VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 11697, 1 October 1902, Page 3

VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

[By Odtpost.]

Class-firing is now in full swing. In addition to the rifle companies, the Hussars and the Engineers have made a start on the musketry course. Fourteen targets were in use at the Pelicheb Bay rifle range last Saturday.

Lieutenant Jack, of the City Guards, put on another "possible" at 500 yds last week his fifth "possible" so far.' as class-firing has gove. At the same range, Lieutenant Midgeley, of the Engineers, got on six bull's-eyes and an inner,-just missing tlia coveted full score by one point. Armorer-sergeant Hunter, of "the Central Defence Office, Wellington, is now in Dunedin, his business being to examine all weapons, with reference to tho sighting of which complaints have been lodged. Armorer-sergeant Butler, also of Wellington, will shortly begin a thorough, inspection of all rifles in the Otago militia and volunteer district. He commences in „i;iic North Otago sub-district on Monday next. -Some of the rifles which were latelv handed in for inspection by a Dunedin corps bear evidence of having had their sights tampered with. Rifles of course should bo wiped dry for inspection parades. What is to b'e said about the volunteer—a trained man too—who recently went on parade with the' barrel of his rifle full of vaseline, and a cork stuck defiantly in the muzzle of the weapon? On the occasion of the recent "sudden notice" parade of tho rifle battalion the first man to reach tho Garrison Hall vas Private Jemsen, of the Dunedin Cycle Corps. He arrived at two minutes past seven, and was followed a minute or two later by Bugler Stewart of the Dunedin Highland Rifles. The Dunedin Engineers intend to entertain those members of the company who have lately returned from South Africa at a complimentary dinner. The function is fixed for Tuesday night next. The Dunedin N.C.O.s 5 Club held their usual weekly meeting on Friday evening. Staff Sergeant-major Towler, president of the club, occupied the chair, and there was a large • attendance of members. The speaker for the evening was Major Beal, who delivered an interesting and instructive lecture on 'Field Sketching.' To-'ni;;ht the committee set up by the club meet to finally arrange the details of the Military Tournament to be held in December.

Most of the rifle companies will bo measured for their new uniforms this week.

The new Red Bcok— presumably the compilation of Earl Robert;—is now to hand. A order recently issued by ColoDel Robin enjoins the commencement of the new drill forthwith. A number of companies intend making a start this week. A hasty glance through the new orill book prompts the conclusion that quite a number of the new infantry movements have been laid down on the M.I. pattern. The assembly form for field work certainly bears a marked resemblance to that already in use by cavalry and mounted infantry. " One of the first of the new drill changes that volunteers will have to get accustomed to is the recruit's, bugbear the turnings. Probably the old hands, who, for many years, have been accustomed to arswer the command "About turn" with three motions of the feet, will find the unlearning of the old order of things a trifle awkward at first, but, of course, volanteers, like ordinary mortals, must ever be prepared to move" with the times. There is a popular notion afloat among volunteers at preseht that any sort of snuffle-round will constitute a "turn" under the new style; but when instruction begins those who have that idea will find that it is not so. That part of the preface of 'lnfantry Training, 1902,' which stands immediately over the signature "Roberts, P.M.," reads an follows :—" In all movements which require uniformity, such as those in close order, the utmost precision is to be exacted'; rot only in order to facilitate rapid and irderly manoeuvres, but to inculcate discipline, and to teach "the power of unity and combination." The mark of Magersfontein is writ very ptainlv on the new drill book, and what Earl "Roberts thinks of the night march as a military operation may "be easily judged from the fact that he says not a word about it. AH the old instructional paragraphs re compasses prepared with luminous paint, rocket signals for the charge on the enemy's works, .rushing of outposts with "the bayonet, etc., eta, are c nspicuous by their absence. The glory of Tel-el-Kebir has evidently departed. The new drill and manoeuvre unit is to be the squad instead of the section 03 heretofore. " The movements and fire discipline of the sauad will be controlled by a non-com. or selected privates* and there will be two squads per section. With a full company of 100 men this arrangement will answer very well,, buti • with volunteer

companies'--with; avtbtalgtrcsngth of, 'sav, .thirty or forty; men,-some of-the Eqriada •will undoubtedly presenta very; thin and unsubstantial■', appearance. . A' squad of three men; for instance, will bo a rather awkward affair to" form fours/with."

Some, of the staff sergeant-majors in Wellington recently: applied for, and I believe got, compensation in lieu of uniform worn out in service. This-, it seema to me, is a concession, which might be well and justly extended to the staff sergeant-majors of the Otago district. These men have to make visits of instruction all over the province, and the wear and tear on uniform and the expense entailed to the wearers must' be considerable. Probably the case could be met if the staff sergeant-majors. were allowed to travel on the railwavs in plain clothes. ■''•■- ..•.•.

Last Wednesday evening the Dunedin Engineers paraded for inspection by the officer commanding the district, Colonel Robin. After inspection the colonel took the noncoma, in hand, and exercised them for a while on a problem in small tactics—viz., how to advance their respective sections from cover into tho fire zone. The prolem was rather a new one for the section commanders, but by the exercise of a creditable amount of ingenuity on their own part, supplemented by some Judicious direction from Colonel Robin, the non-coms, in question succeeded in acquitting themselves remarkably welL At the conclusion of the parade Colonel Robin expressed himself as well pleased with the work done, and complimented Captain BoCrclay and the company on the state of affairs disclosed'by the inspection. Continuing my last week's remarks on the school cadet movement, there remains of course the question of camps and schools of instruction. Instruction of this sort will cost money, and indeed if all the new items of expenditure, salaries, etc., were totted up, it would probably be found that they alone would keep quite an interesting number of cadet corps going on the old efficient footing. Presumably the camps will have to be held in the holidays, for the school syllabus is now much too crowded, to permit of further cutting into school time. Tho drill and instruction for teachers is to take place on Saturdays. The Inspector-Gene-ral's advertisement seems to point to "notmore than forty weeks'' of instruction in the year, and this tremendous concession and act ot thoughtfulness of the part of tho Education Department will doubtless be greatly appreciated by all concerned. If drill instruction for teachers has to be provided, it is of paramount importance that not only should the instructors be men of military or volunteering experience, but (in view of the fact that a new drill book has just been issued) these teachers of teachers will require to be thoroughly up to date as well. . At the present time probably the only men in New Zealand who are thoroughly conversant with the new drill, and would at the same time be willing to take up the work, are the staff ser-geant-majors of the various volunteer districts, and the services of these men could possibly be obtained if application were made through the officers commanding districts. But as things are applications fox the positions have been invited by advertisement, and these applications will probably be dealt with by bodies who have no real knowledge as to who is up to date in drill and who is not. So, who knows, it may be found necessary after a first forty weeks' instruction to call the teachers hi a second time, and instruct them "some more."

Altogether the opinion among teachers here seems to bo that the new cadet regulations are based on experiences of cadet work which must have been in every way a long way below the Otago standard. When tho Commission on Teachers' Salaries sat here it was noticed that the remarks of some* of the members of the Commission betrayed the fact that the educational ideal up North would never pass muster in this province. Tho new cadet regulations betray the same thing as far as cadet work goes, and if » "plebiscite" of those in the best position to judge—that is, the teachers—could be taken on the question, I am quite snro that the vote would be for a return to the old order of things. The control of cadet work by a non-military department is, to use Dr Torrey's now celebrated word, a monstrosity.