VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 11897, 27 May 1903, Page 8

VOLUNTEER AND DEFENCE NOTES.

IB* Oxrxeosx.] Th- resignation of Captain Crosby Morris, of the Otago Hussars, and his transfer to tin active list with the rank of captain as fium March 31 is gazetted. Captain Morris joined the Hussars in December, 18S0, nnd served successively as trooper, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. Inability to spare the time necessary to properly cany out the duties attached to his position ha:-. I understand, been the cause which induced Captain Morris to tender his resignation. The Hussars and the district thus lose '.lit services of a very popular and excellent officer. 'i'in- resignation of Captain Morris serves to : :niind me that the Hussars have hitherto be most fortunate in their choice of offico,i>. The officers chosen to command the cor]) have in the piist been more than cruiDaii;' efficient, capable, and energetic, and ii, as seems likei>, the command should be offered to and accepted by Lieutenant Freeman, there is every reason to believe that a similar state of affairs will continue. Should this change take place, the corps will then require to submit the names of two subalterns for the approval of the officer commanding the district. These vacancies will not, I think, be easily filled, as it requires, on the whole, a pretty good man to come up to the standard required by the Hussars: On Friday evening last Colonel Robin lectured to a well-attended meeting of officers, his subject being 'Military Topography.' Prior to the commencement of the lecture advantage was taken of the occasion to elect an executive for the Dunedin Officers' Club for the ensuing year. The election resulted as follows: —Hon. secretary, Lieutenant Strong ; Committee—Lieutenant Macdonald (mounted branch), Lieutenant Haggitt (Garrison Artillery), Captain Barclay (Engineers), Surgeon-captain Fulton (medical branch), Lieutenants Brydone, Douglas, and Ussher (infantry). Lieu-tenant-colonel Smith, V.D., was appointed auditor. Major-general Babington will revisit Otago next month, and continue his inspection of corps on dates as follow :—Mauiototo Mounted Rifles, at Ranftirly, on June 9; Alexandra Rifles, on June 10; Cromwell Rifles, on June 11; Queenstown Rifles and Wakatipu Mounted Rifles, at Queenstewn, on June 12; Winton Rifles, at Winton, on June 13; Wallace Mounted Rifles, at Otautau, on June 15; Tuapeka Mounted Rifles, at Milton, on June 16. With the exception of the Dunedin corps who have still to fire at the last range, the competitions for the Government medals are completed as far us the Otago district is concerned. The shooting at. Oamaru was completely spoilt by the weather—o. circuui;:tance which will be readily understood by those who have bad the misfortune to shoot en the Oamaru range ou a windy clay. The score of 112 out of a possible 120 has

already been put up by a member of a Northern corps, so that the chances of the medal coming to Otago this year seem • r.uher remote. Corporal Thomas; Ross, of the Mataura Mounted Rifles, with 108 to Ins credit, holds the best Otago figures to date. His performance was in some respects a remarkable one. After finishing tit the first two ranges he found that lie had barely half an. fiour left in which to catch his" train home. In that time he managed to run to the 30yds mound, got the target changed, and although somewhat out of breath fie put on six bull's-eyes and four inners. He then ran a very fast mile to the railway station, and cauglit his train with a minute or two to spare. Excluding the names of those who did Ladly at the. first two ranges, and therefore retired at the last range, the following are the Otago aggregates in the Government medals' competitions as far as they have been completed :—Southland sub-district: Sergeant Lyit.'l, Oreti Rifles, 91; Corporal Gilkison, Mercantile Rifles, 86; Corporal Cowan, Winton Rifles, 86; Private Hay, Mercantile Rifles, 85 ; Private Morrison, Mercantile Rifles, 84 ; Sergeant Turner, Orepuki Rifles, 52 ; Private M'Cormiek, Winton Rifles, 81; Private Henderson, Mercantile Rifles. 76; Sergeant Walker, Wallace Mounted Rifles, 70; Color-sergeant Robinson, Invercargill Citv Guards, 70; Sergeant Lennie, Oreti Rifles, 67; Private Lee, Oreti Rifles.. 66; Sergeant Lindsav, Wallace Mounted Rifles, 66 ; Private Smith, Bluff Guards, 63 ; Sergeant Jenkins, Orepuki Rifles, 61; Private Norris, Bluff Guards, 60; Private Bennett, Orepuki Rifles, 55; Trooper Wills, South-

