DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 98, 18 January 1908, Page 15

DEFENCE NOTES.

v. £By Echelok.) ' j Secretaries ' of. Volmitper Corps and . . , Eiua Clubs are {« epntrihutq ■ items of interest, for insertion in tins column. "• The I lotter-carriors hqve presented , tvpo trophies to the Post and Tple--graph Itifles, for • competition v a'jnong the Biftmberfj of tho signalling s^uad." - Owing to pressure of business* Private, '4l ! Legn,i of tho Highland liifle§, Jias 'relink , . ouishpd 'tlje secretaryship of tfiei corps. His , lionooforth bo carried pii by LanceCorporal if'lver. , : ■ . . (.Esson, nf'fbfv'Oitv-Rifles', aml.Actlng-L(cutenunt Marshall, of tljp Civil Servjco, Kitles, underwent,their.practical,psarntnatiniia -at a narado of tlie Wellington Kinpißattalion.held on Tuesday last.', !: During tho unci, ending Fohriiary 1, noncommissioned rtfiicers, *! uho havp iipt yet passed their examination^," will 1/g tested'' in PTMHttI with tfycir' rcspcoibg' compa-: nies. ■ • ............. ,t\ ■ , 1 INFANTRY 1)$ riIUCTIQN. • issue of the ''Haversack," there Rpprnrs a': thoughtful article ; by'"*<prcarlt nought, I ', r,ho asks,.'' Can we not improve our • Sl etl } (Ki ypliiijtepfs ?'< " AfiO 'wnte gpes on tp sfiy that: after 2(J years' tgG' Y,"!w\teer Force, ho is,' of opinion that thereis consiclcrablc-room for ijq. •• prpyement inthe mpthoc|s.6f- training.pur in : fantrv. lie says'• ' "'■*' i , "W 'Wiling o£ ft battalion tbrpugli .tho afreets with the' big drum at its h'e?(| is all Ttiry iilcc, fpr ; small boys, qiul may capture fi reprint nowj and again who js attracted by tlie. glitter of bayonets arid the bri]liai]cyofuniloi ms. But.'sensible nienr—thoso vro want-r----are not liifhicncecl by glamour., The practical - Btati- ; wants, to :ro;il soldier's .work —- . hsfare- hp tfill jojn' this fprce! The nightly parados of our infantry conipa nies are of very littjlq use arc nqs .'carried 2™-,'. Anyoile who 'has' studied tho" details of fighting. in , tho. recent war" must 'have 'been struck wjth ■ t)tp necessity fgr jiight, pperar tions. "A scheme for placing q jiiip of onfP®§t?.r o >Jffld:a; definod position; pecupying that portion; skirmishing; and, in •• fact,conduct-ing-tactical: sehomps of a, simple < nature at night-timo rshould bp up'flprtakeu. l' have seen many such operations conducted in 'daylight fail, yanfl tlje pjieffi tiirjj'ia' : "lyoulJ a 'so .undoubtedly fail, unless a proper > v intern of ohebk and after-criticism were 'la'in-t-ed."/. j' '-V'^Pjeaduou^lit*' contrasts tjie system,yif training tne with tlio tSiorough- : whiqli Characterises' the instruction'<;f field and garrison' artillory-ii'iiiii. ''Maiiy of ,9Ur garnspn artiilory oompj\|je.s;"'ho saysj, _havp attajrjed' <t- high state of otEcieney. * The same rem'arlr alsn ajlplics to'"ii)any "6f nur 1 field artillery conipanios. .VT'ho secret is that tlje ordinary weeldy. pa'ra'do'j's rncqgiusetrjis tho. preparation (or soiuethiug more 'niipprJf"' *?. S9Ri°~}i!?!3 the footballers' ivork m "H°v'gyfunasipin. TVhpji eamri'!.ilpi(j conies au l llla l examinations .'tiikei f'jVjace, am] cvjtj man has 511 ppTOprtunity ; qf pfoviiig';hpiy. lid' has prpfi'ted'tiy tho year's" prth paiation. Tpeji comes the "shopt-," >ylipn peacp. copditipiis n'ro put aside 'aiiU'war'/con-' ditians prpyail. .. .The, ..resiilts. obtained,-at camp aro the tftst of tho year's ivork, and represent •. thp'''!!aal whicii is kept in .- viev/ throughout rboiyear. r ■ "Ihis, hp\yeyer, 15 nijt- ail. Tlje svste;n of Ptpv'dmg rticordprs' iyjir conc'litiqriq ; olir ail absolute pjigck on pach' nianfs '• recordprs'arp BernianentXFprep • r*.0.0. and the records, npcesj to gnablQ, "Criticism;to' be., subsequently made. , v . J:.» : .V\. \ -J-}':"'-*. \plun.teer knpyys wo;-k is 'being phecl;pd 'apd-tba't :notbing%is oyeri': looked. Thero is > thiis a eonstah't: superr: B !9,n,.fl?ercjsqd which conduces to eficiency.'. T'lqvpfficer;? work i's alsp. jirni. /-Surely some similar system coiild','bp/ijir.' intfl tho', infjntry 11-ere bo' a dpfieSTprt jn yip^'f&* t, : jear, tuqh as tlif. defpnqe pf' a, prpvftfjiisfy 'selected position. . Lpf pach unit bo'instructed hoiv to. play ..its .partiq^jt/part- in sjhpuie'.of tier.' fencqi:instead of forming sebtions in the drill-' shpd..' Let thero be set aside a certain pericfl in .the year when thafv position/i's to-be'pc-eupied for a week or niore, to cbrrospqiid with'the artillery cpnip period, wlicn'war'co;!ditioß's ;must' prevail! must not 'i.'iterfere'with > IVet"there be Perr n.anorit Fprce officprß'and K.CJ.O.