TERRITORIALS.

Evening Star, Issue 14531, 6 December 1910, Page 2

TERRITORIALS.

, [By SKTBsas|n»,3 - Items of interest concerning Corps (Town and Country), Shooting, and Territorial notes generally viill be accepted. Copy, addressed to " Sktrmtsher, should be in hand not later than Monday morning. The examination of officers for certificates will bo commenced at the Garrison Hall to-morrow at 9 a.m. Officers sitting for examination will attend in uniform. The following camp duties aro approved in District Orders :—Bluff Guards, 7th to 14th December; Orepuki Rifles, S2nd to 28th February; Gore High School X)efence Cadets, 13th to 19th February. At tho parade of tho Dunedin Engineers on Wednesday last Major Roes took occasion to present to Captain A. D. Smith the New Zealand long-service medal (twelve years). The following items of interest aro noted in District Order, November 28 : Officers, warrant officers, and noncommissioned officers may on application, if approved, bo permitted to continue in tho Territorial forces, but not beyond the age for retirement, as prescribed by Genera! Regulations, 1906, paragraph 69. To facilitate certain amalgamations of corps now taking place, it is hereby notified that corps may complete their complement of officers and non-commis-sioned officers on the new establishments promulgated in New Zealand 'Gazette,' No. 46, of May 12. Attention is "directed to section 10 of Amending Act Defence, 1910, whereby section 59 of the principle Act is amended to read :—" No person shall bring or convey any intoxicating liquor into any camp, barrack, fort, or other place where any of the Defence Forces are quartered, stationed, or serving, or are. being trained or exercised." The Act now being in force, any offender is liable to the penalties named in the said section. With reference to repeated references in District Orders to an account of the expenditure of free issuo of ammunition, officers commanding corps aro notified that rounds as shown as preliminary and firrther training aTe to be accounted for. The annual instructional camp of the Port Chalmers NavaJs, -which was struck yesterday, will be looked back to by the members and remembered for the good work done by all ranks. The bulk of the examinations* of the different sections in their special branches had been concluded before going into camp, giving the officers and men. more opportunities with the practical work of fort manning, with all the details posted to their respective duties at the defence works at Taiaroa Head. This year, under the new scheme of defence, this company were asked to find details ior tho whole of the guns at the batteries, and this necessitated re-organising the '.umpany from a 6-pr. q.f. company and forming an electric light section, and also ; liking up the work of the 6in b.l. and 12-pr q.f. guns. How strenuously all ranks must have worked to make themselves efficient was evidenced by the results of the night firing last Wednesday and the shoot on Saturday afternoon. These results can only bo described as excellent, and, as Lieutenant-Colonel Smyth jO.C. District) said after the practice on Saturday, were a fittineg reward for tho keenness and discipline shown by all Tanks during the camp. Captain Richardson, Chief Instructor of Artillery, was present for a day or two, and also expressed his pleasure at seeing the good progress made. The hours that each man had to give to his drill to make him efficient was a severe tax on his endurance. The exact marks obtained by the individual members in their examinations is not known, but it is fully expected that they will far exceed any previous year. The attendance at oath parade was excellent. The results of the shooting may be summarised thus :—6-pr, Ist series, 18 toiukls, 17 hits. Lieutenant Mitchell: 6-pr, 2nd series, 18 rounds, 14 hits, Sergeant-major Montgomery; 6in b.1., 5 Tounds, 5 hits, Lieutenant "Crawford; 12-pr, Ist series. 18 rounds, 16 hits, Lieutenant Braithwaite; 12-pr, 2nd series, 18 rounds, 14 hits, Lieutenant Braithwaite. It was matter for regret that tho battle practice, which was to have been carried out on Saturday at extreme ranges under Major Dodds. had to be postponed owing to the hazy weather not allowing a sufficient safety area to be defined. This takes place next Saturday afternoon.

