TERRITORIALS.

Evening Star, Issue 15308, 7 October 1913, Page 2

TERRITORIALS.

[By SicißuiSHtfx.} Items of interest concerning Corps (Town and Country), Shooting, and Terri- . torial notes'generally will be accepted. Copy, addressed to “Skirmisher," should be in hand_ not later than Monday morning. The following notices in regard to appointments, etc., appear in this week’s issue of the ‘ Gazette ’ :—Lieutenant-col-onel A. A. Grace to command the New Zealand Field Artillery •; Brigade. sth Mounted Rifles/(Otago ' Hussars), 2nd Lieutenant J. M'Lean resigns hie coramie.sion. The undermentioned to be 2nd Lieutenants on probation :—Sergeantmajor E. T. Shand and Corporal J. L Lethbridge, July 11, 1913. 7th (Southland) Mounted Rifles 2nd Lieutenant K. S. Cox resigns his commission, August 7, 1913. . New Zealand Medical Corps Major James Fitzgerald is transferred from the reserve of officers to be major, dated August 29, 1913. Quarter-master (honorary lieutenant) Alexander Ferguson, Bth (Southland) Regiment, has been awarded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers’ Decoration, he having a total rank and commissioned service of 20 years and 45 days. Sergeant-major Hugh ’ Montgomery, Garrison Artillery (Port Chalmers), has been awarded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal, with a service of 20 years 19 days. Information has been received that ho provision has been made in this year’s Estimates for week-end or six-day voluntary camps, and therefore it is regretted that no allowance for rations or forago can. bo made for these camps. The Defence Department have made arrangements with the Railway Department whereby the powerful electric lamps m front of the railway station will bo switched on during the horn's of parades on certain nights in the week. Lieutenant J. S. Reid is -transferred from “H-” Company to “D ” Company, 4th Otago Regiment, to take effect from September 25, 1913. Lieutenant L. Scott will act as Orderly Officer, Sergeant Prain as Orderly Sergeant, and Corporal Sinclair as Orderly Corporal for October in “D” Company. Sergeant Smithson is appointed Orderly Sergeant and Corporal Bagley Orderlv Corporal for October in “E” Company. Captain R. Price, commanding “B” Company (Highland Rifles), has been granted two months’ leave of absence. This is consequent on Captain Price’s removal to Napier. The 4th Otago Regiment cannot spare such officers as Captain Price, and it is hoped that he will not be permanently removed from Dunedin. 2nd Lieutenant Nicholson has qualified for promotion in subject A. Word has just been received from Invercargill that free railway passes will be issued to all bona fide competitors at the military tournament there on Labor Day. A number of teams were practising for weeks with a view to competing at Invercargill, but when it was announced that the department would not issue passes beyond area group XIY. it put an end to practice, and the men naturally made other arrangements for spending the holiday. Now, at the last moment, passes are granted, and there axe no competitors to give them to. Something wrong somewhere, I should say. The Wellington shooting season was opened at Trenthara on Saturday last. One of the most interesting features of the opening was a parliamentary match arranged by the Karori Rifle Club—North Island members v. South Island members. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. Jas. Allen) fired the first shot, and formally declared the season opened. The conditions for the parliamentary match are : Ten men each side, ranges 500 and 500 yards, seven shots at each distance. Last year the North Island won by a very narrow margin. At the recent miniature rifle championship held at Ashburton, Riflemen J. Dockery and C. Ross tied with the possible for the championship. This was decided on Saturday last, when Dockery secured the championship, putting on 57, while C. Ross only got 62. The champion was at one time a' member of the Dunedin Naval Artillery, and previous to that was one of the original members of the Dunedin Irish Rifles.

