BIG GUN SHOOTING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 250, 15 July 1908, Page 6

BIG GUN SHOOTING.

A TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA. . A'SUGGESTION. - Big gun' shooting can hardly bo termed,!. - sport, but those who. follow it to such effect tive purpose as did this Petorie Navals. last year think otherwise, for thoy, and. other ' garrison gunners in the Dominion, practise. their, deadly game in a sporting spirit—they desire to excel. . • j;' An hitherto' unreported incident of tha function organised by the-Mayor and citizens of Petone in honour of,their garrison gunners a few weeks ago haß jiust come to. light, and it is worthy of Consideration. Referring to ; the" splendid performance of the Pctono gunners at Fort Kelburno last year, Mr. T. M. AVilford, M.P., in the courso ■ of a spirited speech on defence, threw; out , ' a suggestion that a .selected; team of guri--1 ners sliould visit Australia and try. concllisions wjth the "Cornstalks.",; -He thought . that something should be done to' send one - completo detail for manning two 6-inch 8.L.; guns, with D.It.F. instruments,; etc. Our coast defences were similar to' those -in. Australia, and of the great importance of such defences it was hardly necessary to dwell upon. Garrison' gunners—volunteers—de- x served similar encouragement to that offered to riflemen. The detail might consist'of ono battery commander, one assistant battery commander, D.R.F. statioii officers, and twenty; gunners, a. total of thirty selected from every company in New Zealand. . A representative of' The Dominion-asked Captain G. S. Richardson, Chief Instructor of Artillery Services, what ho thought of. the idea.' That officer replied that it. was an excellent suggestion, and, would do good if carried out. Something similar had been , carried out at Homo last year, when' a team selected from the Honourable . Artillery Company of London was sent to Canada, to; com-, pete with the gunners there. • Ho would like to' see such a schemo enlarged—made: sentativb 'of all arms—and carried out'Ainder ; servico conditions. ' The exchange of ideas,', and contact with conditions of other, placoa would bo of-great value to training. Mr; Jas. Allen, M.P.. (Lieut.-Colonel Allen,, of the Otago Division of Garrison Artillery), was somewhat' dubious as to the practicability of such a 1 scheme.' The cost, ho said, would bo a serious obstacle, and there was also tho difficulty of getting the mon away. • llo,doubted whether it would be worth while. , , , Captain Freeman (commanding tho Petone Navals) and . Captain Menzies* (Wellington Navals) were' enthusiastic Over, the' : idea. The Garrison gunners were, they said, differently situated from other branches of, the service— thoy" figured ■ less in the public eye,' and tho truo, value of their work was not sufficiently appreciated. Volunteers liked encouragement,' and, such a schemo as tliat ' suggested by Mr. 'Wilford would, go, far to . swell the ranks of tho Garrison gunners. • ;