-s 'apppiiitc- i as recorders for testjng'the TesultV of' the : Previous training supplying the' data for criticism. These recorders shtiuld never be thp'forcp-whicli is-'io be' eriticised! Thpy must' be indepeirdept*'- T- . ''It would not'be difficult- to award :marks •introduce . Battalion■ Competition throughout' tlie .Dominion, and so 'arouse the spirit < of eipplatioii, which 15 the mairisprihg of'all advancenicpt- when^"dealing with 'Volim- ■ What, encoufagenieut "has. the engineer; under present..conditions, or, the icpptH - Havp -piir . bearer squads ever had any experience even, in 'simulating casualties thp ( field? I it. Gaii we ever expect efficiency -in thp ; field';.Vtheti. pien are trained wholly in'the} drill-hajls or in. ihp streets P The fact is' that thore is good spirit in many of our'companies, but their energies are expended in pufsuing ii dofuilot sysr tpm, and as regards war service, I pan see litt]e but ignorancp. A good Icatl'is'uow beiiig given' by the Army'Cqnncil jii' eiideavpnrT • ing, to tpach the Jiigher branches of the prqfession .to officers. Let those, officers apply, the. knqwledgq which is bping put ip their way to field pperatjons in some:such manner as. I-have indicated,-and the infantry force of .the. Dominion will begin to learn what its' real duties are and how 'they should be carried out." -■ • 'Jh his cpncluding paragraph, "Dreadnought' puts a fo'pr pertinent questions'. . Will anyone answer them? •'•'. ~THE FIXED TARGET. : , .... An .-important decision of tho British Army Council on the subjcct of rifle shooting is announced. The Council hokl that bull's-eve shooting, though an excellent method of training a man to aim straight and steadily, IS unreal, artd that after! tlie soldier has undergono three years' prnpara'tibii at the iixed target any further.expenditure of amnmtm at such targets is useless and wasteful. The Army Council object to the procrammcfl of riflo clubs on tlio groitnd that thfly oncourj?gft a style of shooting unsuitod to actiro s'o.n ico conditions } Aud the upw gu!,itions issued by the Council arc "intended to govern tho conditions of all meetings towards which assistance is uiven from the-public funds." This will affppt.'ithe Kisteyweetrng. and 'loluntcers' are now- askinc whether tho King's Frizo is for.' u • OS ' or to go to thtf man who is best judge of distance" and can maintain tho iriost' accurate and rapid -firing at jinknowii ranges. If tlio Coijppil is going to ■ insist pn its decision being carried opt to'the letter, an enormous sum will Have to be prov";™ j n England f °r !!««; rifle rangeß. 'Die attituqo. of the Council is much eriticised. The -. Daily Telegraph" ck-pUres that - statistics shov,' that tbo man who piakes < a study pf light and wind, and cxcels .|u bull's-eye shooting, caii readily apply hjj knowledge to service conditions. lij six competitions at Bisley, arranged on jervice ji'ues some of the targets appearing fp? not more than three sc'coii'ds" at ii time", it is shown that tho bulk of the prizes wont to plcu who had been, awarded badges for their prominent positions in the-Queen's and Kind's Prize contests." men intci viowed by tho ''Telegraph" nro strongly' oppcaed to the new scheme of training. It is contended that owing to the lack of facilities, tho proposals, instead cf^'making marksmen .more efficient wjll have exactly tlio opposite result. The cireulai is also criticised in Australia, but it is thought by some that something is needed to rouse riile clubs from their apathy as regards service matches. As a proof of this apathy, the "Ariius" mentions that only about a dozen clubs .are competing for Mr. Donald .llackinnon's trophy, the conditions in connection..with which' are field-firine; at unknown distance:;., an-.l disappearing targets. Oopipol itions at lixed targets attract double the number of teams and competitors. Attempts made to carry on sorvicp-shooting clubs have not been successful. and liei'o created hut little interest.— ii's-cye."