TERRITORIALS.

Evening Star, Issue 15188, 20 May 1913, Page 2

TERRITORIALS.

[By IsKiEMisHva.] Items of interest concerning Corps (Town anil Country), Shooting , and Territorial notes generally will be accepted. Copy, addressed to “Skirmisher ihould be in hand not later than Monday morning. A conference of district and brigade com rounders will be held In Wellington early in June. Colonel Bauchop (O.G. District) and Lieutenant-colonel J. B. M'Clymont (0.0. 14th South Otago Regiment) will represent this district. Captains R. S. Matthews, E. N. J. Fraser, F. Hudson. B. S. Hay, J. R. Herd ere on, G. B. Baraks, and F. A. Wood, of the New' Zealand Staff Corps, have, qualified in examination (c) for promotion. Sergeant-instructor H G. F. Scott/Riverton) on completion of his period of proba tion has been confirmed in his appointment. Lieutenant A. C. Buist, late officer commanding Otago Mounted Signal Corps, has received notice of his promotion to the rank of captain. The appointment of Lieutenant Alexander Bracks on probation to the Opobo Senior Cadets is announced as from February 17, 1915. Lieutenant Bracks was a- member of the New Zealand Contingent which visited Canada last vea.r.

Tho competition for the Empire Day Challenge Cup, fired under the rules of the National Rifle Association, will close on the last day of this week, and any unit intending to enter a team should lose no time in getting their arrangements made. The prizes for the competition arc a handsome silver cup, valued at 100 guineas (presented by Lieutenant-colonel A." W. Schumakor), and silver and bronze commemoration medals, and not less than £425 in prizemoney. The competition must be fired on any one day from April 1 to May 24, both days inclusive, and is open to one team of 40 men of any rank from any unit of His Majesty’s service at Home or abroad. The prizes are allotted as follows :—First prize, Empire, Day Cup, to be held by O.C. winning team for one year, £IOO in money, and 41 silver commemorative medals; second prize, £SO in money and 41 bronze commemorative medals; third prize, £25 and 41 bronze medals; two prizes of £2O each, five prizes of £ls each, and six prizes of £lO each. Special prizes are as fol-lows;-—One prize of £SO to the training establishment with the highest score, provided the score exceeds that of every team taking part in the competition. One prize or £25 to the training establishment that tics with the highest score, or lakes second or third place. One prize of £25 for the best score made by any unit in Great Britain. | £25 to the mounted unit with the bestscore, and £25 to the dismounted unit, other than tho regular forces, with the highest score.

I saw the St. Andrew Senior Cadets on parade one night last week, and wai verv pleased with the improvement this company has made during the last few months, there was a good muster, and the first part of the evening’s work was physical drill, under • ■Sergeant-major Montgomery, tho latter part of the evening being devoted to company drill, under the officer commanding (Lieutenant Benham). There are a number of well-sot-up lads, in this company, -ind they should 1;r hard to beat in physical exercises when competing at the next sports meeting. I would like to see a tittle more steadiness in the ranks, particularly so when standing at attention, as nothing looks so had as to' see a number of heads turning to right or left when they should be held steadily to the front. All Cadets should remember they are part of our hew Zealand army, and as such are constantly before the eyes of the public, many of whom are only too anxious to pick notes ana generally condemn the scheme. the Ot-ago Signal Company have had a most, successful year. Every man at prescn“ 0! ! r °H has been returned efficient, and with one or two exceptions all have passed- their musketry course, nearly 30 men gaming marksmen's badges. “ The officer commanding has not issued a single t nne during tho year, and only ei-dit men i found it necessary to put in the extra days I in camp m lieu of the required number of parades .or the rear. It has been decided ; to hold a social in connection with the I company, which will probably take the i.mm ot a *moke concert, some time next month. ■ A strong committee has been appointed, consisting of Lieutenant Lamb Color-sergeant Oliphant, Quartermaster-ser-geant Rose, Sergeant Lilburne (secretary), Lance-corporal M’Dermid, N.■ Sands, Hare and Moritzson, and an enjoyable evenin'" is anticipated.

A handeome silvcr cup has been donated uj Airs 1, K. Sidey for competition amongst the members of the Caversham i >entor Cadets. It is now too late to shoot lor the trophy this season, and probably the Cadet with the.beet score in the musketry course will bo allowed to hold the cup nil tha first year. Next season certain coiKiiturns will be framed, which will, I hope, embrace grouping practice, application, and perhaps some liisley shooting Officers commanding Senior Cadet companies who consider they have lads good though to be included in the team which will represent New Zealand in the Earl lAolwits Imperial Competition should forward loose names to the group officer at once, -these lads will be put through a senes of grouping tarts at 100 yds, and the t soies will be forwarded to headquarters. I ne laris who show most consistency in Licit grouping will ho selected to repreront the Dominion, and will be sent to Hell mg ton to undergo a few days’ preliminary training previous to firm" the competition. The conditions of the"competition are as follows:—Tho team will consist of eight Cadets, with two Cadet non-commissioned officers as captain s.nd vice-captain, who will not fire with the team. The team shall fire as two squads ot four men each under the command of a Cadet non-com., who shall direct and control the fire of his men. The match mil ha fired in throe stages—snapshooting at 200 yds, slow time at sGoyds, and attaca from 500 to 200 yards. The scoring shcctsjnust arrive Home on or before October 51, with entry fee of £1 enclosed. A lironze medal will be given to each member of the winning team. CASUAL CAMP.

