DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 75, 21 December 1907, Page 14

DEFENCE NOTES.

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Sdcretfrriesvof 1^ ■ aad&Jgj ii■■■■:.■.■■ BiQo Clubs, anj- t^.contribufe^'i ; 'itofts^bf ; 'int'erosb A foi>i'ins(^m'| , in<t'tlH» • ooljmm, v ■}■ 5 J r|J %, T ; ■ "I V FUTURE'vOS v THE HONto^BL^gl I ARTISKERY CCKSPANY/-' / R - ''Ac fact not generally. recognised' us that <ha' Honourable Artillery Cotapany ilf London is .'[the olde&t .military boay in tire Em,pire. ;J;Formed mor-'o than a crtitury Lwtoro •' ■ any other, it takes Tjieccdcneo .upxt to <£ho Rogular Army, having been incorporated ®5J ■ > -King Henry VIII on A,u;just 25, I&07, undor '■ r the: title of the Eratenuty of Guild; of St".Georgßy for tho practice of .military exercises] -' and training, and "for lJshe hotter tiTicreafc'O of thejfdefonce of this our Tho'iAuxiliary Fame!# bete- in v *ti> ptaterof II . transition consequent ijpon the-formjastibn of; tho Territorial Army, tho haaj > arisen": J What is to be .the fuiuro-. of- the! Honourable Artillery Company, which, so, . -«■ far,- ha& not-boon allotted i*ny place in tho ■■■:■. scheme? The . company is extremely y wealthy, It has'always botin a separate; i and independent force, distinct . f. r ? m ,™ G ' i Trained Bands, and from tho jNlilitia, ■ Yeoj. ; : manryl-or Volunteers, and until the issue or \/ the lasl Royal Warrantion.'March 12, '1889. i > had always been undor' the' sffle control of. ■ ; the Crpwn. Although since, tiwt dato it Ihas . been controlled by the War- Office, : ' still, a&self-supporting institution. j. In possession of its ' tersiailFinsbury , • anil tnmly-kopt artillery ground, tvie re-! '* pictures, plato, wines, and .other '..• -• treasures of Armoury House, its walls tfnd : |i ■ corridora hung with tattered colours aVJ flags, fand with the King as.; its Captain-. f l Gerteraf and Colonel, the. officers_of the [f corps\tfnd the Court of' Assistants are con-, tent to await with equanimity, almost any ' V turn may take, • confident in - whai J 'fi the future may bring forth from the fact' v;that ih'oy'ara outside and !. J the Volunteer '-tha'i;i..the conditions of efficiency have I h been domplied with riVer^'sinco-the-company-came/under .the jurisdiction of tho War Do-. | 4- 'PartmeYit), and that i their affairs are con-; J' ducted Sunder a series of royitlf charters and; warrants. :" ■ / . 'T SX' ' BubVptill'tho fntni»io| i Ar- 1 . », tDlerywCompany must give'Tjso'al' least to: ' ' if not concern. .An extremely; interring suggestion has been put forward, t It is'jthat-"tho company fhqti|a; ,, ' l b§cpmff Ja; J f trainii® for youn^Jfficßrs<os , '-ca3etß» carmatked to 'becomo officers of tlio"'Territo- • rial ll4rce. ■ . f.. '.It libs been suggested to "the D.efcncej Counqjf that the Defence Regulations should-, , Ibe amended to provide for the enrolment' 'of NayaA' Volunteers as, an auxiliary forco for »float. The romance of sea fight-. !, < mg his a. great attraction for young men, ' k'■ and iilere . would nodoubt be . many who £»•:» wouldSjom/such a force. The popularity of- - the nluvdl- aspect of service is apparent in-' tho liij'altiSry condition of tho-various garrip. Json artiUfiy corps who were formerly Naval f jyolnrifJjeis, and who still preserve the.>nayalThe.proposal is made in thd:;cours6 * ! 0 f a. l ; etter,foiwarded to the Minister oJ De'fence'iby; IVIr. \C. ;E. Archibald, formerly r :<»: the Wellington Navals, r-'.-t 'and Giptain, C. F. .Murdoch, ..of the Auck- ! : land |Navals. Details of proposed tram- : , r. ing are set out, and it is' stated that it I mightv'ibe poss.iblo, when H.M. ships are in port, !po, obtaiiit the services of navy men as instructors pro tem. Messrs. Archi- - bald and Murdoch think that arrangements made with: tho Admiralty? to \take v > . men belonging to such corps to ■'•'■i » ionailjjtlius giving,thom a taste of theprac- '' tical work as carried on in the deep water, j v.- 'As a Substitute for this, should it be found impracticable, it is', suggested that during < the visits of ihe Asmokura to the various pArts,j|the boys migjit be sent ashore for ' exerciap; and . training, and theT&eh' oßthel '.-corps(|ent to the ship in their st6Sd." v 'Th& writer: of the letter beg that the Minister It > and ine Council of Defence will put the mat •". tor , Kpfore the Admiral ; commanding ' the ? ' ' etatioS'. : . .

