FUTURE OF BISLEY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2109, 28 March 1914, Page 8

FUTURE OF BISLEY.

THE NEW PROPOSALS. FOR THIS YEAR'S MEETING liiniiteiiant-Ccjl'iiicl C. Jl, Crosse, secretary of tho National itifio Assoeia- - tfefv-has issued a statement of tho . 1 correspoi-donee a-n<l iicgotiatiotts wliieii J have reccnt-Jy taken pla-eo with tlio War ] (Ifticn ill regarti t« tlie, iutvire of t£o j Hislev meeting, tii-geth-nr with tlio pro-'! posed general , selieiiie of tlio progran.mio ' of this year's competitions, .. Tiiis step lias beeii t-a-keJi ia'etder t : ha.t'ail nj-fi'ni'-■ burs may have an opportunity of studying tlio -whole srtlijws lieforo tiro tviiiitr gefiflrsl. meeting, " wlie'ii tho proposals of tho council w-i-fl bo coitjsidflvetl by. tiro flissemtißU, •" ; \ 'I'hoso actively i'ntfefea-ted in rifle slitiotiijg and tlio Bisley ineeting ,aro, of course, well aeiniaiated witli tlie seqtielice of events which, liavo led u'j> tlio _ present situation, but, as 111 anv are in all probability imaequainted wirn tho.. differences tvhieh liavo slowly aeisen between thoso yespDnsibk for Army TnUsbfftfy and a largo- tmd ift* iluential section of the supporters of tho National- B-ille Association, a short retrospect would appear to bo desirable, far this .purpose it is necessary to iniember, that'its-trii'S as long ago as 1860 t-liat the first meeting ~of tha newly* formed association was held at Wi:n,blcdon, tho nioyetnent Jiaving for its aim "to give pprmaneneo io Volunteer corps aftd to encourage rifle shooting throughout tho Queen's Dominions," In tljoso days nine-imfhs of the Volunteer Force wero armed with tlio tong Knficldj the ■ aequraey of-wfi'iej, however, could liot bo dep'nded upon at ranges over 600 yards, and t'ims for .mafly years it became jreo'essary for ccmi.pe't> tors in ' tho final stage, of tho Queen's Prize to use some other, rifle arbitrarily selected far then; by tho council, This system was naturally in inany ways aji* satisfactory, but it produced eert'aitt important, and probably' unforeseen, re-•stiii-s, for tlie annual tests to discover tho' hesti Weapon' to g-feat- developnionts ai tlio art of Tho inventive genius. of the. trade was also' stimulaied by tho various other competitions, ":nd, in his well-knowu "Book <jf' tho Rifle," Colonel tho Hon. T. P. I''reniaiitto Was' able to elaini Ayitli truth 1 hat "Tho history of tlio National Rifle Association includes fto history of tlio" rifle imp 1860 up to t3s<v present tiilie, aitd in tho competiiioire of Mjo associa-tip-n all tho improvements that have stood the test of practical usage, and indeed a, great many that liavo tailed to do so, have matte their appearance." Thus .side by side with skill in slieotinft at. a Imli's-ej-o at known ranges (.prtictieally the only form of Jn-a;Fk:snian-snip considcreu .at that time) thero grew up a great national institution to which tho -coijntry owes an enormous debt of gratitude' Incidentally, the Imperial side of. it.s activities must tiot be overlooked, for Wimbledon, and subsequently Bisley, soon becaino. the centre of m-afJvsmansijip. for tho an'i tho friendly riyalry engendered .in tho inipartaiu. team and' individual competitions has done Uitfch to promote tho «au.se i of sportsmanship, camaraderie, and rifle shooting among the daughter natioiis and tho Mother Country. , In these'-cirpninstanees it becomes easy'to understand tlie pijint' of vieiv of those who consider thp tlio Bisley meeting as it- osists to-day is- an ■ institution which should on no account, be tampered with, :-a.n4 011 A destined - to eicist. indotini.tely ' ujjon. tho lines oii which it. has developed. Attitude of the Military Authorities. JI > Naturally, tho- military authorities . Wei ; 6-"ißoliiie.d to look 'with .a. kindly cyd . upon an asspeiSiiio-n by which they gained imich direct j aiul istiU more iiidirect, prpflt. Nor can -it fer one moment be •said tliat they were ungenerous in the help which they gave it! This help, it niust, be rememberecl, does'not tako the form of a, grant from tho .public funds; but of assistairco in . kind, and as such it is difliculf to appraise its exaaf, value. It includes, the loan of the whole of the camp emiipmeut, -a fioe grant of half a. million specially selected rounds for use in the competitions, and, above all, tho services of a large <leWc'hment of officers, N.C.O.'s, r.nd men from tho Kogular. forces for camp and rango duties at a. time of tho year : wh.e)i it..is becoming increasingly difficult io spare them. But, during-the past ton years, old conceptions of . musketry .ka-jjiing ha ve, .a's the result of experienco "of war, passed away, net Oli-ly; in our own Army, but in that e£ other 'nation., Speaking generally, it is now realised th.a'.t ■&' high standard of skill at known' ranges terms but the preliminary to moro ad- , v.mced forma of shooting. X tendency to speoialiso iii the for® o : f slow ehooting, aiid to regard it aa. tho Ultimate object of musketry training— whereas it is in fact only a means to an end--.is therefore discouraged, aiid. it Wa-a inevitable .'that ■ the War Office ehouM eventually decline to support any Meeting in -which, bui-N-eJ.e shooting' at k-nowli ranges was tho only feature. As a matter of fact sueh a state of affairs c-ovtld not be laid as- a. charge against the Bisley exeiuttve, as,, at. an early .stage, 9- certato amount of eom-.pe-ti-•i-ioiis were introduced which accorded with' nxodern ideas.

