DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 280, 7 August 1909, Page 12

DEFENCE NOTES.

(Br Eomuw.)

BOY SCOUTS. Ijioutcnant-Geivnral Baden-Powell has mad* some important alterations ili the tests which l)oy scout-,hav. ; > to'.pass before they qualify for the various badges. .'-;■■' Tenderfoot.*--A. boy. on joining tho '. Boy Scouts must pass a • test in the following points (before'taking tho oath): Know tho scout's laws and sifins, and salute; know tho: composition of the Union Tack, and th« rifiht way to fly it.. Tie four out of tho following knots: Reef, sheet bend, clovo hitch, bowline, middle-man's, fisherman's, sheepshank. Ho then takes the scout's oath, and is onrolled as a tenderfoot.

, Second-class Scout.—Boforc being awarded the second-class scout's badgo, a tenderfoot must pass the following tests: 1, Have at least one month's scrvico as a tenderfoot. 2., Elementary first aid and bandaging. 3. Signalling, elementary knowledge of semaphore or Morse alphabet. 4. .Track -half a fnile in 25 .minutes; or, if iii a town, doscrilw' satisfactorily the contents of one shop window out of four, observed for pne minute pach. .5. Go a mile in 12 minutes at "scout's pace." 6. Lay and light a fire, using riot more than two matches. 7. Cook a quarter of. a pound of meat and two potatoes without cooking utensils other than the regulation billy. 8. Have at least sixpence in a savings bank. 9. Know the. 10 principal points of the compass.. ~',

First-class Scout.—Before being awarded a first-class, scout's badge, a scout must pass the following tests, in addition to tho tests laid down for second-class scouts: 1. Swim 60 yards, (N.B.—This may be omitted where the doctor certifies that bathing is dangerous to tho boy's health, in which case ho must run a mile in eight minutes, or perform somo equivalent selected by the scout-master.) '% Must have ono shilling at least in the savings bank. 3. Signalling; send and receive a message cither in.scmapnorc or Morse, 16 letters per minute. 4. Go- on foot or row a boat alone to a point seven miles away and return-.again,; or if conveyed by any vehicle or,animal, go to a distance of 15 miles and back, and write a short report on it. It is preferable that he should take two, day* over it. 5. Describe or show tho proper means for saying life in case of two of tha following accidents (allotted by the examiners): Fire, drowning, runaway carriage, sewer gas, ice-breaking, or bandage an injured patient, or revive apparently drowned person. 6. Cook satisfactorily two out of the following dishes, as may be directed: Porridge, bacon, hunter's stew; or skin and cook a rabbit, or pluck and cook a bird. Also mako a "dauipcr" of half a pound of flour, or a "twist" baked on a thick stick. 7. React a map correctly, . and, draw, an intelligible rough sketch, map. : Point, out a compass direction without the help of a compass. 8. Use an axo for felling or, trimming light timber, .or, as alternative, produce an article of carpentry or joinery, or metal Work, ;made by himself satisfactorily. 9. Judge distance, sizej numbers,'or height within 25 per cent, error. 10.. Bring a tenderfoot .trained by himself in tho points required for a tenderfoot: (This may in special bo postponed, whenl recruits are not immediately desired, but'must'be carried out within three months, or the badge withdrawn.) The idea underlying the award of the badges is to offer to tho young scout continual induce-' moiits for further improving himself—e.g., from second-class to lirst-class : scout, and 'then in pioneering, '; signalling,: life-saving,' and so; on." ; ■..-: -,'.' ■ " _"■■: ■''-;■'-.

