NATIONAL DEFENCE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 197, 18 May 1936, Page 3

NATIONAL DEFENCE

Man Who Can Use Rifle An Asset “A man who can use a rifle is an asset to his country; wc do not know but that the time will come when we will have to defend these shores,” said President W. R. Fellinghanij secretary of the National Rifle Association, when he spoke at the Wellington Rifle Association's annual social gathering on Saturday night to the toast of the Defence Department. Mr. Fellingham deplored the fact that when youths left the cadets and territorials.' no provision was made for them to carry on the training already given. For many years, he said, efforts had been made to get the department to encourage youths leaving these two branches of the defence service to join rifle clubs. Deputy-president R. Flaws, in proposing the National Rifle Association, expressed the hope that the present Government would give the rifle clubs more support than had been afforded them in the past. Mr. 11. C. Croxley. in support, said that a rifleman could compete at Bisley for the King's Prize, travelling 13,000 miles tn do so, and be eliminated after only 21 shots. In Australia all who competed for the King’s Prize fired right through the contest. In New Zealand they had the final 50 system whereby the highest 50 went on for a further shoot. It gave the public an afternoon in which to see whnt wns going on in rifle shooting in New Zealand. As long as they had that system he felt they were going the right wav to popularise the sport in New Zealand. The National Rifle Association was a most democratic body in that every angle of thought in rifle, shooting was represented on its executive. The chairman of the National Rifle Association, President W. Mcßain, in reply, advised younger riflemen that they would learn more from a week at the national rifle meeting at Trentham than they would in five years in their clubs. He was one of the youngest of about 1000 entrants at Bisley in 1893 when that was his own experience. Mr. Mcßain referred to a scheme which would probably come into operation whereby the Defence Department, which considered there were too many associations in New Zealand, would recognise onlv a limited number, for instance, the Wellington association for the whole of Wellington province. Tie thought ■it would be better than the present position under which some associations could not get ammunition. They would then be able to get it through these major associations recognised by the department.

Among other toasts were: Miniature Rifle Association (President W. Jackson. Mr. L. R. Poutawera). Wellington Rifle Association (President R. Young, President W. G. Fellingham). There was a large attendance and the function was most succes-ful.