SERVICE NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 47, 24 February 1906, Page 14

SERVICE NOTES.

(By "Scout.") Secretaries of volunteer corps nnd of rifle clubs Rio invited to forward nny items of interest regarding parades, shooting, or genoinl company news. Prepnrntions for the championship meeting to be opened nt Trent h«m next Moii4ny week nrs practically completed, nnd it is practically n certainty that the meeting will b6 gob through by Saturday morning. There will bo throe ranges available for this mooting instend of only one ns nt previous contesla, nnd tho fact I that two of tho ranges will bo in continuous uao must considerably shorten tho time occupied in got! ing oil' the competitions, notwithstanding the fact tlinb a recoid number of entries aro forward this yenr. The third r.tngo is the long distnnce ono, ita situation being southward of the old range, It is interesting to note that tho championship struggle concludes with fifteen shots nt the long range, which is equivalent to jmying that the final result will bo in doubt almost until tho lnst shots. An advantage in the new ranges is that tho 200 yds mound on the northern is level with tho 300 yds mound on the centre one, nnd so on a level with tho 500 yds mount of tho southern range, all the other mounds being in 11 ko variation. This will obviate the long march back, which had to bo mado when under tho old conditions a chnnge from long-dia-tanco to short-distance pliooting Was ordered. Tho City Rifles deserve congratulation upon their win in tho garrison tenms mntch of lnst Saturday. Their shooting improved nt. each range, nnd they finnlly won from tho Wellington Qunrds — who were prime favourites— by n substantial majority. ( Tho Oily Ritlps win was the more meritorious inasmuch as one member of fcho tenm "broke up badly. Ih the junior tenms competition tho Z'tlnndins and tho Wellington Engineers, who finished in that order, got. well ahead of other competitors, hnd qualified themwlvcs to shoot as senior tenms in next year's contost*. After all, tho old Auckland Navals nro not to be allowed to drop into oblivion (snvfl the Observer). An apparently suecusst'ul effort lias been mado to resuscitate the corps at tho eleventh hour. That the men nro in earnest is evident from their unanimous desiro to go into cnmp this month, nnd prevent a break in the compnny's service. Though tho muster will necessarily bo a email one, It will be ample for official purposes, ])uring tho progress of tho/cnmp, Captain Bpmloy, JJlvisionnl Quartermaster, will direct tho Navals' operations, but it is understood that nn ofUcor of considerable experience hns promised to stand for the captaincy, and no dlfnculty Is anticipated in filling the other commistsions. Some Wellington volunteer companies might advantageously move on lines pursued by the Dunedin Engineers, who hnve a "cadet" branch to which belong a number of youngster.? who have left school, and nre still too young to become members of volunteer corps. There k a full company of these lads, and they are twined in engineering work ns far ns they cnn'bo takon. Quite apart ,from volunteering, the trnining given ia mi excellent thing for tho lads. The A Battery (Auckland^ has received notification thnt it qualified na second* class, which, considering tho high standard adopted by Major Johnston, as a criterion, is very good (writes "Rifleman") nnd a distinct' advance on lnst yoar'n record, when tho Battery didn't qualify at all. It is, moreover extremely doubtful whether flny other battery in the colony did nny better. I observe that Major Johnston ia credited in lJunedin with com(ilimonling the B Battery on being this )est battery ho had seen working in ho colony, but he also told tho A Battery the same I However, that battery only got a sccond^clnßS, so that it is on tho same lovel ns tlio Auckland compnny. An Important statement, ho mado Was that, noxb year the difficulty of the practice would bo lncrensed, because nil tho shooting would have to be done from behind cover, nnd tho laying of tho guns would have to bo carried out by menus of tho clinometer. I understand thnt tho Wellington Rifle Bnttnlion will go on trek through the Wnirnrnpa District in Knster week, An effort is boing made to hnvo a composite column"-]), BnttM'v. Engineers, tho Wpl« lington Nnvnls, nnd the bn-ttnlion—nrrnng-cd to make tho march nnd manoeuvre en route. If such ft column could bo nrrnnger for, tho benefit of the experience would bo grcnt, At the examination s "What do you clean your rifle-barrel with?" "Coconut oil, sir." "What do yon clenn youv breach-block with?" "Brilllnhtshine, sir." Examiner goes off like a packet ol crackers Collnpso of private. The reformed uniform for the blue|ncket« cnnio into force nt Christinas. J'he familiar enps nnd blue collni'B jiavo disappeared, nua Jnck hns been given n penked cup and ft jnckct. Tlio changewns for some lime under consideration by | tho Admiralty. Tho senmen of tho fleet hnd several objections to the old-time picturesque costume. Tho bnggy trousers wore Hnblo to catch in tho mnrhmerv, tho open jumper Was nick-nnmed ttio "pneumonia-catcher," and the whito straw lints for hot weather wero difficult to slow nwny. A jnckrt loofrly lilting, Comfortable around tlio neck, with n. turned*down collar nnd five buttons; a penk« cd cap, light, ventilated, wllh broad, flat top, nnd, for use in hot weather, a cover to protect the back of tho neckj trousers moderately looce; thii was the reconstruction favoured by tho lower deck of tlio Homo Fleet. Tho kit on thoso lines, it was calculntcd, would save the men nbout 225., "Rifleman," in the Auckland Star, observes that ho met. o. friend from tho cnmp ln«t week chuckling mightily over something, and promptly probed liim. It appeared thnt ono of the privates of his company hnd hnd tho Astounding nudncilv to sloal n, Fcrgeniit's uniform and M-cnr it, using tho bndges to carry him into tho holy precincts of tho ffcrgcnnls' mess, lie hnd n royal time there, nnd had regaled several mates outside with the bwt of of tho Bcrgennts' fare, before tho cnglo eyo of n nergennt of a notoriously rival company fell on him. Behold, lie was discovered 1 lie fled, nnd tho sergeant reported the horriblo atrocity to tho ser-gonnl-imjor, who carried il', ns wn» his duty, to tho next nbovp, nnd cveiilunll? it reached the hend of nttniis. The priynte wns rebuked nnd told not, to bo ra fresh, that night tho setgennl's tent fell benenth (he hands of tho offender's romrmbVt nnd thero wns war ! The next night the ramp wni tlistuibod by n sudden fall of ennvns, nnd tlio wrgenntS company found to ila horror that H hnd milled down the wrong company's lonls! Ilio ooenpants swniincd out liko nifts from a broiten hill, swearing vengennro to tho wind, for (ho ficrgpnnl'v nvongers were occupied kicking themselves in nil adjacent paddock. A picnic Io Nhip Cove was hold by tlm Blonhcim Rillpf. recently, when over 500 people made tho tiip,' In connection with tho tiip nn dfoit wns m.ulo to secure funds for rverling nl Ship l'o\e ■« conriclo cairn to dellnltrly mnik (he historic spot whore the giviil Cnptnin Cook landed nnd put in (he winter of 1770. A half-dend (roe is the only murk nl present nnd I lint is said to be snowing n «liHpo«.|tion Io vmmh, The s-aiin ih to bo ions only n hlcppniK-Mdito to something better in fiitinv yen is in tlie shnpe "f » monument of Coo* tich «& \\nß ic>