' The''• Minister; for Defence (the Hon. R. M'iNab) has approved of an additional company (being formed -with-the Auckland Division .; of Garrison Artillery Volunteers, and designated No y ,4 Compajij,, Auckland Division, New Zealand garrison' Artillery Volunteers (electric light Section), with maximum establishment", of ,7)50, 8 minjtnum establishment of 25 (all ranks). Tho Minister has further approved that members of No. 3 Company New Zealand .(tinginqer Volunteers, w|jich ( ,ig i,a.t>Q,u± F tq, jbs disbanded,, who enrol-to th^'new)!qompany within;, one month; -from > date of disbandment,J;may do so without any break of service. $ The new with the DivisionaK-Gamp* AucklandSGarrg son Artillery .Volunteers. : Applicants for enrolment are requested; to communicate with the local Brigade Office as soon as posHerald." '

; Tho'v latest "Gazette" contains a regulation embodying. tha necessary for noif-commissioned officers and moil xjf-Vthe'' N.Z. .VJoluntcer Foico to earn personal paymontsiiand efficiency badges for efficiency in. .the usi of machine guns. Non-commissioned pfßcersJ and men,. in/ order to qualify for. and an annual course or machine jgunsi.. and have fired 'the 'laid djjjwn in gene^V?¥6gulatfdMs',' tn tion tg-,-which Officer', ■and man shall undergo a practical" examination' by the Director of Artillery .Services, and lie required to qualify in the following subjects:. General description of gun and 'carriago; care and $■ machinq •guns thafrrmay li'ow'to" •remedy them: drill for' gun on issue to ,unit;-filling belts with ammunition. He ■must also identify and know the use of all Vstorosiv spare fittings of Maxim or machine guns. Sergeants, in addiction, must' possess a good fcnowledgo of tho employment of rnachino-iguns-in-ihe- -field.Badges and personal payments of £1 each will Ujjj; granted to' tho,eigfyt„bqj3t,,xion-jG9mrr ' missioned officers and -^fcgilnirit) or battalion who qualify ra-'thb above Bute" jects.s • . j

Woodcraft should_ be taught , to scouts to Bhow itliem how animals conceal themselves • both til movement and at rest; also so that they $in distinguish between tho ordinary ii calls $ birds and .-animjtlSi 'jtbosoS of alaim(B-"Thp Scout." ' Whgst. the ,Mbuntedijßjfies( wore encamped at reqpfl.tlyV<v r f "Sentry," it was partjr"6Jcivilia&'s, armed wftti" spoffii»s2nflesP a au(i' procedj'd by a apparently acting a"s' a scout, was approaching tho camp, ovidontly intending to take the Ayjlunteers by siirpriso. .Captain M'Cart*ey, tlio officer in charge of the camp, at once 15 JMiir, under Lieutenant 'Nicholls, to surround and capture tho attackers, and after, half;.an. ; stalking sevon .prisoners, soven rifles, and one tfjpycle wero taken back to the camp as the'! spoils of war. The prisoners wero searched and thon handed over to tho guard,; - who' ji|)pt strict watch over thorn, and on Saturday morning the conquered dofach- , mont iti'as paradedand after being marched to th<£bfficers' tents was escorted to the. gate at thgypoint of thct.iny.opflti i the, -guard pots* • sontiiffi arms as '--'prisoners- -stepfiedthroufpi tho gate and regained their free-. . tfom. }$

; Colonels Hopton and Cowan and Major Goulilsmith, of' in' r Anstifylia, will spendV,si r x, : 'Dominion. Colonei| < ;Mgpl®C^li^..Wa'srcdjn: i of the tcflta.-'ita in Auckland on >/sai^'intlf ilr 'Australia he found a great many more men, in comparison to tho populay.Qij v , o t knowledge of rifle?-sh<»tin£>'-thpn- aJrHotrie." Ho was also of opinion \ that• '•tKo : --average' colonel shoots as bettor, ! thaifc the Hprae Nsy Zealand team's porroimanbb iii tho" Empire matofw as highly ereditablo, and thought it probaßlo that the weather Randwick as difficult as tlig Britishers did, and that it was by sheoniiloggod pertinacity, right m> to tho jast sftot, that the NeyJZeaia'hdi.teahi trail' vjte-ijScond place, " i;