DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 805, 30 April 1910, Page 12

DEFENCE NOTES.

(Br EoratoiO

It has been decided by tie British Wa» Office that in future the words "Imperial Service"' shall appear under the title' King's Colonials in the Army List. This honour has been conferred on condition that tho regiment will continue to ehow that 90 per cent, of the. strengtH wiirundertake to accept liability for service outside the United Kingdom. It ig derstood that the Prince of Wales, the hon. colonel of the King's" Colonials, has mode a donation, to the regiment of £1000. It will be remembered this corps is now administered by a commit tee, but in order to carry out.satisfactorily the training of its eontbgenta, some of which are stationed at a distance from London, a considerable addition is required to the eum allocated for the purpose from Government sources.

Mr. Haldane (British War Minister), ' replying to a question, stated in th« '.'.- House of Commons that trials are now m progress to obtain the sighting curve of the now bullet' when fired from a -.303 service rifle with the proposed sen-ice charge of MJ). cordite. Th* ■ muzzle velocity of, the bullet is 2130 fA and its striking energy is estimated asi «,o yards^2o33 *?* P o<mds ; 100 yards,, 1819; 500 yards, 802; 1000 yards! 385; and 2000 yards, 158 foot pounds. Tb.9 height of trajectory from actual trials As m , 2.4 feet; 800 yards, 8J feet« and 1000 yards, 16.6 feet. The method of altering the sights of. the rifce for nse with the.new ammunition is underv consideration. There is no reason t»' doubt that it can be done locally without return of the rifles to tho Ordnanoa Department, bnt. specitd' armonrars will have to be sent to" carry out the work. The Bisley meetings of 1310 will opeir on July 4. and continue to July 18. Tha. '.-. date fixed is.a week'earlier than;usual '■.-■' to avoid, interfering with the annual"'" camp training of the Territorial Force, Already it is known that a team from ■ Australia will be present, also a contingent of; the Malay; States Guides, and it is hoped that arrangements will- hr, . made by the Singapore Rifle Association ... I.to send a.team. The Empire match, in which members of the British team took I part when they visited Australia' in 1907, • will .be shot, this year at Bisley during the first week in July] Col. the. Hon. . T. P. Fremantle has been appointed captain of the British team.. '. , i ' '■■ '. —' : The following are some of the most-' important changes in the arrangements *- for the Bisley Rifle meeting:of _ Service Rifle's.—With regard to servico' rifles it has been 'decided that ho servico rifle of any pattern other than the official'pattern in use in the British' Army be admitted in service rifle competitions unless an officially certified specimen of r.iich rifle be deposited with the National Rifle Association at least three monthi before the' commencement, of the Bisley meeting and approved for use at tha ; Bisley meeting. Match Riflcs.-It has been decided that Hie match rifle barrel mnst not exceed ' 3} lbs, in weight, and the' calibre must not exceed .310. Service.Rifle.Sights.-A large number' or sights have been inspected-and approved by the council for use in servica rifle competitions at the 1910 Bisley meeting, but the whole matter will be reconsideredm, November. .w gll f n i? Sh , optional practice snot,..followed by one compulsory con- ; vertible sighting shot will be allowed is all squadded individual service riflo com- ' petitions.', --. ■ Colonel Schumacher,; of Johannesburg, r 3 - for T? om^, years P TCII P"*es for' the Empire Day Challenge Cup Competition has now given prizes to be shot for on Empire Day by cadets and boys of ' the E m p, Tne council have arranged two competitions, one for cadots nnSer 'fL yearS ,? f ■ a S (! " i and,',.a rjunior competias follow % S nderls . J*Bi prize lists as lollow:-Senior competition.—A chal. lenge cup, silver and' bronze medals, and M.MI.W ™° ney - i," Jn ?' or oompetition.-A °h «f-° Up ' Sll7er «nd. bronze medalZ and ~£75 in money. ■ ~«™» It is impossible to doubt, says the Bislw correspondent of "The Tunes," thati -, the o mi n r U ? '& '-"tof in"■: SLk md ?°f"en interested in' rirS Cana .. da M ' to ■*•'«*■» S J V s , ? f a wrtain regulation recenth Th°e P clh. r:the X-IFH Kifle iLSSS,'ihe controversy,,if such it c»a be rfirfvL is the. service rifle. T& Bisley regulations lay down that the htter i-M "any ,303 rifle as'issued by the BriS ! Government or the Government of any British colony or dependency for the armknown fact that the Ross rifle is th» - weapon that 'has been adopted by th« Government of ..Canada for the arming of its troops, it is perfectly obvious that it is qualified under the regulations for us* at Bisley. An experience oi fifty yeart has, howover, taught the executive of thai meeting that it is imperative to provid* lules to meet t,ve>ry possible contingency' ■-•■■ likely or unlikely. No one who has had the pleasure of meeting Canadians at Bisley will ever suppose. that any intentional breach of the above-qnoted regula•tion is possible. At tha same time every .''■', practical man knows that it is -alwavi possible for a competitor to make an ob-" iection and to assert that the rifle used by an individual opponent differs in soma small respect from the pattern approved '•'•' by his Government. The charge may or - ' may not be true; if the former the explanation may bo oxpected to be that th« offender has not read the rules as care- ■ fully as is necessary. But, in any cast, the_ Bisley Committee have got to give a decision on the subject, and it is only by comparing the, rifle against whioh a ' charge is brought "with 'one concerning 'which there can be no ' question thai judgment can be.pronounced. The conn- , cil have,-therefore, decided that' "no service riflo of .any pattern, other than the official pattern in use by the British Army, be admitted in service rifle competitions an.. officially certified specimen of such rifle be deposited with the National Rifle' Association at least three months before the commencement ,of the Bisley meeting and approved for T uao at the Bisley meeting." .

In connection with tho decision of th»' •War Office announced by Mr. Baldauo a, few days ago to purchase horses at tha age of three years, it is stated that aa oiler to extend the "boarding-out' prin-' eiple, started last year, has been made in a circular issued with the object of in. dueing. horse owners to accept the car* of young and-sound horses under certain, conditions so as to ensure the provision of a reserve of trained horses suitable for war service in case of' emergency. The principal stipulations 'are that the horses shall remain the property of the Crown, that they shall, be kept at a place specified, properly fed and cared for and suit-: ably shod, that they msy.be used for any legitimate purpose, riding or draught, except for the carting of heavy loads, .ploughing, or for any purpose which the commanding officer of. the district maj deem likely to interfere with their military efficiency; that they must not bo let out on hire; that they shall be liabb at all times to inspection, and that in case of death or injury due to circumstances which in the;opinion of tha Army Council are due to improper treatment, compensation shall be paid for. each horse to an amount not exceeding .£lO, which can be covered by the taking out of policies of insurance; that, sub., ject to 14 days' notice, the horse shall be placed at tho disposal of the military authorities at any time if claimed for mobilisation purposes, if in' the opinion of the officer commanding they are not kept in good condition,' or when iio lon.' gcr suitable for military requirements. Those who accept tlit horses will be allowed a month in which to decide whether they will retain them, and. at tha expiration of that period the horses will have to bo kept for twelve months, after which they can be given up by a month's notice on cither side, and if no occasion should arise for their return the allottees will bo entitled to compensation on a scale to be fixed by the Army Council. These conditions are so novel and bo farreaching that until sufficient time has been allowed for their careful consideration it is premature to speculate as to how they are likely to bo, received by farmers and others to whom they are iatended to apply.