cently unveiled \m Uishomo May; fliid \o (his latter fund tourists could lie expected to contribute, Out. of his wide experience, including four years in India, with the oversight of half a century of batteries, Major Johnston, stuff ailillery chief, hns developed a keen scent for an efficient soldier, und will bo content with nothing short of that (writes "Sentry," in the Otngo Daily limcfl). Jho purely ornamental soldier hIo him aiiathoma. The corps which nt (ho close of his inspection obtains a Histcl.va pass hns therefore not done so without the display of practical soldierly qualities, and the U Battery 'is to bo wniinly congratulated upon itn achievement (hfs .year. In tho course of conversation Malor Johnston B uid that tho work of tho battery had boon on the slow fide, but he did not consider thai, a very gtavo fault. Their training might be'coinp.ired with tho learning of shoilhaiid -vowelf, contract ioiifi, gruminnloguos, phraseology, must all bo loaincd slowly (hat tho groundwork may be complete. All that, then, ia iioco*snry is speed practice to evolvo the 1 expert shorthand writer. So with artillery (mining, (ho first essential wuh a thorough acquaintance with tho various branclips of the work—gun-lay-mg, fusc-Relting, range-finding, etc, etc, 'this the It Bftttory showed thenißclvos po*Begsed of All tlml I hey vequiro now is tho practice obtainable on service Io enable them to execute their movement!) at (i higher ralo of anccd, and Major Johiulon stnto* (hat within a week (ho battery would on nctivo servico bo n thoroughly ofiicicnt unit. Tho number of volunteers in tho Nelson district hns increased from 900 (0 2000 111 the pa«l five yc«r«, but the only increase in thb staff has been one mounted instructor. It i B proposed to ndd another Infantry corps to tho district strength, to bo known as tho Motueka, Rifles, One of the longest-service volunteer.* In New Zealand ia Major Winter, of Ol»borne. At n'socinl entertainment recently, Major Winter gave some particulars of his volunteer career. Ho said that since 1860 he had been n volunteer except for (i few years, when (hero was no corps in Qisborne, nnd for many yonrs hcl-o ho had been his own instructor in artillery, cnvnlry/and infantry woi>k. It wns ordy a few years since the-y had had Govern- , ment Instructors. lie lmd tho honour of instructing most of the volunteer* hero, and ho thought, Captain Warren wns the only ono present who commenced volunteering nt the same tim n on tho speuker, Captain Warren having ht«rled in the Wnikato war. Mnjor Winter said ho wns glad to sco that volunteering wns not on tho Wnhe. Ho spoko of the need for bnttalion camps, where the men could meet for, eny, ten days' training every two or threo years. Efficiency would not bo secured until this wns done, but unfortunntely iho expenso was in the way at present. In conclusion, Major Wi'ntor said anything ho could do for volunteering ho would bo pleased to do, jUheers.)