THE BULL'S=EYE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 772, 22 March 1910, Page 4

THE BULL'S=EYE.

|;5 SHOOTING EXPERTS OPPOSE THE ; :.-. £;:• ■ "TARGETS -AN : EXPERIf^: :l . : : .v ■:■>■■:". mi^nt.■■/•■;■■ ; ;: ' ■... 1 , .' .■ m'; . ■ '.' ■■- - - -■ ' ,-. . . t ~,'A.:> ..The.' 'agitation; directed '.against the S; ■;•-.proposal to introduce,the. figure target i;. V.'/; .. into' the King's Prize and otlicr ooml". v : i petitions' Vat :• Bisley: culminated in the ;; C; holding , of a spepial general meeting,of f- i: : ' -t] ,9 N»tional Rifle -Association, in tho (/{>.•'■;. Vltoytl. tfnited Service Institution, Lonj: ~,,'.d0h, on February 5..: Lord Cheylesmore [■■:,-'.-; '■■'.'' preside 3 bver.a gath'eriag^of.about 200, t : v.,. wihich-ia the biggest;muster of .tho'Naf..;•.-.'-., :.iioaal-Rifle-Association for,some years.E.Vil;' :: Among ;.others.- present . were: ■ Earl 'f '■■•'* ' . Waldogfave, Lord ; Kinnaird, ' Lord Derby, Lord Binghani, general -J. H. i';' , . MaoKinnon;. Sir Ralph Knox,- Colonel \: );■'[.- •■': G. -A.-.' Wilson; " Colonel : Sandqman, |;V'.-;-'/ .Colonel Millner, ■ Colonel Barlov/, Major :;^V ■ Colonel •■ Davison,'. ''Colonel i-V Cowan, Captain the Hon. Guy Wilson, fr': ■'■[■:_ Colonel Gongreve,. Colonel Hellish, |'^": V Major- Oxlcy, : ' -H;.-'■■- Whitehead, \I ; M.V.6., Mr; A. P,~Humpbrey, M.V.0., c:yV;V; ; .Maj6r T.vßankin, Colonol Howard Wili/ '■:'■}, • kinson, H. pmm'undsen, and' b ;-V "Mr.:P. G^Thomson;;' ;;\ : '.'■■• '■""■'■ \" ; ; ,'. .." The specific. object of the' meeting [v.:'.';. was, to. consider the .following resolu- ?■•..■,- : tipnj*:—. "''>■■'■"/./.:.;'.■ ;.' V:.:' '"'"■'/■' t.-'.''.V v --..' ; (1) To restrict, the.partial, adop;-., b'i ■■.■■ : ; of 'tho .figure target. »s -prop, ;:■/;;.■ -7posed ■ for the.-' year .1910,' »nd - to; ?-;"■"■ ■;".■■;;■•' oeclare it to be; purely experi- ;■'.;•■•■'■''.•':: mental. ' .'. ■ : V.: .;" ~'-•'' V ":.-.' '■"]. r. , -;;::'•: ' V (2) To obtain,', prior to, August' [;-:.,:V/::'< 31 > next,;-the opinion of all corn-; ]>'■:'■■'.■:'■:\ ' petitbrs at the annual Bisley meet- {".';'• ';•;■ 'ing, .-and also .of ■ all members -of V. !-.•'. !,';■■'■■.';'. the association on the register, on jj,:':.; vV July 14 next, on;the adoption of ?;;■ ■:...•. : : the figure target as proposed. ?.,'■■;,"■ ■!. The chairman announced that at a' i;..',:;. .tneetine of the Council: of tho .National •U'V . RiSe:.dissociation held earlier- in the. ;': VvV day - it L was decided v that, no omcial [•:. ''■:;;/ -opposition .should ,be offered .by them |j■:'.'- •:■ Mo the, p'assingr. of- tho roEolutions. j,'V-': r t(Appl»use.)' '".■■'.."■■'■• :; y. VV '-~ ■:, ■'■

Strilght Shooting. Tho resolutions were moved bj Mr. C.- D. Armstrong,-of the Lcndon Scottish. While they did not wish to dictate in »ny Tfo.v to the Council, he left it to the members to judge whether the Council had gone too far, and whether they were not entitled to ask that the target should be experimental. (He»r, iiear.). Straight shooting,. ho - added, was the basis of all musketry. If a man could not hold his ride straight, what'was tho good of shooting rapids? In a few years they were told tnoy would have automatic rifles, and a man would havo his rapids done for him. Colonel Heip seconded the lesolutious. -fiisloy, ho observed, was not a military camp for military instruction, but was largely organised by men who hid adopted rifle shooting as a. sport, and carried it on practically, at their e»'n expense, (Hear, hear.) Lieutenant Ward, H.A.C., "submitted thit figure targets wcro totally unsuitable as competition targets, because of the w*y they, varied in , different liqhts. Major -W. - . J. Armitige, Sheffield, *eaid he had very litUo'doubt whit^the ffiopinion of shooting men would'be, and lie suppoiied the view that when tho bull's-eye was, doomed the National ~ Eifle Association would ccaso to exist. Major- !Pprfer, Birmingham, believed that any step'that iook'Way the bull'seye tt-ould be*a mist'ate, and asserted, amid applause, that tho influence of the N.R.A. wns the-only influence that bad worked to produce good shots at all. ' ' - _, The Earl of Derby said his interest ill rifle ihootisg was to encourage tho Territorials. The statement that'the object of the National Rifle Association

