DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 401, 9 January 1909, Page 14

DEFENCE NOTES.

(BY.Echblob.) I

, /In a White Paper reoently issued by the War Office, ■- particulars are given of ' tho amounts granted by colonial Governments to their rifle associations, and this document . shows how much more thorough is the system of encouragment to shooting ovorseas'than it is at Homo. Canada gives an average of 32 million ■ dollars: annually, nearly one-half ] of which-goes to tho'Canadaßifle . Associa- j tion, whose teams do. so well atVßisley, and j who produce such a network of marksmaninstructors throughout the Dominion, This - association also receives 100,000 rounds' of ' - ammunition froe. New Zealand gives its ' . chief association £600, and whon a team is ' selected • for . Bisley a special grant of £1650 < is usually made. Australia has spent an av- i < erage of .£6OOO a year during tne last five ] seasons in grants to clubs, quite apart-from ammunition and other advantages; The Capo of Good Hope gives £2500; the Transvaal, 1 £1000; Ceylon, 500 rupees; East Africa keops i up.a Volunteer Reserve; Fiji granted £2100 J last year: - Hong-Kong, 520,000 dollars; l Jamaica, £526; Nyasaland, £796; and Rho- . desia, £2206. , , 1 »Tha following represents the encouragement ] given to theirifle associations:— ■ Efficient: • Defi- Hounds ' .. : Members Grant to' ciency Free . :v ■:! v.. ' ■' at ■ "■ Annual 'in Sale of Aimnu- , . . bleach. Competition. Arms. nitioii. ; iy : £ -.v ' 19034■... 2G92 ■' .508 ' „ 208,500 1901-5 ... 3167 '~.. ■. 500 —r .20,800 1 1905-6 ... 3578 ... 500 .... 5722, ...* 301,000 • 1905-7 '... 620 i) — ... -1333 569,000 \ ISO 7-8-... 6018 500 ... 90 625,830 . Tls. for •' '.>W : V-- . 1 5 yrs. 21,664 ... 2000 „ 7195 1,883,130 When a Natal team competes at Bisley, ■ over £1000.is granted for expenses. ~ At ( Home-the financial encouragement to rifle shooting associations ;ig; individual, and not . ■ national, the State comparatively doing no- " thing., The Army .Council-announces, the approval . ■of a system: of musketry training for.'the Ter- i ritorial Force .which .-[las boen - recommended ■ by a v.War-'Office'Committee: y.The :* courses < . contained in the Volunteer Regulations'and . the Musketry Regulations are no longer to be followed;; the new -system being adhered . to in future by all units of Yeomanry/: field ■ companies R. 8., and Infantry cofvthe' Tern--torial Force."- Musketry:training ,will now be •; divided intd two separate 'parts7rj(a)?,instruc- t tion, and (b) test.-i.'.The, whole responsibility J for the former is to.'.rest.,with---omc6rs* ; 'oom- ' ■ manding- units (under the" 1 ,suporvision""of - general officers commanding Territorial Force divisions), who will dispose -of -and r allot : ; the ammunition as' they >maynconsider will : : pfo-v -t duce the : units. -Each Territorial;^ill. ; -.b'o'-.tested an? nually on -an open rang 6 > in'-grouping -and 1 •v appkcation..of ...fire,,.snap-shooting..-and- <rapid' i fire, and the allowance-of, ammunition.for: «ach will be i9O-.rounds. Small arm, ammuni- ■ : tion will; be.' commutablo into> auning . cartridge and'-.blank. Aa efficient soldier -as. regards musketryjg.to be one whohas reachedMe v ; to do .this;:,is certified t'by his ;'commanding, '■'officer ,:to : ; a range, . including (the/ standard test;.' and : •, fired at'least .50-rounds .of;ball ammunition or . their, equivalent.. -Tho'-system .to be ;in-: •' troduoed lswonly.-. provisional - and. tentative, and ;■ is to be; reported on at' the end of the ■; musketry year.; .. ' : fep&6id;Metliu'en-•h'a^re'ceri% : report' dealing with this year's manoeuvres in ■ the Transvaal, reports the "Military Mail.''. : Eo'istates he-w&s very favourably' impressed by $ho work of tho'-.troops .'during the. camps' i : of exorcise and manoeuvres;; and that all the forces required.was'three weeks': v: ingTfogetnerb'efa're.manoeuvresi' such as .they',', .would tnave in England. - His lordship points out .to mounted troops that] the chiof point . requiring- correction was the exposure of horses during dismounted action. There is . : alsoia tendency to-become too,dependent upon •the-'helio. in -South Africa, and'mounted troops must b&Hfained in passing; information; without its use.- The artillery work was satisfactory the' battenes chose concealed positions: when t thoyi first.-icame into, action, iitheyv-neglected , ■to , do:. so when they were moved elsewhere, - and - exposed themselves--. unnecessarily,, al-: though subsequent covered positions were . available..,, A-.-successful experiment was-car-' ned out with Maxim guns as gun escorts. It was shown that they would probably be ready as soon as the guns. Hehos. were used . - with red glass,- to represent the- line of -'fire of guns. . The result was . good, and units : could recognise at onoe when they were be- ;. ing fired upon-r-a; great improvement upon all . previous : systems,; and'. tending .to economy ■ m-blank ammunition. Green glass was also ; tried,s but: was- not found satisfactory. As regards the infantry,- battalions persisted in . advancing to the close attack m long lines at ordinary marching- pace, without troubling. 'to take cover, and without covering: fire from' ■ their own troops. ' Such an advance is artifi- • cial and misleading andimust be avoided.,. Lieut-.-General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien has drawn attention ..to the following: points J ;in the traming of ,the- Aldershot troopsj and ; recommends officers to give them careful attention.— s , , 'Rqsist' the -inclination;to separate troops. : Make a plan, and carry-it out determinedly. • Don't: concentrate too near the.-enemy. l ;■,-.• The essence of battle success is close cooperation between tho arms. .. ■ . ; Feints must be mado in strength or the . Kiemy will not.be deceived.- • . - Learn, to know the topography of England, and so use troops to advantage, ■ ■ . .. . Don't rouso-troops too early. Don't over extend a front, as victory de-1 pends on concentration at the last. . ' . -. Let .subordinates know, the: plan of action. . Train r .cavalry m dismounted workand'.' marksmanship; our enclosed, country needs mounted fire of an expert kind.: One of tho most- conspicuous features of' this year.'s Aldershot training was the' splen-•-■'j 'didnight'*,Workofthe infantry. v ...- A number of experiments with new torpedoes are about to be carried out under itf-

