DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 609, 11 September 1909, Page 12

DEFENCE NOTES.

, ' (Br Echelon.) In the snap-shooting competition which concluded the British Army Kiflo ChampionnvPt wectmg reccntly, a special target, the ' liitchio, was used at unknown ranges, tho figure electrically raised in tho grass for tho to ttt. Tho targets wore four,heads and shoulders, coloured khaki,' and* exposed for 20soc. each; Eight magaziiie rounds wero 5 allou'ed. and dircct hita counted five points ecu. Ihe meh cot down, and, ion-a signal, tho figures, .impelled by swift electrical cUr- : rent, shot up in tho heather., away down in tho, valley. A fasillado. greeted - them,. and down they bobbed as tho competitors loosed of! a eouplo of rounds lorco more,. While tlio men lay ready scanning tho sunlit oom-' ' mons for tho next appearance, suddenly: m a' new diroction;. tho, figure's appeared, crouched'as if in tho act of aiming, Onoo again tho;rifles. on the object, and so on to tho end. Tho severity of the practice was shown by .tho scores,''which consmtod of 10 blnilk score-sheets ana ton points as tho : : highest out of a poSsiblo 40, which supports the theory,' stated in tho London "Standard,'.' ." that , the rank and file need a vast deal .more • - elementary musketry, before thoy can hope , ■ to touch high-water. mark ia tfiia class.of." firing. Tho wliplo musketry trouble, states ' that, journal, is laelt of money and ammunj- ' v tion and the want of a responsible musketry department at Whitehall, which will actually ■' and. really: control pfactico in tho ' oommands. A 'well-known - Regular Army' • shot stfmmed up the situatiori. thus:'—"lt n known that our troops wasfc' more of their".. ammunition on service targeii?. Tbisjl con- ; sider: 'is' ; duo to tho inadcmi'iito-'preliminary - trainiug.which they got. No man should be put through field firing befpro. he can. hit a fixod mark in a consistently morittrious man-' nor. If wo had grounds,, ammunition, and time ' allowed to : train mon r \thbroughly ?a bull's-oyo shooting our, field targets.results would bo increased enormously, ' What, 1 this would moan on seryici you Catf imagine.' An army, trained; t<) 'the'; ®xport;:Uso\of ammunitionwouldbo; an invincible: host which oould only boimproved in one' way, and that would • bo by tho ideal of having :.cv6fy; man trained ' to ride a horse."

During ho last few yeans flflo ranges havo i been orectcd on the Toofs of several of the British. Government buildings, notably, tho General Post Office and Savings Bank.' Recently a new range, situated on'tW roof of tho Custom-House, was formally doolarod -open by Mr.' 1,. N. Guillcmard, C.8., chairman or the Board of Customs arid Exoieo, Tho, structure, which has been erected by a Birmingham',firm,, consists of two ranges, tlio lower' ono, providing aceomihodatiou; for three men to firo at 25yd. targets! and Uio upper ono for three men at 60yd. tafgota.

, A now typo of torpedo, in whidliHto prin-, ; ciplo of wireless telegraphy., is','Utilised, and : ':' for which tho..iMvcntor.olaims;remarkablo powors, is, it is stated brtthe Xoitdon News . tgency. now engaging/the attention' of .tho I .':'." dmiralty.The .inventor is ;a young - man •named Aleo. ;.AvJSj of Waltham Abbey, who ' was trained as on electrical engineer.. Ho ,-- olairas for.tho- machino .that.'.it. wo\dd do- • > otroy any vessol at a raugo.pf ten miles, / ''. or- an cven greater distance, /' It' can bo . ■ and '/fited'without any ' meohanical oonnection;, bettften ' it and '. its operator,, who controls' its action by an apparatus ;,whioli can bo ;chrried; if : ncccssary'/ in tho pocket.' 'Tho inventar'eexplanation ia , : .'. that 'there is a;'.sensitive apparatus in .tho / machino which'-responds to magnetio .forfces in tho nir, and ,by this means' its digit iscontrolled. Tho amount of explosive forco ' will .depend on the sizo of tho torpedo, rohioh can be manufactured to carry as muoh - lis a ton of explosive matter. An seaman wpuld to ablo to taaniptolate 'tiiis : torpedo, a spenialiflt not boing-required. Tho torpedo would travel on the .suxfaoo of tho ■ wator. at (Tno /at© of . 40! miles an hour. n. : The' growth of fio boy sSbut.: movement . has been ;SO rapid, that the managiug-scoro*, ' taiy' of • the ibrgaJii«atioh', . Ib'.l 'J. A./Kylb,' rcoeutly' tpHbijo pnblic , wCTl&fl' , (>'r tffgaWßatifttf ,ll Whioh''.''f r Hid n • authorities liavc adopted. - In every locality, ' ' bo says,, whero there arc scout-masters ana ' purpose link the various','sooulr-niastera . and tro'opd.'togeth'er,'to'assast <in> , finding" , suitable'• men, to act as' ana' generally" supervise the movement in tsW dis- ;; trict. V Intorferoncp with , tho, individuality of ~. particular troops is to be avoided.as far'aa" possible, iso, long;as all the troops_ run on similar broad-lilies; These" commqtteos are: ■ linked up into district scout'counoils, which' bodies meet,: say,, at six-monthly ".intervals, for. a goiicral ; conference, .whilo..delegating ■ their governing^wwors;.'to : an' cxcciitivo oonimittce. Over all are a number of gohtje.'': men who" are stylod' commissioners! yJio are responsible: for the whole: movement jri large areas, aiid who.undertalto:the formation and* gtiidanoo of theso councils and local committees, and therefore endeavour to interest 'the people in tho movement.': Tho com. . mittees, of oouree, whflo consisting primarily of scoutmasters, who are. the teolinical men' (and who^iheroforo,'have' tho/t«flmic&l con - trol of the movement), have also on them' representatives; of j other brigades. and' asso- ; • oiations .working-among; beys and those whty whilo:uiiablc to act as scout-masters, are in-' tcrosted in" tho movement and able to help'it' in- many .ways,'uuoh as'tlic loan of'land' for' camping purposes, the acquisition of !damping • ~' material, etc,.: • •; '• ■; V-"--'..'-.,

