VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 150, 26 June 1901, Page 3

VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

(By "Rifleman.'7)

Private Nat him has been elected to the junior Lieutenancy of the JN'o. 1

Ohinernuri liiiles, and as he is an

energetic and hard-working volunteer

Ie ■■'iiould iu;ik,' a good officer

I uiuloi-KtumJ thai, Ihe cost of sending th^ n.eal troop.-; lo C'lirist\ linreh to arlend the review will lie some-

jthiiig like. i.';;i,fi:; enough 1;. give the '■ A'.u:!\liiud volunteer* a splendid drill t hail.

Ci:lotir-Ser.'.:'euiil (latlaml, of Coroniuiiciel, liin'iiiy moved to Wailii, has, I Miiderstand, been appointed to a like position in the \Ya:hi liiiles. lie will be a decided acquisition to the corps, as he is a capable instructor.

With some tour hundred members of the various local corps absent at Christchui'ch, volunteering has been practically at. a standstill this week. .Next, week, no doubt, the companies will settle down to work again.

General regivl was expressed throughout the Xu. 2 liallalion when ii was i'tpurlcd that, Major I'orrittwas resifjnin^ liis eoinrmmd. The report, however, I have found In be incorrect, although (.tn- major was on Hit' point c! doing si) owing to the treatment of his battalion in Auckluud.

'-'o! cnfeeiini- i?i evidently not on the '.vane in the (Jhinemuri district, as re-

emits are. continually coming in, and nearly all I he companies arc at their in I strength. Thi.-i is to a very great exient due to the energy of Major I'orritt in getting Hie permanent instructors stationed there. Sergt.Major Hourc is at present in Paeroa.

A country correspondent informs rue thai there is great dissatsi'acton at the country corps being ignored in the invitation for troops to go to Christcbureh. The only notice they had of it was in a paper arriving at Paeroa in the evening asking for names to be put in at; 10 a.m. on the same day. I understand quite a number would have gone from Thames ond Paeroa.

The continued delay in gazetting the formation of mounted infantry battalions is another instance of the way in which defence matters are allowed to drift. It is a fatuous policy, this "laisser faire" —letting things slide—for it only disheartens and disgusts the men who, with decent encouragement, would put their hearts into the movement and help it forward.

The final round for tho Morrin Cup, tired at VVaihi last Saturday, was won by Volunteer llasznrd. The Cup has. however, to be won twice before it can be taken possession of. Vols. Clarke, Parslow, and Samson have also a win ouch. The following- are the scores: — Vol. Haszurd, 01; Vol. f'arslow, 5;" i;

Vol. Morrison, SS; Vol. W. Samson 40; Vol. Clarke, 48: Vol. Cornea, 48: Vol. Heady. 37; Vol. McGee, .'!■(.

There am numerous enquiries being marie as to when the Brigade Office inlaiulo ar.rw., ~i- S +1n rl'Slllt OT TIIO district medal and volley firing competition. In the former contest Sergt. Shaw, of the No. 1 Ohinemuri liiftea, put up the fine score of K»2 out of a possible 120, and he is naturally tinxioiisj to know bow the matter stands. The competitions were both finished before the middle of March, so there should be some result announced by now.

It will doubtless bo of interest to volunteers to hear of the success of a New Zetilander at the Rand Rifle Association meeting, held some months ago at Johannesburg. At this meeting ex-Lieut. Avery, of the No. 1 Ohinemuri Rifles, who left Now Zealand with the First Contingent, was first in one match and second in another, and third (only three .points from the winner) in another. Lieut. Avery, then a corporal, won one of the Auckland district medals for 1899.

A remarkable invention has been patented by Mr C. A. Trotter, an Opunake blacksmith. It is a rifle sight that registers its own range, such a sight as has long been looked for by military experts, and for which the War Office is said to have offered a big sum. Mr Trotter has fitted his sight to a Martini-Henry. The calculation of the range is claimed to be done on a geometrical basis purely and independent of any knowledge on the parti of the shootist. The sight moves up and down inside a graduated iron guard, on which the ranges are engraved from :iOO to 1400 yards.

Referrring to the muster of 3000 cadets in Christehureh for the big review, the "Canterbury Times" says: "There is more in the presence of the cadets here than appears on the surface, as the cadet mobilisation movement is really the forerunner of a scheme which the Premier has had in hand for some years. The idea is to institute a thorough system of training the colony's youth, so that they will be able to join adult corps as trained men. It is thought that the cadet corps, if properly organised, will be a splendid recruiting ground for the volunteer force, and there is a likelihood that before long an endea.vour will be made to considerably extend the idea, which will be put into practice at the coming review."