it is notified for information in Battalion Orders that Captain J. S. Douglas, of the Dnnedin City Guards, will, from l6t De:ember, carry out the duties of Adjutant of :he First Battalion, vice Major M'Ani, nromoted io the command of the battalion. In addition to his- duties as adjutant, L\ipiain Douglas will also retain command of ais company. The Otago Hussars have arranged to hold their annual tournament at Tahuna Park on Saturday, December 10, commencing at 11 a.m. The members of the squadron will attend in the khaki uniform, arms only being carried by those competing in the Lloyd-Lindsay and night alarm competitions. As many of the Taieri men live at long distances from town, it has been arranged for those who can to come, to Duuediu on Friday night, when the members of the town troop will billet them and squadron will stable horses. Those who can come in are requested to send in their names to secretary of Sports Committee, Trooper Sloan, care of Sergeant .Mitchell, Telegraph Department, Dnnedin, before Friday, 9th inst. Sergeant Dowis arranging to have fatigues at Tahuna Park on evenings of Thursday and Friday next week to fix up hurdles, c"tc.. Tho final arrangements for fixing up entries, etc., will be completed at the parade of the troops at Dunedin and Mosgiel centres this evening. As the sports held by this popular corps are always well attended, it is anticipated the interest this year will bo as keen as on previous occasions.

Authority having been received to hold a preliminary camp for the officers and N'.C.O.s of the FiT6t Battalion, it has been arranged that this will bo held at Abbotsford during the time the Green Island Rifles are an camp. The officers and sergeants of the battalion (except Cycle Corns and band) will parade at tho Garrison Hail on Saturday, 10th December, proceeding to Abbotsford by the 3.20, p.m. train, for six days' training. The work will be carTied out in the morning and evening, and railway passes will be issued to enablo members to come into town each day. During the currency of the camp the instruction will be carried out by Captain 1). A. Hickey, A.D.G., who will be assisted by Staff Sergeants-major Kibblewhite and Kassam.

The Officers' Training Corps, accompanied by the First Battalion (Pipe) Band, proceeded to Portobello, where they were entertained to afternoon tea by Captains Marshall and Malcolm. They then inarched by road via Highcliff, en route for town. Arrangements had been made for the Caversham Rifles, under Lieutenant Cushen, to attack them on the road, and this was so well carried out that a complete surprise was effected, and the first intimation the Training Corps had of an enemy was when a furious fusillade was opened upon th"em from their unseen foes. After the medical section had bound up the wounded both corps proceeded on their way to rhinedin, which was reached in the evening without further adventure. During last week the officers and noncom missioned officers of the B Battery held a special instructional camp at Tahuna Park. Reveille was sounded at five o'clock every morning, and the N.C.O.s were practised in giving commands, drilling detachments at 6quad drill and physical drill. The N.C.O.s also went through their gunnery and gun-laying tests, and Major Ritchie hopes to-put as many gurmera as possible through their gun-laying tests beiore the annual camp, so as to allow the time taken for this purpose to be utilised for field manoeuvres. The N.C.O.s also spent a considerable time practising riding and doing skeleton field drill on horseback. A court-martial was held by Captain Richardson, when tho usual procedure was gone through, considerable amusement being caused over the,evidence given by. several witnesses. Locturettes were also »iven by the N.C.O.s, and lots were drawn* Mr the •objects, a noticeable feature of the

drawing being that the junior !N'.0.0.b got moat of the subjects—i.e., ' Battery Organisation: Ite Use on tho Field,' 'Car© of Horses on tho March,' • Sanitation,' ' Stable Duties,' 'Discipline,' etc. The commissariat was ably attended to by Quarter-master-sergeant West, and left nothing to bo desired. This is the first year that Major llitchio has conducted an instructional camp for the officers and N.C.O.s, and as it has proved to bo such a success he anticipates making it an annual ono. The competition for the Otago Hardware Association's Cup for this year will bo held during the annual training camp of the Ist Battalion, Otago llifles, and will comprise tho following tests -.■—( a.) Attendance, 100 marks; (b) pitching, striking, unpacking, and packing tents in tho valise, iOO marks; (e) company turnout, 100 marks; (d) discipline, 100 marks. Tho conditions governing above tests are as follow: (ap?ull maTks will be awarded to the companies who havo every enrolled member present at all parades during tho camp. company will bo required to pitch and strike tents in proportion to their strength, allowing six men' to each tent (e.g.. a company with forty men in camp would pitch six'tents); marks awarded tor time, correctness, etc. (c) The alarm will be sounded at any time during tho currency of the camp, day ©r night; companies will fall in on thoir respective parade grounds in full marching order, and then march on to their markers on general parade ground; marks awarded for time, correctness of dress, etc. It is proposed to send a team of twenty men from the Dunedin Highland lUtles to Christchurch at Cliristnias to meet " bnllipv Scots" from Auckland, Wangamn, Wellington, and Canterbury. The names of those) who are able to make the trip are lequired to bo handed in at the parade this evening. . . The following promotions are notineu in battalion orders in tho Bluff Guards: Corporal J. W. Bradshaw to be sergeant: Lance-coTPOTaI Fletcher and Privates Truvnor and E. Bradshaw to be corporals. The B Battery proposo sending two gun teams, in addition to some members of the specialist section, to take part in the naval and military tournament to bo held atlnJmerston North on December 51 and January 2. Each team will comprise one sergeant and ten N.C.O.s and men. lhe whole will be under the command of Ser-geant-major J. .Miller, while Sergeants Milne, Matheson. and Wadie will command the various detachments in the different events. The competition for the battalion shield amon<* the various companies of the Ist Battalion Otago Hints will be on tho same lines as those of tho last two years. lhe tests in connection with tiie competition will be taken duriug February.

