lieut. Tapper, of the Engineers, and Lieut. F. Brittain, of the Seddon Horse.

The Devonport Coastguards g-o into camp on Friday next at Devonport, for their annual 10 days' instruction. During- t'Ji e - encampment they will go through their competitive practice at the forts. ".. '

The six-pounder Nordenfeldts which according to a Christehurch. wire caused "quite a sensation" when the "E" Battery took them out on parade are not new guns by any means. They had until recently been used by the "D" Battery at Wellington, whence they were shipped to Christehurch, .after the "D" Battery appropriated the new guns from England.

The 'Government has placed in Wellington an order for 500 hats for t"he volunteers. It is stated (adds the telegram) that the hats produced here are equal to the imported article and less costly. If the order is satisfactory fulfilled, it is intended to obtain the whole of the s\ipplies required by tender.

The "A" Battery are now in camp at tne Outer Domain, where they propose to> remain till next Saturday week. Their annual shot and shell practice takes place next Saturday, at either Onehunga or Howick. In the absence of Captain O'Brien, Lieut. Lip-scombe is in command of the camp, and Lieut. Bosworth., recently returned from South Africa, is in camp with his old corps.

A national badge is wanted for New Zealand volunteers. It is to be of metal, for wearingl on the collar of the tunic. The Defence Department, it is understood, will shortly advertise particulars of. what it .wants in the matter. At present various badges are worn. It is desdred to have one that sha.ll be worn by every New Zealand volunteer, to indicate the colony that he belongs to, apart from any badge betokening his corps or the branch of the Defence force in which he senres.

The Akarana Rifle Club held a sweepstake match at their range at Avondale last Saturday. The ranges were 300, 500 and 600 yaras. five shots at each range. Mr* Mclntosh wou the match with a score of 76, the other chief scorers being Mr Doughty 72, Mr E. Buchanan 72. Mr Thorne 70. Mr Maughan 70, and Mr Morgan 66.

The North Canterbury Infantry Battalion will shortly be dressed in khaki. The shade adopted is that known as green khaki, and the material woollen. This will make the ba.ttalion one of the best dressed in the colony.

Another Balaclava hero has gone to his rest. Colonel Harring-ton Trevelyan, whose death has been announced from Glasgow, was a very young captain when he irode.with his regiment, the 11th Hussars, in the Light Brigade charge. Sir Roger Palmer Is now the only surviving officer of that regiment who went through the "valley of death."

Writes a correspondent of the London "Daily Mail": "Her Majesty has shown her aprpeeiation of the devotion of her Irish soldiers by forming the. Irish Guards*. Would it be possible to confer a similar honour upon the colonies by forming a regiment—recruited solely from colonialbred men —to be known as 'The Colonial Guards?' "

The No. 1 Battalion have been most fortunate in getting; such splendid weather for their week xinder canvas at the Domain. It is lucky for them they have so little rain, for some of the tents which have seen better times are anything but waterproof. However, except for one or two showers, brilliant weather has pTevaiiled so far, and the vohmteei's have In consequence been very comfortable in camp. What with drill morning- and evening, and strict attention to discipline, the week's training1 should have a beneficial effect. The battalion strikes camp next Saturday afternoon.

Lieut. Mackay having" sent in his resig-nation, the Ponsonby Naval Artil-lery-are now looking- round for a successor, and also for a man to fill the third lieutenancy in the corps. Owing to the difficulty experienced in getting suitable outsiders —men who are prepared to work up for the stiff examination which artillery officers are required to pass—the new officers will probably be selected from the noncommissioned ranks of the company. A 7neeting of the corps will be held next Monday evening1, to receive nominations for the vacant positions.

The first portion of the Auckland Naval Artillery's competitive big1 grin practice took place at Fort Takapuna on Saturday morning-, wlien the two slix-inch gams were manned. The performance was rather an uneven one, for while One gain crew broke the record for rapidity of fire from six-inch guns with 9 shots m the ten minutes, the other crew only got off two shots. The result of the firmg1 has not yet been announced. Rumour has been busy as to the number of hits recoa-d----ed, but with how much truth I cannot say. The corps complete their firing next Saturday morning', when the final result will doubtless be made known.

The week before last I mentioned that the first submarine mines in the colony were laid at Auckland by Sir Arthur Douglas, the present Undersecretary for Defence. The statement called forth a contradiction from ''•Palliseiy' which was printed last week without comment. Since then, however, I have made further inquiries, and find that "Palliser" is wide of the mark. The real facts are tjhpse:—Retired Lieutenant Arthur Douglas, E.N. (now Retired Commander Sir Arthur Douglas, Batft, R.N.) designed the field and system for the mines, as Colonial Naval Officer in command of the colony. These mines were placed in position off Fort Cautley, Auckland, by Retired Lieutenant Herbert Archer, E.N. (now Retired Commander R.N.), assisted by Sub-Lieut. Stapleton, R.N., of H.M.S. Nelson, tha,t young officer being lent for this work, with two Chief Petty Officers and eight seamen ginmerjs,. by thy Admiral (the late Admiral Tryon). Associated with the party were a picked body of 30 men from the Permanent Force. To those mentioned, and those alone, belongs the credit, of laying the sub-marine defences. It was dangerous work, and arduous, extending over three months in the depth of winter, and at all hours.

The members of the Permanent Artillery who left for England, via Sydney, by the Monowai a. week ago, to undergo a course of instruction under Imperial instructors, were each (says the "New Zealand Times") made an actings-corporal, for the purpose of giving- them a standing1 among- the Imperial troops, with whom they will be associated, tliat they would not otherwise possess. It is proposed that, at the termination of the period of training-, these men shall act as drill and gunnery instructors in different parts of the colony, but, of course, the attainment of these positions will depend on the progress they make and the reports on their fitness to act in the capacity mentioned.

A "Daily News" correspondent has been interviewing- Mr Hales in London. Mr Hales has a profound contempt for the average British officer, and positive adoration for Lord Kit-; chenere. "Instead of glory when they come home, glory and guzzling1, some of them should get three years—you know where," he said. Then he poured out diatribes and scqrn on the young gentlemen with their eyeglasses, their lisps, their hee-haw manners, their cigarettes, their drawling speech, their offensive arrogance, tflieir astonishing ignorance, their supercilious condescensions, their worship of dress, their love of luxury, their appaling incompetence. "Many a one I've asked why he scuttled. 'Tommy, lad, why did you run, or why did you throw up your hands?' I'd say. "'What's the good of being killed?' he'd answer. ''E don't know where 'c are,' meaning his officer. 'I'd go anywheres if I'd a man toshowmethe way.' I believe if Kitchener had been chief in command he'd have shot some of those officers who isuilrvndertrfi. Why, your average officer hasn't a mind above golf or cricket. He knows nothing of drill. He can't ride. Your mounted infanta's a farce. What did Napoleon do, and I suppose he was the greatest soldier that ever lived? Got them from the ranks. Who'd make such' a good officer as a sergeant-major?"