TENTH BATTERY.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17702, 2 March 1923, Page 5

TENTH BATTERY.

TO-DAY'S SHOOT. The 10th Battery, N.Z.A., commenced a six days' continuous course of training on Monday. The course includes training in gun laying, foot drill, Lewis gun'work, and signalling, and is being carried out at Hagley Park,under Captain W. Earnshaw, M.C., and SecondLieutenant Moore. On Wednesday, owing to the unfavourable weather conditions, the training had to be done inside King Edward Barracks. .A tabloid athletic meeting which was to have been held on Wednesday was abandoned. The men have made splendid progress during the week, and are looking forward to the shoot with 18-pounder field guns which is to be held to-day with live shells across the estuary from Canal Eeserve, to the New Brighton sand spit. Firing will commence about 10.30 a.m., and will probably be finished, so far as this battery is concerned, early in the afternoon, after which the 9th Battery, whose shoot was spoiled a few weeks ago by rain, will go into action. Boating parties are warned to keep clear of the estuary until after 5.30 p.m. To ensure that no one gets in the line of fire, parties will be posted along the beach and at various other spots like"ly to be dangerous. Each battery, will have 75 rounds of ammunition to dispose of, and in view of the keenness of the artillery men it is expected that some capital shooting will be seen. As was the case a few weeks ago, the observation post will be on a hill near, the Mt. Pleasant road, and the results of the shooting will be telephoned from there to the battery position. The range will be about 13,750 yards, the targets being pieces of canvas on the sand spit. In order that there shall be a minimum of danger with regard to possible dud shells, all shells will be set with time fuses. On the occasion of the previous shoot, each shell fired was observed to burst, so there need be little apprehension of a live missile being subsequently found on the sandhills. . The course will finish to-morrow, when a number of' competitions will be held, trophies being given for the' best sub-section, gun layer, signaller, and Lewis guuner. Yesterday afternoon Major-General Sir E. W. Ohaytor, Commandant of the New Zealand Forces, inspected the men in training at Hagley Park. He was accompanied by Colonel Young, O.C. Trentham Command. It is felt that the present system of training at nights with an annual six days' continuous course could be improved on by substituting for it a course of three months' training in camp, with an annual refresher course of a Such a period would make the artillerymen as proficient as the reinforcements who underwent training at Trentham and Featherston during the war period. It would mean, of eourse, that the men would have to go into barracks at, say, Burnham, which place is well suited for the purpose. Such a departure, it is stated, would involve no addition to .the present staff, as a fresh draft of artillerymen could be trained every three months at periods which would interfere least with their civilian duties.