NEW ZEALAND RIFLE MEETING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 116, 8 February 1908, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND RIFLE MEETING.

A FEW NOTES. ■ Preparations aro well under way for tho big meeting at; Trentham next months Tho targets are beirigv repapered, and tlio tele-' phones -overhauled.''. Tho raiigcsi at'Trentham will be open for practico by ''competitors, from Saturday, February 29. Every opportunity 'will thus be l given for plentyi of practico at'tho long rangos beforo the meeting opens.f •-•"• ; There; will bo no alteration, in ; the targets: Tho circular outer is to be used at Bisley in July nest, hut tho Trontham targets will, for this' year.at all;events bo; square as. usual..:' '• , .. Jv; . . V It is understood that the event,: Volunteers v. . Rifle, Clubs, 20; men a side, which is included in .the programme. and : for which a £20'prizo. has been offered'..'by-the'.Hon. Hamilton Gilmer, will be fired as; a straightout: match .at 200, COO) and. 600 yds.- instead of being, decided on tho scores mado in ,tho Volunteer Match and tho .Rillo Club Match as stated in tho: official programme. ! ■.

The experiment will be tried this year of. '"single-man' targets.'-'. .-.This has:,beensiig-. gested, previously as a remedy, for . the . inconvenience caused by,.a ,slow,, rifleman disorganising-. , his .fellow ■ ■ shots. The rangcofficers will also': bo' enabled "to'keep-.a. time-, 'table. However, it,must .be, remembered that the idea is only to-bo experimented-with, and 'tho Executive -does not .bind- itself to continue, the system, should , :it, provb unworkable. - V,-' ,\i-'. v ;'The Lee-Enfield magazino rifle .303, .'.the Martini-Enfield " .303, or tho Lee-Enfield carbine as issued from tho' New Zealand De-. fence Department aro the only patterns to be. used at tho meeting.. , ; Tho pull of : the trigger is.olb, minimum.', •• Sights as issu'edrrcpmpetitors.i.arei specially. warned not to tamper with, tho sights in any

' Tho back- sight' must. not. bo supported by , any means' extraneous v .to-.' the' riile! . The ' sliding' bar may bo • reversed . and' may be used; oh either sidd of tho uprights. Tho. "small slido" duthorised by section 169 of the Musketry ■ Regulations 1898, or.' tho'''windguago slido" !as .provided \ by, tho Army. Ordnance Department for match shooting may'be.'.usod-as. aiv alternative to,,thd slido ai issued. No addition, of '"permanent" lines', to;tho three linos on tho ,bar will bo allowed. Temporary 'lines' of. any colour,, or marks' of, any'-kind, romovablo at pleasure, but. not consisting of. slipk, of .paper or, .other, substances ca'p.-iblo of' being shifted, may'-, bo .used,- except-whero' .oth'orwisp','.stated:' : ■ : :In'tho case of"rifles'; fitted' with, a "safety' catch' tho thumb-pieco of, r ''the' ; ; safety oaten' must-bo quite down, and tho. catch, must-not 'bo used .111 any, way as a means of discharg•ing' thd rifle..-. '."'I

l'Voo railway passes will bo issued by tho Dofencq Department t'p ; cpttipetitoi;siproceeding to,'the Napier 'Military- • Tournament'' to bo" held 011-'March-o.' Ohlybona fide competitors will'receive .'passes. 1 J'.i The fl'ahiatuS Mounted' Rifles are: at present i undergoing - their't (annual -,' course . of training' in camp,. r.,. : ' Captain'- "Wills, isi.in command, his?, staff 1 including'; Lieutenants. Bolton and : Sturton, and '..■Staff-Sergeant De Voy. 1 - "A programmo of,-sports S lias been ar-; pranged' to take 'place on February■ 12..<, ' Tho sixteenth ; annual, meeting of >,tho. Wairdrapa Rifle Association will ; bo held at I'apawai, near Greytown, on Monday and Tuesday,-. March''2' and: 3.; ;s Tho,:prize-money offered for; competition -J.amounts to' £168, .with 'trophies^^including : i.46 tyrb".■ prizes; The oSicial; programme, wheh is based upon an estimate ■of 80. entries, iprovides ;for fourteen matches. Out of tho,tot-al-amount of prizo money, ,;the ■ sum »:• 0f:£155.; divided', up into 184 cash.prizes,is-open to competitors froai any part of.NeAV-Zcalaiid. • Tho meeting commencesf our - days -before : tho -Now ■Zealand Defence Forces' 1 ;Rifle .' Association meeting;, andvconcludos 'in time 'to allow, one .full day between tho two .meetings. . . Com-, ■petitors at the Christchurch meeting will bd ablo .to ,reach:.Greytowii'in' timo. to' take, part in iall matches; by leaving»for Wolling-. ,tori on Saturday, February 29,; and proceeding to Greytowu- by lirst train on Monday morning. Thd .train leaves Wellington: at i 4.45 l a.m., and Upper Hutt at 6.ls°''a.m.