AH Territorial units and Senior Cadet companies quartered in. Dunedin will parade on the afternoon of Saturday, December 13, 1915, for the purpose of

carrying out a combined tactical exercise. 1 Details as to hour of parade, etc., will beipublished later. ■ Tlie staff tour for officers in tie Otago district will commence in Dunedin on the evening of Friday,. October -24, when the first conference will be held at the Garrison Hall. On - the following day the officers will proceed by the express to Lovell’s Flat, where the first scheme on the ground will be worked out, and at its conclusion officers will ride into Balclutha, where accommodation will be arranged. Each officer should take with him:—Field service regulations, field service pocket book, the training manual of his branch of the service, field message books, black and colored pencils for sketching. The tour will bo finished in time to permit of officers catching the second express north or south, leaving Balclutha at 5.2 p.m. and 6.20 p.m. respectively on Monday, October 27. Teams preparing for the Auckland military sports are settling down to solid work in dead earnest, and from what I have seen I feel sure that a certain amount of success will .come this way. The Hibernian Cadets! physical drill team, under Sergeant-major Donaldson, are working well, and 1 also hear of other cadet teams preparing at their own. drill-halls. The Signal Company’s rifle team, under Sergeant Donaldson, are ptatising weekly, and although there are four new men in the team I fully expect them to do well. The annual meeting of the Otago Rifle Association- will be held in a short time, and members will be asked to decide as to the date of the next annual prize firing. Last year the firing took place nt Easter, and was the most successful in the history of the association. It is a good time of the year for country competitors, and, as there'will, bo no Territorial camp at Easter, I hope. the meeting will be carried out then. Last year there were over one hundred entries, and if the department would grant railway _ passes to competitors outside the district, I am sure that double that number would, enter next year. Last year the prize money totalled £127 10s, and it will be a matter for the executive to consider whether the amount will be increased for the coming year. While on the matter of v Rifle Association, I would like to again refer to the Ladies’ Challenge Shield. This trophy has been handed over to the association, and I hope that some competition will be arranged this' year. It will be a difficult blatter to arrange conditions suitable alike for Territorials and rifle club men, but I think some, scheme can be drawn up where teams from both forces could compete. Rifle club men are very often called bull’s-eye men and pot hunters, but from what I have seen of them I consider they are quite as eager to shoot under service conditions as Territorials, provided, of course, that the practices are not useless waste of ammunition and damage to weapons. (The rifles are the private property of rifle club men.) I venture to say that if a team were selected from rifle clubs in the Dominion to shoot against the best team that could be selected from old volunteers and Territorials the- former would win, no matter what the conditions of firing were. lam not advocating bull’seye shooting before service matches, but I do hold that a Territorial canr\ot be taught to shoot on a service target so easily as on a bull’s-eye target. Train the recruit on the stationary target at a known distance, and when he has mastered that then go in for something more difficult. In other, words, teach him to walk before he attempts to run. A special course of training for the Staff Sergeants-maior and Staff Instructors will be conducted by Major Moore at Forbury: from Monday next to October 18. Accommodation will be provided and special arrangements for catering. A meeting of members of the Non-Com-missioned Officers’ Club and the 4th Regiment Band was held in the club room last week, and it was decided to hold a promenade concert and dance in the Garrison Hall on Friday, October 17. The object is to bring together N.C.O.s and privates, and the committee think that holding this social will accomplish the object. The band will be placed in the centre of the hall, the stage being reserved for a supper room. Colonel Bauchop has given permission for those attending to appear in uniform, and all that is required to make the thing a success is a good muster .of Territorials. “ Skirmisher ” acknowledges with thanks an invitation to be present. Major Moore’s lecture to the Dunedin Officers’ Club on Friday last was the last of the season, and drew a large attendance of members. The session has been a most profitable one, and members will be able to look back with pleasure at the enjoyable and instructive lectures delivered by the various officers. The committee are to be congratulated on the success of the year, and it is hoped that next season will be quite as good as 1913. Tlie Dunedin Rifle Club held their second practice on their range on Saturday last. Very heavy wind prevailed throughout the afternoon, which interfered to a considerable extent with the scores. Rifleman Tonkin was top for the day with 65, making 34 at 600 yds, which was the best range score for the day. Next Saturday the business matches commence, when the first competition for Mr Shaw’s prize will be fired.