:>..■ w»s.-.not>.to. cultivatei -shootiiig ; kuthat; .V'force,'ibtit to .encourage it'"as< a .sport,'< ■V,' was- almt)3t a rerelatjon to him, and './■showed there was a divergence of.vieuv ;.,.- Hβ personally tool; a decided 'line. Hβ '..•believed in r rifle shooting-for one qb- ;. : iect,iahd one object alone, and that was ■■.:t« fit's man :for the .defence 'of. his' :';, country. (Applause.) , If «i different ';,;'; yiewv was -taken,, and -.if rifle shooting ; ;.'.;was /promoted:by_tho'N.R.A.'in accord-.;,-:::ahce:with thst view, ho saw no earthly ; reason -why they should expect any as-!"•.?'..'-sistance from a , Government Depart:.- :'■;■', Bient, which found them something like : : '.V£5000;■;.;.';•.;: x ,-y : :\\\ ' /■y:,^\J}. ■>;;,'•:•' •V 1; Something Mora Plifiouit -.'■.. '[ ;;; A Colonel MacCartney, Guernsey, argued ■'.■;.;■-•.■;thßt.'...whe'n a: man had become..an'ex-. ..:' perienced shot he should undertake' to . ; . fire ; at;.3omothing more difficult than ■•"-■;/ : a; bull's-eye. Shoeting at 600 yards • :';■ j had become:so accurate,that somothing, :v.... :■■':' ..h»d to 'be done ..to make .a change. , ■ Sergoant Ommundseri: was mostly .con- .:\ oerned as : to the method, by which the :.; .innovation':had boon foisted on. the' , '"■.■ Council;-They ; must assume that the ■.■ . Council -had no alternative but', to adopt :>:'it. They; ; must look upon tho control ..;. of the, militery authorities as a danger. '/;y- to the.ekiatenceof the•'Association, : and. ■■'anj'influence which prejudiced their ,/ position should be opposed. ' ;:•■....'■;.••■.■ Majar.-.C. Duncan, who had acted as :v secretary'. : to tho movemnt against the .'.'; vDew'targetj said.it was a pity the Asso- : :. ciatioii; should bo dictated to by tho ••■".. .War- .Offico, which had -.. always been ?.■.-■;.'>wrpng- -in'-shooting matters; and .'the '■'■:':■ shoot'ing : men right. Like the majority •■- Of Army officers, the. Earl of Derby did ..:■•■;; not undoritand shooting. .' ■■ .': ■..-. ■ Lord Derby—lf you. , want shooting .;.• for the' defence:of the. Empire, the /■gentlemen you have excluded aro the • : people you would go to. ■-,': . ".■.'"'.'■.Mr. : P. G. Thomson, hon. secretary of- ; ' the'.West of Scotland Rifle Club, said .;...■ the' resolutions before the meeting hid ■•";'.; the entire support of his club, which ; •;;-.■ .was xomposeu of. shooting-men in: the various corps in Glasgow. Their ob- :;■■;■■' .jeet. .was'not to raise ;trouble .m:'.'time :'.,: at- erisis, but rather to strengthen the '■hands',of the Council. They looked .'•' ' npon. the figure; target as introducing ' a large element of luek, vhich would :.: i .ultimately reduce . shooting from a ; ecienc». ; to a wild gambje. Most Scots- .-:■ men, at any rate,,*'o'uld as soon prefer to -send the money to. the Chancellor ■ him to raffle tho prizc3. The .../.'■adoption' of those targets mnst result .in diminished entries,-so far as Glasv gow was'concerned, especially in the ■ .-...'caiso .--of young shots. -. ' ' . ' ■ V The chairman' regretted tho issue of '■'•: . the circukr,' because it ' contained matters which would havo been better .left out. While it was outside tho pro- • yince of the'N.R.A. to .criticise the War Office, it,was on the other hand not .;'.. quite the province of the' War Office to . dictate to the great Association. fAp- : '..'• plause.); His views had undergone ne :, change, and he still maintained that tho ;'.'- N.R.A.';must adhere to the biill's-eyo .; target in a c r " a t ; measure. . (Hear, hear.) They h*d any numtor of com- ■■/:■ petitions at Bisley, which really cm-' •'■.•:.". braced all tho ideas that were brought . forth "at Hytho. He did not think ■■■;■; there was a single new form of rapid ' Bhooting at Hytho which they had not had at Bisloy long before. (Hear, hoar.) Tho resolutions were adopted by a • large.^majority,'only 26 holding up their hands in dissent. '■'..■ '■■,-. At the winter general meotinp of tho Association, it v/aa intimated that T lio : Bisley mooting will open on tho 4th :,:;. and continue to July 16. The date .' fixed is , a .'week earlier thnn usual, to ■:■■■.-•. avoid .interfering with tho annua' ■camp of: tho Territorial Force.