UPPER HLIT RIFLE CLUB On .Saturday, tbo Upper Hutt .Rillodub. continued,, its, competition for 'tropliiespre.sonted by .Messrs; fhomsonj Williams; Pa!-, mer, and (ircig. . Scores: alio. ■ counted tlio Wilforcl; and Saunders' handicap. ltificman,]?. Whiteman, sen.,; secured a leg in for A class, and W. .Greig a .leg in for. B class..; Class; V

PETONE NAVAL ARTILLERY.' About seventeen mombersof the company wero present at the, rango at Korokoro oil Saturday, when Messrs. Bouthorno and Wilson's trophy was competed for. . The scores wero as follows, handicaps given being samo at both ranges:— /• .... A Class. . ~ ' Hep. Tl.; Cunhffo, Gnr. .. 4 60 May J. „ ... ... ... 2- 53 Smith „ , ... ... 6- 53 JUlis, iLiout.- .... ... scr . —49 j FORD MEDAL. ; , \ 15 Class, 'r 1 '■ ' Hep. Tl. Thompson, Gnr. • ... ... 0 — 59 Ins'tono ■ ~ ... 6— 55 Walsh ~ ... . ..... 3— 44 Lewis ~' , ... ' ... '... scr. —42 Rodwell ~ " ... " ... ... ' (5 —41 Cairns ~ ... 4 — 41

The breezo was 1 light and steady from south.. Tho following gunners attended for tlio annual class firing as required by regulation: —Dixon, Johnston,-Guthrie, Shni'dlo'v. Knn..kiville, .Denby and Taylor.

„ - ' . 200 500 GOO'.Hcp.;.,Tl.i 1'. Whiteman, sent ;28 27; 29 ' 11—95 1"'. Whitoman, jun. 33 33 23 0 — 94 FvbdiiWhiteman/ ... .32. 30 ; 27.;', '3 ,— 92 I'liko AVLiteman ... :29 -28 . 31- 3 — 91 J. Whiteman ... 33 24 30 4 — 91 L. Kitchen ..: , ... 31 30. 29 . 0 — 90 F. Wilkio ... , - ... 34 , 29 '20' .. 0 — 89 J. M'Kay ...' : 29 30' 24 j 2 — 85 U Class. ■ ' . W. Greig* ... ... 24 30 29 0 — 83 J. Martin •..% ... 31 • 23 23 5 — S2 H, Martin ... 23 24 8 ." 25 -r 80 ,T. F. Thomson ... , .27 .25 23 3 — 78 l 1 '. Paul ... ... 22 19 2o 11 — 77 A. Boyd • ... •22 " 28 23 . 2 — 75 tSeoures leg-in . MVori outright. Position o£ .Wilford Name.. . Score. Hep. Tl. 1<\ jun! .753 ' 39 — 792 n " ' —'.''•745 42.- 787 1<red Whitoman ... ... 135 42 — 777 L. .Kitchen . ... , ■... 743 ' 24 — 767 I- Whitoman ' 705 58 - 763 l'. Willuo. ... ' 759; ' 0 — 759. . Position, of; Saunders' Aggregate. ■ (Three shoots'.to go.) .- ' ■ ' Name. . , Score. "Hep. Tl. T. 1'. .Thomson .... , 613 : , 18 — 631 W. Greig ... ... ... 612 . 0 — 612 J. Martin .... — 574 . 21 — 595 A. Boyd ... ... . .... 595 0 — 595