A Company 4th Regiment (City Guards) had a splendid muster on parade last evening. The work of this company is steadily progressing under the command of Major MoUer and his officers, and other companies will have to watch themselves if they do not want to be left behind. Last evening was devoted to theoretical and practical instruction on outpost duties, and the machine gun section in practice on this weapon. Wednesdays and Saturdays are devoted to musketry, and it is hoped before the end of the month to have the whole of the company put through this part of their training. No. 2 Company New Zealand Garrison Artillery (Port Chalmers) are holding their annual distribution of shooting prizes tomorrow evening. The artillery efficiency shield, which this year was won by the Port Chalmers Company, will be presented to Major Dodds on tho same evening. An invitation to be present is acknowledged with thanks.

C Squadron sth Mounted Rifles (Otago Hnssars), Oamaru, together with the Mounted Siena' Troop and the Mounted Field Ambulance, went into camp on' the show ground on .Saturday last. Tire camp is quite voluntary, and serves the purpose of Jumping all tho compulsory daylight parades into one week instead of holding them over an extended period. The advantage to be gained by this camp is obvious, and permanent instructors and Territorials alike are reaping the benefit. Beside the officers of the companies mentioned there are in camp for instructional purposes Captain B. Hay, Sergeants-major Colbert, Woods, Rudd, Purden, and M'Lnrdy, and Quarter-master-sergeant Black. Church parade was held on Sunday, the 10th Regiment Band playing tji© troops to and from tho church. Monday morning broke fine, and before breakfast the men' had. one hour of physical drill. The men go to their business in the daytime, returning to camp at night and working while the daylight lasts. The following is the marching in state:—sth Mounted Rifles: 3 officers, 10 N.C.O.s, 48 privates, total 61. Signal Troops: 1 officer. 5 N.C.O.s, 8 privates, total, 14. Mounted Ambulance: 3 N.C.O.s, and 9 privates, total, 12. New Zealand Staff Corps • 1 officer, 7 Sergeantsmajor. Grand total in camp, 94. Our local Sergeants-major are attending the course of instruction now being, held at Tahuna Park in Cadets “shorts” and hose. This dress they find very much better for carrying out their various exercises in.

General Sir lan Hamilton, Inspector of the Overseas Forces, is much in the movement t<> _ form a National Reserve, and during his stay in Now Zealand in April and May next is anxious to see something -of the organisation of this body. The object of the Reserve is to form a register of those who have ' served in. any of the military or naval forces of the Crown, and being under no obligation for further service are willing to come up for service if called on in the event of national emergency. The duties of the service on national emergency would be to join a combatant unit for service in the field, to cany out combatant .duty in garrisons or other fixed positions, or perform amdinis-

traiive work. In peace time members of the National Reserve, having shown their willingness to come up for service one© more if called on in the ©vent of national emergency, can do much to bring heme to the youth of the nation the fact that every man owes a duty to his country—the duly of personal service. By so doing they will do_ much to further the organisation and tdaining of recognised cadet unite, and so perform a national service of much, importance. Registration in the National Reserve will be carried out by a committee, in each district composed of retired officers under a chairman, who will bo nominated by the general officer commanding New Zealand Defence Forces. An officer or private may be registered as a National Reservist in any other district provided that he is not borne upon the register of more than one district. Local military authorities will do all in their power to second the efforts of district committees to give the National Reserve a privileged position in the public life of the country. Its members will be officially recognised on national ceremonial occasions and at local military functions, and it is hoped that similar privileges will be accorded to them by county and municipal authorities at public functions _ under their control. Members of the National Reserve are permitted to take part at the funeral of a comrade in military formation if desired, and to act as a firing party in accordance with the King’s Regulations.