DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 4 September 1909, Page 12

DEFENCE NOTES.

. (Br , Echelon,) "... ' Tho War Office announces that a number of King's and Queen's South' African war medals and clasps for non-commissioned; officers and. mon who served with various Imperial and irregular .■' corps in South. Africa are still awaiting claimants, addressee cannot bo , ascertained. Many lottons liavo been returned by the postal authorities as unclaimed,, Applications for those decorations should bo addressed to the Deputy Director of Ordnance Stores (Medal Branca), Royal Arsenal; Woolwich; aecompaniod by discharge certificates and full particulare of scrvico with; other, corps. .

; Tho Transvaal ■ War... Relief); Fund for 'Disabled Men shows tho totalled rocoipU from all sources to bo £140,079, and tho total expenditure £117,716, leaving a balance in liand of £22,363. The number of' mon aJssistod in this country is 9921, at a cost of £74,457, wJiilo' £0434 lias gone to '-bo colonies for the , same purpose. Grants amounting to. £3458 have. boon made to i. hoepitals, convalescent: hdmee, and' workrooms,; for tho benefit of; tup men.. . Sonio years .ago- it was: decided to-• assist men wholly disabled by supplementing.theirpen- . sions vrith a weekly allowance pf'ss. ■: During 1908 thirty-two men.Teceivcdeuch : help, from this fund, twenty, from the, Eliza Warrington'Bequest, and two iron} tho Hugh' StoVart,; M'Cofquodalo Legacy: ■;■■"' '■ .'. :•." :•, ,"■'!'',' :'

The Fans "Temps," commenting editorially on tho recent debate in , the British ''House ' of Lord? on Lord Roberta's National Service ■;:. Bill:,,.! remarked:—"Tho increase of .••■ the / British' Army in, our eyes is , not ■ oiily . a ( guarantee of security, whiok Japan,; v and Russia have, a right -to wish for. for different reasons—it is tho inevitable con6e- > qu'ence of tho new. policy which , Great Britain boa practised sinco 1901. Ono of Wo '■ | things' is certain: Either' this 'policy is bad. .' in which ease it will have to be abandoned . . ,(bnt this does not seem to be tho,opinion of either the British, publio or jthoVßrjtish • ~ Government), or it is good,. in :9;hioh'.case • the necessary ■ instrument must" be provided, '■■/'. that is to'say, an army which is not merely"' a territorial guard, but one'; which _may-take'.••'.'. pijit in a- Continental ; war. ,'lt, is to : the honour of Lord Roberts and his friende that; hobas put this dilemma before the country, and hasipavod the'way for England to reply. ...■ in a manly way." :

Contemporaneously with the firing of the v "Daily Mail" v Empire Day Cup, on May|24' last, thero was firodj throughout the Empire, the Schunpher Empire Challenge Gup match for teams (of 40; men.-from any unit '• of .hi?'•-..■' Majesty's' Service. , Now ZealamT did not compete..Tho results of thoScbunpbi.r. Gup;',■..; niatcharo! as! followt—';.>'." ■.•'. '■ ': : ;;v The-Challenge Oiip, Silver Medals, and : £lop. ' ; ' H.M.S. Pembroke 1*...>..; ( . ; .;^....<;...: 8259 - , ' ■'.;■ : - Winners,'of. Bronze Medals and £s(Kr.,' .;< 2nd R.' Lancaster Regiment ............ 5623' \; :.' .Winners of Brbnzo Medals and , £2o~! ~-..:■,■ !;..ii..^.»..":.,...'...;,2385 ; : ; -London "Truth", is rattier, severe on Lbrd :-. Roberts 'over, the veteran t field ' marshal's '.; recent -criticism'if tho: British Territorial Array. .'.'Lord- Roberts thought it.neoos- •>.., sary.": remarked; that journal,.."to pay^liij-.; : service to tho ;zeal and spirit of ■the'Terri- ■ torial l?orco, but- ha persists it\: speaking of it as' an 'untrained, force,!- regardless-of the opinion not only .of competent , . British' offi- ;■' oe'rs,.: , but- of: intelligent-forpigo observers, .; and'■;' ho Tcitoratod : .'■';the>; ; fallacy' ■ that the. men only'', got .'a- few, claye , . training ."per. , ; ' annum, setting , 'aside as of no account all', the work thoy dp tbrbughiut .the year, .and .. arguing as though th'e■'force ,was , a.;militia' ■': ■ only embodied for. , a-week or two: per; annum: and , : receiving nothing,'in the, shape of instruction except aji. that time. : Ho' was even; more unfair, in'Mis, , referenco_tq.tjja.'- strength-, : 6f" ;evcry_ 'e.ori vi alistic influonop, ;ha«-inot-,yot,been:brought. ■ .■up;toVthe.low estab)ishmentof : 3ls,oJ)o,-moh.' v< If lie has thought: ab,out,i-tb.o inattor ; at, all, ■;''', ho .must bo/porfeatly-a^aretth>t'eypn-under ! t i; conscription you 'could-not .enrol, tho full ■..-,. establisliment of , " a- force tim one year, and , ' that 'under^enlistment'for four■ years ;90,0Q0 ■ recruits per annum are more than sufficient to' complete '"an'; establishnieni ■of ■ 'SISiOOCL ■ whbrcas ■ the' Territorial. , Forcp has Enrolled,, ' about( four' tim'es!Hhat* nunipor. He; ought l . 'also to- bb aware-that nothing.cari bp, more I undesirable'than-that , .your'■ recruits. should join in' the same year, which would lneiin that when,their expired you,would ~ have ■ to.' startv agajn. with; an: composed' of recruits!';" As. a matter of fact, . the Territorial ' Army has been recruited'a. great deal too, quickly;; unless n, corisidorable • proportion of the men re-engage when '•" four years -are up." : ■ ;\. ::{;■■■ ; ;■-.'

The Report of tlie■ Commandant 'of the Army School of.'Signalling, 'Aldershot,.for the ycar'lQOS states that "the colonial units, thorough,'. all-round;' efficiency* --/.continue' to produce thoir; full.' complement of oper- v atqrs , grained- to tho '.high , standard. of efficiency jn all braijohcs:'of .their dutjes, which they invariably, succeed in attaining' withou^ diffiWty; , ! '-V ":; ,v ' r V ; '""" :;/ 3.^: :: '>: : . : :.'' : v

■ '■: The other week,, a paragraph in-these notes recorded a romarkabloYsnoot in gunnery by* No. 27 Company of. tho llqyal Garrison Art, tillery at Portsmputh, ,irhich scored, 2l hitt in 21- rounds'in one minute-.eight .seconds. This'recordMsbeoii beaten by Nα.'29.Com.' pany at. Fprtsmquth. : '<■'■ With twenty .hits' out' of 20 .rounds, w«ro7rcgi£ tored in 58 seconds, the firing being fron; Fort Albert,.lsle of Wight, at floating;tar-; gets 1700 yards/distant, towed/at a spepo of .24 knots!;per;ihour; ;,:-;,:,,;;• .•■■ : - ;';