: structions. issued by Captain Reginald H. : S. •: Bacon, .Director of Naval Ordnance. The _ battleship Hibernia is conducting from Torv bay tests with. a; new .Whitehead torpedo, which can be discharged with accuracy when a vessel .is travelling' at very-'high, .speed. The now; Hardcastle torjpedo, in which: increased Bpeed and radiua'are-the-now factors; v.is. aIM ,to .be.tried again, as well vas new ;.. tubes. Its range is: 7000 yards at 31 knots. A torpedo is also being manufactured which ■ can travel 1000' yards. at 42' knots,' and , 6000 .'; yards; at 21 knots, : ■ this, being ~rour - present' .■'? best. In comparison the German: typo has a : ..range o£; 4000-' yards, ': at : 21 knots,: and the .V.S.A. - pattern <1000 yards at 27 knots. . The Army Council has brought to tho notow , of generals commanding. certain recommendations made by tho Technical Instruction Advisory Committee, to the effect that' ./-in each ; large''station' or. garrison where, this 1 has , notalready :been done, a "mixed ■ committee ~ bf x officers-. and; ; .non-commissioned* ; officersbeformed; consisting of representa- . tives from the'; station and 1 from each unit ■ there,: whose duties should be(a) To examine into - the nature of the - demand' for : labour, and to:'communicate.- its: ,: the .administrative ventres. in""the' x commanS: : .(b) to take . such steps' : as seem wise to interest the : soldiers m. technical i education • , •. (c) to recommend tho amount of"fees, to bo - .charged'.-and. the . amount of. deposit, if any ' to be made. by students;'(d)' to make any re^ ■ ■ commendations' concerning technical education which it desires, subj&t to such limitations as are imposed, by military considera- , tions;- " ;:TheseV recommendations have been' :.' adopted in several.: districts with excellent ■ results. ; It: is being: shown, ■ however,: that the regiments :.and not the stations should form tho- instruction committees. ' Regiments should use the garrison organisation to further their work, and "keep their own; efforts going on a continuous- plan-wherever' ■ they move. .. ■