The Wanganui writer, "Corporal Major," is responsible for the following:—Colonel Watt, at our last battalion parade, "hoped to be in a position to provide every man" in the proposed Wellington contingent with a waterproof sheet. I can safely predict that the New Zealand War Department will be found uuequal to the strain on its resources. There should be no dubiety on this point, if our forces are to have any but a paper strength. If any defined scheme of mobilisation exists, each district ought to have under its control, and at°its unreserved disposal, for military purposes, a complete camp equipment and transport, and until this has become an accountable fact, our progress in the art of war is impossible". Our future Commander-in-Chief (for which position Colonel Robin is named as a likely starter) will no doubt make an immediate move in this direction, and his tak in the way of organisation will be no sinecure.

The scandal in connection with the volunteer encampment at Newtown Park, Wellington, has caused a great stir throughout the colony. It's an ill wind that blows nobody good, and if this discreditable affair has the effect of opening the eyes of the country to the faults of the present management of our defence forces it will not be without its value. Already (here is talk of a. comprehensive i inquiry into the whole ry.stem of management. Without expressing an opinion on the conduct of the Commandant of th<.t Forces, whose case is to form me subject of enquiry, one may ooniidentJy ■ S;|.V that (he sympathies of most p-ople are with Ihe volunteers in this matter.

Speaking- vvitlj an old (Military instructor the other evening (say's an exchange), he deplored the fact that the volunteers of the present day are giving so little time to the. important work of gymnastics, musketry and bayonet lighting. The latter is dealt with in a measure by our present physical exercises, but not nearly to the same extent as it. should be. The whole of the ability of the soldier Tests upon his hardihood, and this can only be brought to a proper stage by the systematic training of his muscles. What is urgently needed here is a military gymnasium with a proper qualified 'instructor, the j work to be made a necessary part of : every volunteer's education. Unless I the muscles have been properly train- | cd, the chances are very um.ch against j a man becoming a successful shot, as i in this more than perhaps any work it is a healthy body which means .success.

It is admitted by all who have business with the local Defence Ofliee t hat the staff there have too much to attend to. Either the clerical work has to be done at the expense of the military work, or vice versa. And yet tiie remedy ha.s been suggested more than once in these columns, and .been favourably received by many who felt severely the inconvenience of the present system of management. The present Auckland Volunteer District is too large for the staff lemployed» Why not form a sub-district to include Thames, Ohiueiuuri, Te Aroha, and a portion of the Waikato, and establish a branch office >at Thames or Paeroa? This would relieve the main oilice of a vast amount of clerical detail work, and give the staff instructors more time for their proper work, which is instructing the volunteers in their drill. Moreover, with an olh'ce of their own at Thames, the country corps would receive far prompter attention than they can get at present. In fact, both town and country volunteers would benefit by this arrangement. 1 do not believe there would be my difficulty in getting one of the country volunteer officers to take up the duties of adjutant of the sub-dis-trict at a reasonable salary, and with a capable man the money would be well spent. The scheme is at, least worthy of the consideration of the volunteer authorities, in any case, it is time something was done to remedy the present unsatisfactory state of affairs.

A visit paid by a representative of the "Canterbury Times" to the (|iiarieis of the cadets at I he Christchiireh a- 1 oi-nuui iv ti-rtICU 11 IIJU.II UlH* graceful state of affairs. The whole place was in a state of dirt ami confusion that was simply astounding-. The class rooms, in which the boys had their meals, were fitted with long, roughly-made trestle tables, only a few feet apart, so that it was almost impossible to dowf. between the rows when (ne Soys were seated. Under the tables was a pile, literally several inches thick ,of mud, crusts, pieces of bread and meat, and other refuse. The tables themselves were littered with crumbs, jam, butter and grease. Every boy had to look after himself, passing his plate up to the head of the table, where the carver stands, and trusting in Providence to get it or somebody else's back. What the boys did not want they threw upon the floor, which, where visible through the accumulation of debris, was covered with damp mud. The dormitories were a little better, but were, nevertheless, far from satisfactory. The straw upon which the boys slept was littered all down the corridors .and along the aisles left between the lines of beds. Orange pee], pieces of bread, and mud also figured largely. The cause of this discreditable condition of affairs was altogether the want of supervision. This defect the Defence Department afterwards rectified, and the boys' quarters were greatly improved.