A - new military game,.;' styled Bellas,- lifts booiv introduced by: Maior-Gcueral Sir .Haf-' court :'JI. 'BDngough,-. which;, seems-' to haw ; qualities commending it'to widoAppreciation; It combines certain ,of chess' :Tfith the tactical principles of: warfare, ; Figures of infantry, cavalry, gun 6, and convoys aro employed. The value of chess in developing/ theoretical strategy Was' rcoognised ; by Napoleon, and lias been recognised by other commanders, but thopractiau Use "in respect of the details of minor tactics isnot so evident. . IA Bellax, • however, the forces have # definite-and practical -significance,- and their powers and values are commensurate with those of an army. Cavalry is superior to infantry, artillery has a still higher value, and- tho' general,. the most important piece of ali| corresponds 'with;tho'.chess king, mis--much as his capturo decides the issUo. Tho plav.consists-in tho iilst place of ; formation, and afterwards of Manoeuvres, stratagems, .ana raids when the' occasion is favourable,', .and any .force, subjcctodto tho attack of a superior -forcc is lost. Tho: gamo; is played with fifteen piece? a-side on a board of 100 squares divided itito sections %■. two bound-ary-.lines, beliilid which, cach makes his disr; positions, for, unlike chess, .-.there is no- set formation, each player arranging his forco as. ho.pleases beforo the play begins.--.

It is: understood that tho Government exports are busy upon a new riflo (or tlio Army a result of;thii.6XpDrieiico gained at Bislev,Hytho, ami elsewhere, iu the uso of highvelocity ammunition. The breech of tho prosont riflo is not capable of bodring tho sus- . tained.Sro of the high-power cartridge, such ai( is. now practically' adopted .by, tho various Powers, and the now experiments tire devised to obtain,a rifle (says tlio ''.Standard") I suit-, able for a high-velocity oartridgo which, the. Government exports : devised.': vSomp form,of automatic loading, will be adopted, Tho various "no)v , ' or converted- rifles ' which, i have been . put . forward 1 as . .fresh riflos will, like tlio .present regular aim, bo obsolcto as soon as the experiments nbw iu hand are cpliciudcd, which will probably be, at tho end of 1910. : Tho short'riflo now usod. by tho regulars is in effect a now anp,. but ; it-was practically out of. date at tho time of-;-; - issue, owing jo tho development; of high-, power-ammunition. If precedent-' is followed, ' when tlio nest liciv riflo is issued ill the years to como, tho present short riflii, 1 when cast by,-', tlio Army, will como into tho possession of tho Territorial Force, as, perhaps, a convoi'tcd solf-loador. If thoro is a lesson irißisley «f nil; it lies in the fact that Hio Canadian Ross rifle, suitable for'high-power cartridges, is a> superior weapon to tho Lec-Enfieldj and unquestionably its sights aro far away the best.

Bisley Mooting! 1910.—Tho r Executive Council of tlio National Rifle Association ha« - decided that no Service Riflo of wiy pattern, other than tho official pattern in-Uso-by tiho British Army, bo admitted in eorvico, riflo: competitions unless an officially 'certified',.: specimen of such riflo be deposited with the N.R.A. at least three months before tho com- ' monccment; of tho Bieley Meeting,-'" And approved forusi at the Bisloy Meeting, ' ' ,