DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 235, 27 June 1908, Page 9

DEFENCE NOTES.

( (Br Echelon.),

• SecrGtarios of Volunteer Corps and Biflo Clubs .'are' invited to" contribute / items of interest, for insertion in -this column.

The arming of the mounted infantry battalions of Zealand with the new, Leo.' , r .rifle is being gradually proceeded with,, says Colonel A. W. Robin, C.8., Chiof of the General Staff.' The Canterbury battalions are 'now fully> equipped, and .as soon as further shipments of the new arm come ,to hand the equipment of other mountetl corps will be completed.' Tho . short nflo is for. mounted men'only.',

: I have.received a copy' of the rules and conditions laid down for competitors- in the Impena ' miniature; rifle ' match., "Lord lumens.s Boys," which is open to one team of eight-British schoolboys, under 16. years of ago on July 1, in each colony or dependency, and at. home. Each member of . tho, winning team 'receives a medal, and tho captain of the team will be' presented with a copy of the' veteran fields-marshal's ' work, Years in India." The conditions - are: — ' ' . . . . . ' ■ Rifle.—Any-minature rifle, military, sights, no orthoptics, calibre ,22. Time.—The match to be completed in ono day.; _ .Position.—At A targets, kneeling on one knee. . No rests to support the rifle allowed. B Targets, prone position. , Distance.—2s. yards. Rounds.—A sighting shot and seven rounds at each target.. Scoring.—Decimal system. Shot hole must. , break tho ring- to score.' Targets.-rTo' bo returned, o'ii or before August 8, 1908, with entrance fee (Bs. per team), to R. J, E; Hanson, lion, secretary, " Lord Roberts's Boys," at Schoolboys' Headquarters, Bisley, England, with signature of the" schoolboy captain, attesting the ages and that the conditions have been properlycarried out, kindly countersigned by the cadet commandant. Apparently our best army horses are being snapped up by foreign Powers. ' ; In their twelfth- annual report,' the members of the Royal Commission on Horse, Breeding state that they have been'advised that horses for military, purposes are bought by foreign. Powers in the United Kingdom at the age' of - three years, aiid that consequently; the best / are gone beforo the English authorities l coma' into,. the:..market. . They, therefore repeat, their recommendation that remounts should' be purchased' at. the age of three instead-,of four, thus securing for'.ourselves, the first choice;, of our own horses for our : owri Army, and giving a "distinct encouragement to the horse-breeding industry. . : V' 1 '

Included among recent appointments fto the British Territorial' Army Staff is that of Colonel Ba.bington,! C.B. (formerly ,Com- , qiandant of tho Forces', in New Zealand), . to command tho. '■ mounted troops in the Scottish Lowlands; Says a Home paper:— "General Babington, C.8., who has been appointed officer commanding the mounted troops in tho Lowland District, and. part of whose services will'bo under tho Edinburgh Association, was'present at' the meet- ' ihg. General Babington's (last command was in New Zealand, where* he achieved much success' as commander,, for five years, of a largo' number of mounted troops' of 'much tho same character as thoso of the now Territorial Army." .

The annual/meeting of No. _5- Company, :New. Zealand Engineers (AVeliuigtou), rwjas hold in.tho Company's. orderly-Jrooin in tlio Garrison Hall last week.. Ttiere .was a 'gpod. muster of members,, and after:'the. routine, business had been transacted, i and office- ; "bearers elected, the Company, spent a'.ftjcial . hour. Opportunity was taken of tho occasion, to bid- farewell to Lieutenant l Fitzgerald,' the popular "skipper" of the Corps/ who is ] leaving..»'ellington"to.take/ appoint.me^t: 'jn' the Gisborno Fitzgerald's" departuro is 'very,'.' much',.regretted by tho men ;• under his command, the Company has established for itself tho distinction of being.a'crack corps,'and last.year won tho Now Engineers' Challenge Shield for .efficiency. s

Major T.. S. Marshall, , of the -Victorian Rill a Association,'has received a letter from Major Richardson,, shooting' captain of the British team which visited Australia last year, in which the writer freely acknowledges that the team's esperiehceslin Australia have proved useful to shooters at Home.

It has led to the Bisley authorities following, Australia's: lead- in the matter of 'rifle sights arid some of the,more important; details; in general; shooting practice such 'as the introduction of 300 yards shooting, whiftft wa-s ari almost unknown factor at Bisley before last, year.' ! The introduction .of circular' in place of square targets, Major. Richardson says, has been' done to prevent expert trick shooting. at the bottoiri' of the target.; The N;R.A. has'i decided'jtt..pay, : train fares' t® British Volunteers entering for the grand aggregate. aud ho hopes ,that this may bo a first step towards freo travelling, as in Australia. The Olympian games,_ the Major states, aro going to .bo a big affair this year. Shooting will occupy throe or four days-at Bisley. They include an international match at -200 and -1000 yards., Fourteen nations have intimated .their intention of-taking part' "in—-it,' including .'thcJ United States, which, with its advantage of ammunition and'improvedl rifta,'ought to win." . ■