—Shooting. — The ranees for the shooting at Pelicliet Bay on Saturday next will be 500 and 600 vards, and the rango officer will be supplied by the Caversham llifles. - The 'Non.-Coms.' Club have completed arrangements for a shooting match, to be tired on Monday, 26th December, between teams representing the Dunedin and Christchurch Clubs. The conditions suggested for the match are: Twelve men a side, the two lowest to be counted out, the ranges being 200, 500, and 600 yards. It is expected that the Christchurch N.C.O.s will arrive in Dunedin on the previous Saturday evening. The Right Hon. the Minister of Defenco lias decided that the following concessions to defence rifle clubs be approved for tho current year only, on expiry of which the new regulations "will define the new conditions :—(l) Fiee issue of ammunition increased from 120 to 150 rounds; (2) ammunition to be obtained at reduced rates increased from 100 to 200 rounds; (3) payment for rifles purchased to be made in three instalments. The annual grant of £IOO voted by the Government for shooting in the Otago district among the Territorials and tho general public has now been received, and will be allocated as follows :—Dunedin £35, Invercargill £35, Oamaru £l6, Gore £l4. These amounts are usually included in the prize-money at the various Rifle Association meetings. A meeting of delegates of the Otago Rifle Association was held in the Garrison Hall last evening. Lieutenant-colonel Smith, V.D.. in the chair. The balancesheet, which was adopted, .showed a credit of £l4 9s. Tho principal receipts were: —Balance fro n previous year, £3B Is 9d; Government grant, £35; entries, £lOl 15s; and other items, £8 6s 3d; while the expenditure- was:—Prize-money, £124 10s; markers' fees, £25 10s; and incidental expenses, £33 0s 7d. The question of secretary was left in tho hands of the chairman and Captain Proudfoot. It was decided that the competitions bo the same as last year, with the exception of the Cadets' Match, which was cut out. The targets to be used at tho 500 and 600 yards will be the new figure targets. The question of holding an interprovincial match between Otago and Southland was brought up, and referred to a sub-committee, consisting of Captain Proudfoot, Lieutenant Doull, and Mr Bradley, to anauge. The date suggested i 3 Anniversary Day, 25rd March, and lhe secretary of the Southland Association suggested that it shonld be tired at Milton. Balclutha, or Gore.

Tho programmes for tho Southland Rifle Association meeting, to be held on the Grasmere range, lnvercargill, on the 26th and 27th December,- have now been issued. The secretary of the Association is Lieutenant Ltnnie, "and entries for the meeting close at tho Harrison Hall, lnvercargill, on December 21. In addition to the ordinary competitions, the Association have arranged a primary schools match, to be fired on the 10th December. —Military Book Review.— The following books published by Gale and Polden, Ltd., will be, found of service, and are strongly recommended to tho members of the Territorial Forces: "Encampments Mado Easy' (price Is), compiled from the latest editions of the various text-books, and containing full information regarding pitching and striking tents, field kitchens, etc., huts, and other information invaluable for camping arrangements. 'On Guard: AVhat To Do and How To Do It' (price 6d net), a useful littlo handbook compiled from the King's Regulations and Infantry Training. This book contains particulars regarding the posting of guards and sentries, etc., and should be in possession of every ofliccr and N.C.O.