Tho beginning of tho controversy, however, in reality dates from tho famous circular drawn up at Hyt-ho in ISOS, in whieji tho objects of a. ritlo meeting wero definitely laid down, and, in aceordaueo with which,' it may be • mentioned tho programme, of the Army Hiflo "Association was completely reorganised. ' SitieA that <lat« the Bistoy Council has done its best- to ir.oderniso the competitions, but it must be Confessed that its ta£k has been a hitrd and thankless one-. ■ New features, have been introduced, notably tlm Jjarlow and Quer-n Mary's I?r'iW!, bat 'events stieli as fJiesc do ..riot lend tiiemfpives to competition as does tho old-fashioned bull's-eye shoot, and tho individual marksmen who aro the. mainstay of tho meeting have -strongly objected -to any innovations in tlj# con(iitions of the time-honoured events. So (ho- in-atier remained: -in'.an _ misstisfaciory eonditioa until last, spring tvhen it, was announced that a- War Office Committee had been formed to <:onsider the policy which should be adopted towards I all aiisiliiry rilte shooting .associations, turd Chc-.ylesmore, the. ehairm;i.;i of th<> Icoilneil, gaye .evidence, aiid iu May -certain • questions Were aiKSfrerpd by tho council. At the end of October th« Se.cretary rj tho N.R.A. was informed that the Army Council had decided not to give any assistauce to tho liistey Meeting'unless the Territorial competitions [Were conducted in. accordance- with tho Musketry llegulat imis, and further howas - fold that there was an offer in tho air supported by several well-knoivn Ri'ivtlemen to form a rival Territorial PorcA Association.

, TMs .was practically an aßimatimu as. diving to tli.o increasing cost of riflo practice, and the fact'thai tliG present' day Territorial has Hot the Same time and means at his disposal which were possessed some years bicti by a targe proportion of tji.e r-tduiiteersj Tcrriwii.il competitors have for . sorao time past ten decreasing in ntuMicfs. Without ■military assistance no meeting eqiikt possibly tafa> "ptaeo and tiro council had no option tot capitulate, hntistfong rcpresentatifjus oil their p:<rt led to important modifeatipftg in ttso draft proposals. Tito final diversion was ccmnmnicaied to flic council on December 10 and pvJiUshcd m the Press, find furflier correspondence elicited from t!io War Offun a promise t.hat flic attendance of Territorial soldiers at Bislcy should bo encouragcd. • .

Th» New programms.

11l :iccr.r<l.i!t''.e with the terms of iljetreaty a programme lias now bean

drawn un. and will, bo submitted for -aUtliß wiiltdr general mcctil'ijt" ■ In regard to ils eenoral sebemc all Territorial Competitions, which will bn fiiv.d in accordant*) with War Ofiic.cv requirements, will tako place miting iiio first week of tho meeting, whilo "All Comers'' competitions.' which will be shot, for jtnder similar iii'Jioral ermclitions to. fiiose 'gf' l^st'year,)rill tiik« place during the second week. The first week' will also include, tho schoolboy cvonts, tho team competitions in. wliich Ki'Kulars usually t.a.ko part, the match rillo .shoots, and the small b.Qro jiicfitinß. Tho general conditions for Territorial competitions include tho ti.so of tho Government rifle srit'li sights as issued, loading from tho magazine, service targets up to and including 6)30 yards, and a. t.imo liuiifc, Tiio sisccial conditions of some of tho principal events will be as follows: —

The Rug's,—First- stage, 10 rounds deliberate at 20.0, SOS, .and 600 yards.. Second stage, ft rounds deliberate, 10 roflnds rapid-, and orouncls s:nap at 300 yards. Third stage, IS rounds at short distances .at feapp.eafii.ig targets:. Si;. Goorßu's.—First stage <> rounds deliberate at 500' dud yards. Second Stage 5 rounds sn:.a;p at 200 yards and o rounds rapid at 500 yards. Territorial. .Aggregate.-~-To includo the; .first stage of tho King's, Queen Mary's and St. George's. Alt Comers- Competitions. Tho "All Coniors'" events and the big team shoots, •■'sucli as the Ko.la)>oro, Mackinnon, etc., take placc during the sSpo.trd week under tho following general conditionsßides, sights, and slings to be as last year with .flguro targets tip to 500 yards ' and over that distance targets, and, fc ■sq.u.ad'de.d Comprtitions thcro will bq ii t'imo Mmi'j tif 3(1 seconds front ihe tir.io tho target is dear. Otfinrwiso tho conditions will bis much tho saiivo as before, wlulo ft now event called tlio "Imperial" on much tho same Hues as last year's _ King's, wiH be open to all British subjects.