V .OVERSEA NOTES. : Tho most recent • development in connection with j tho German aerial fleet is the first ? allocation, of .vessels on eastern-frontier. . Tho first division Ims. been mado to iueluda , Motz and* Strasburg,; each of: theso,places having on "airship brigade." Tho brigade at Mete will comprise two dirigibles, aZop- . ; jolin,,and.a Parscval; whilst the Strasburg brigade ..will"..include anothon .Zeppelin, and 'either a ' GroSs "or! a Parsoval. Tho Meta brigade, will bo in; readiness first, and it is ■nopod\tbj have 1 tho "vessels' stationed'; thoro by .the j end of July. '"It- is' interesting ;.to note that 'the airships' are grouped according to military-","term's, that- is to say, in .."brigades,"' instead . of naval nomenclature being'.used.'. j.'■' •,.,... ''■'"■,:..■''■/'.-. ,', : • ■'. • The-'.compilation and publication of tho, official .history, of the South African war, is proving a'.very oxpensivo affair, states tlw Aldershot; "Military Mail." It was officially stated last.night that* Vols; 1, 2,: and 3 of -the-history-.c05t';£32,102 of publicimoney,, and that Vol': 4 is still being prepared by the Imperial Defence Committee. The publishers pay a royalty on each, volume' sold, and tho,sum so received amounts to only £1157—which seems to show that the publio demand for this history •is rather a restricted one. ■■'• , ■ • -. •-..-.■ Tho death of -Field-Marebal_Sir F., P. Haines leaves "a" baton, at tho disposal of tho. King .as ■ head' of.;, the Army. . Eitbor tho Prince' of Wales or Lord Kitchener (states tho "Military Mail"l>wiH bo selected for this high distinction; ,The two;senior, generals raroPa'inco Christian 'and the Duke |qf,Cum- - I berland, but they oan be regardod as out of" , tho'running. Then comes.Lord Kitchener of ■ .' KhMtoum, with seniority;of Juno 1,-1902. Ho. is followed by tho Princo .of Wales, whoso i;auk, dates from Jiibo 26,-1902..;- His' ~ Majesty became a Field-Marshal on. May 29, ■ 1875, whoh he was thirty-three. ' Tho.,list of the Field-Marshals of the British Army, ex-;. , elusive of-tho'King, witii, their, .seniority, stands at present as follows:—Lord IWolso*. ley, 1894: Lord Boberts, 1895: the Kaiser, 1901; Dukoof Con'uaught, 1902; Sir Evelyn Wood,. 1903; Sir George, White, 1903; the .. Austrian Emperor, 1903; Lord '.Grenfell,' 1908;-Sir.C.H.Browulow,'1908.; .'.',; .A kiueniatbgraph rifle target has been in- , vented by Mr. Walter Winatis, the. wellknown English rifle-' shot, and owner of horses. '. "The'idea caino'to me suddenly," . said Mr. Winaus the other night, "when I , was watcbinglthe numbers of tho horses appear; on the electric, telegraph board'at tho :■ Olympia Horse Show. This, 1 thought, Would :make an admirablo target.'- Thenl thought ' "of tho kincmatograph and it« infinite 'possi- < , bilitics. 'You could make the target an easy one", showing a man walking slowly across a street, or a difficult, ono,-showing'animals whoso every movehicut would; bo faithfully reproduced,, As the,'shot", strikes tho target tho.film is;stopped, /and -vou/.cari note tho of- tho snot.', I believe. ; that it w>'ll'. ■•; revolutionise shooting. It is' just tho-'thing '.. for a, man who-is able to hit tho.ordinary target without trouble."- ~'-'-, ...■;,'(..

The cancellation of tic examination of ■' calklidates'foivtho Army, the. result or t-ho: failure of a sufficient number 1 'of qualified.' ■ young men : to ;present themselves., for entrance into Woohvicli^'and Sandhurst, baa , caused mucli newspaper comment at Homo. There is no doubt (states. the •' London correspondent* of the ! Glasgow' "Herald") that y something is wrong, either in the War Office methods or in the early training in bur public sohools. Whorovcr the fault lies it must sultationa between selected from tho Association of Headmasters' and t'ha War: Office officials who, are responsible for • • tho education, of the .cadets at Woolwich and Sandhurst,' It is .\an interesting fact 'that, while candidates'for tlie'lloyal Artil-. lory-and Royal Engineers apparently ._ two still in oxcess of tho number ot commissions ■ available, those for the oavajj'y and iufaiitry , aro well below it. : - :■■' - '■"■". ~ ']