"Very bad weather has prevailed since the beginning of the casual camp at Waitali, but the site selected is a good one, being well sheltered from the cold wind that blows from the south, and the ground absorbing the water, keeping it free from tho slush and mud experienced at Sutton, There are 118 of all ranks present, and as in many case.? those in camp are the men who have not put in sufficient drills to return them as efficient for the year, squad drill in tho morning and musketry in the afternoon (with lectures in the evening) have been the chief subjects of instruction. There is no parade before breakfast, but immediately that meal is finished the. “ fall-Ln ” is sounded, and the men are marched away and kept at work till 12 o'clock The whole of those in camp liave been put through the musketry corn-re, a largo percentage gaining marksmen’s badges, Color-sergeant M‘Kei> zie (Queenstown) being top scorer with 95, The sanitary arrangements for the camp oro quite the best the writer has seen, and Surgeon-captain Falconer, who made his official inspection yesterday, expressed himself well pleased with the system. A hospital tent is erected in the driest part of the ground, and a comfortable couch is provided, but so far there has been no reason for using it, only two cases of sick-' ness have occurred, broth of which were sent home. The commissariat department, in the capable hands pf Quartermastersergeant Colbert, is working smoothly, and so far there have been no complaints, nor from what I could see are there likely to be any. This week the training is in" advanced company work, and there will be a clay or two devoted to the practice of selecting outpost positions and posting the men, etc. Tho camp will break up on Saturday next, the men returning to their homes by the ordinary trains. Tile C.E.M. Institute, in charge of the Rev. C. J. Bush-King, has been a source of groat comfort to the men during the bad weather, and every evening the tent is packed with men amusing themselves with the different games provided. Prayers are read each morning, and on Sunday evening the Chaplain held a service in the hall and afterwards a lantern sendee, which was largely attended.

i The following is a parade state of thoas present in camp : —Permanent Stag : 3 cap* tains, 2 regimental sergeants-major, I cruartermaster-eergeant, 2 stag sergeant in* s true tors; total, 8. 6th Regiment (Otago Hussars), 15 men ; 12th Southland Mounted, 7 men; Mounted Signal Company (Oamaru), 4 men; 4th. Otago P. majors, 1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 2 cop* porals, and 22 men, total 35; 10th North Otago Regiment—l lieutenant, 1 colorsergeant, 1 sergeant, 2 corporals, 47 men, total 52; Infantry Signal Corps, 1 man, j Coast Defcyo Detachment, 3 men; No,. 2 Company Garrison Artillery, 1 man. A private while in camp is entitled to pay at the rate of 4s per day for nine provided he carried out the duties assigned, to him. One . individual attending tht camp at Waitati has to late been mulcted for various offences to the amount of ££ 15s lOd, leaving a credit balance of 2d coming to him. Die camp for casuals from regiment® eoiith_ of Dunedin will commence a 6 Otamita to-morrow. Captain. Hickey. D.8.0., will be camp commandant, and wiS have a number of staff sergeant instructors to assist in the training. '"The Rev. G. T. Bush-King passed through Dunedin to-day on his way to the camp to establish h® regimental institute. —Shooting Notes.— The Kiwis were again successful on theiff range on Saturday last, when they defeated Goodwood by 12 points, the’ total! scores for the match being; Kiwi Clulv 579 ; Gocdwood Club, 567. The weather? is not favorable to shooting just now, and it becomes very unpleasant while waitina one’s turn to lie down. * Cadet Scrivener, of the Roslyn Senior Cadets, who was mentioned in my lasS notes as having put on a good score in his musketry course, again demonstrated hia ability with the rifle qn Saturday last by putting up another good score. A prominent shooting man who is taking an interest in the lad assures me he is th® making of a champion, provided, of course, that he is willing to be taught. Veteran Rifleman J. Tonkin was top on Saturday on the Dunedin Club’s range with 30. 32—62, a, good score.

Rifleman Gillan and F. Mackay botfe put on aii all-hut (34) on Saturday last, which must he considered good taking into account the weather conditions, Saturday last saw the first match of tin? final competition of Ihe Dunedin Club com. nienccd. The trophies arc given hv th® club, and the final shoot will decide the club’s championship for the year. An endeavor is being made to get the railway people to stop (he first express on the King’s Birthday at Goodwood to allow of a triangular shooting match to taka place on Ike range there between Dunedin, Kiwi, and Goodwood Rifle Clubs. In th<* event of (he train not stopping the match will only ho between Dunedin and Good■"'ood, as the target accommodation is not) sufficient to allow of a triangular match being finished in time to catch the trad® on the return journey.