land Mounted Rifles, 53 (for two ranges only); Q.M.-sergeant Mathieson, Wallace Mounted Rifles, 52. Oamaru sob-district: Sergeant M'Kenzie, Queen's Rifles, 94 (a good performance, considering the weather); Sergeant Thomson, Hampden Rifles, 90; Bugler Smith, Queen's Rifles, 90; Private Stevenson, Duntroon Rifles, 88; Private Barobury, Hampden Rifles, 81; Private Yardley, Duntroon Rifles, 79: Lance-cor-poral Gillies, Hampden Rifles, 79 ; Sergeant Francis, Duntroon Rifles, 70; Private Wilson, Hampden Rifles, 67; Color-sergeant Gdanitz, Hampden Rifles, 64. Other corps: Corporal Ross, Mataura Mounted Rifles, 108; Trooper Earle, Mataura Mounted Rifles, 101; Sergeant Shanks, Gore Rifles, 99; Private Young, Gore Rifles, 96; Private Preece, Gore Rifles, 93; Corporal Graham, Gore Rifles, 91; Private France, Gore Rifles, 91; Private M'Kenzie, Gore Rifles, *F,9; Corporal Kelly, Gore Rifles, 84; Private M'Kenzie, Kelso Mounted Rifles, 82; Corporal Shearing, Tapanui Rifles, 77; Private Cox, Gore Rifles, 75.; Private Sutherland, Kelso Mounted Rifles, 75; Sergeant Campbell, Murihiku Mounted Rifles, 73; Corporal Gerkin, Mataura Mounted Riflw, 70; Private Munro, Murihiku Mounted Rifles, 69; Sergeant Allen and Corporal Leach, Murihiku Mounted Rifles, 65; Private M'Farlane, Murihiku Mounted Rifles, 64. A correspondent sends me an idea which I think a very good one. He says: " I have often thought that it would cause a good deal more interest to be taken in company shooting if we had interprovincial shooting matches, just as we have interprovincial matches in football, cricket, golf, tennis, bowling, and, indeed, in nearly Dvcry pastime and branch of athletic sport. We might have annually a team of, say, twenty, chosen from all the companies m the district, such team to fire against one representing Canterbury, and with matches to be fired alternately in each district. I believe that such an arrangement as that which I have outlined would tend to take iway the sordid hankering after prizes, and help to inculcate the principle of shooting :or honor—the honor of being chosen to represent the district. I think that the idea >nly requires publicity in order to ensure its being taken up in earnest by shooting men."

The Dunedin Non-commissioned Officers' Club met on Friday evening, when there was a large attendance of members. In the absence of Staff Sergeant-major Towler, the president of the club, Battalion Sergeantmajor Gillan took the chair. The lecturer for the evening was Sergeant Wood, who continued the subject of elementary field sketching, previously begun by Colonel Robin. This week points in connection with the outpost work carried out at Barewood will come up for discussion, and members of the club will, if called upon, be required to state what points of interest they have noticed. An evening of this kind should produce a profitable interchange of ideas

I have been asked by a prominent member of the Dunedin Non-coms.' Club to indir.ite in this column, as a point of interest to volunteers, which of the actions of the century-might be most profitably studied with a view to acquiring a good notion of combined tactics. Well, not to despise our ovr recent war, the operations in Cape O'l'iny conducted by General French form o p-ipital study in combined tactics, or, at l<v>"t. in manoeuvre by the three arms com""ii."' I feel sure that if Colonel Robin «" ' he induced to lecture on what took r there a most instructive evening <• ,,! ■ r for officers or non-coms, would result. I ar'a Grove and Abraham's Kraal are v<-n good samples, too. The artillerv pff< ' at Vaal Kranz and Pieter's Hill i's w«>l worth studying, it being a fact that the isms of all BuDer's actions depended solely upon the success or otherwise of his artillery. The study of these actions from mcorrect maps is of no use, however, and books written by civilians are quite hopeless. The best illustration of combined tactics ior the century is probably Mars-la-

Tour. On the Prussian side it was a marvellously clever exposition of the working of all arms combined. The change from naval artillery companies to garrison artillery companies has now been completed in all respects except, ]hi haps, the very sore point of uniform. , Ji future all official documents, requisitions, etc., must bear the style and title designating the change. Officers are to be known as lieutenant-colonel, major, captain am'; adjutant, captain, and lieutenant. Chief petty officers now become company .-■!„» ant-majors, first class petty officers i■. • ! .is sergeants, second class petty offii.vi- -!.s corporals, and leading gunners as I.- niwirdiers. /he quarterly examinations for officers' commissions begin on June 3. Eleven candidates are sitting the examination—five at Dnnedin, three at Invercargill, and three at Alexandra. Lieutenant Mickle, the district adjutant, will supervise at the lastmentioned place. Candidates should note that they are permitted to use copies of the New Zealand Defence Act and Volunteer Regulations during the course of that part of the examination which deals with discipline. 'IV application of the Ist Regiment Mounted Rifles to hold a four-days' manoeuvre camp at or near Palmerston on June 25 and following days has been approved. Staff Sergeant-major M'Nair, late of Nelson, and more lately of Dunedin, left for the North on Tuesday morning, he having been transferred •to Wellington. The value of defence cadet companies as feeders to volunteer corps has now been practically demonstrated at centres where such companies exist. It is therefore, I hear, the desire of the officer commanding the district that battalion commanders at Invercargill and Oamaru should take steps to establish at least one such corps in each of their respective sub-dißtrict«.