TERRITORIALS.

Evening Star, Issue 15344, 19 November 1913, Page 3

TERRITORIALS.

[By Rkiemishvb.] Items of interest concerning Corps (Town and Country), Shooting, and Territorial notes generally will be accepted. Copy, addressed to "Skirmisher," should be in hand not later than Monday morning. The members of the 4th Regiment Band ■will entertain the members of the visiting Royal Artillery Band at a smoko concert, probably on Friday next. Notice of the award of the Territorial Officers' Decoration to Captain J. T. Midgley appears in a recent number of tho 'Gazette.' Captain'Midgley, who is at present in command of the No. 1 (Christchurch) Company of Field E:.gineers, was for many years senior lieutenant in the Dunedin Engineers. An invitation from the members of C Company, 4th Otago Tiegiment, to attend a dance to be held at Waitati this month is acknowledged with thanks. Lieutenant Veitch, who has been in Auckland for some months, returned to Dunedin last week. The six days' camp in place of daylight parades of the No. 2 Company t Fiold Ambulance will be held at Tab una Park, commencing on Saturday week, November 29. No. 2 Company Garrison Artillery (Port Chelmers) held the first of their week-end camps at Taiaroa Heads last Saturday and Sunday. Tn all probability a camp for instruction in musketry will" be held in December. The camp will be for Cadets only. Tent accommodation will be provided, the Cadets providing their own meals. The time spent in camp will count as half-day parades. It has been decided to hold early next year a voluntary course of instruction for six days for officers on tho unattached list. Pay and allowance wiil lie in accordance with the scale laid down lor Territorial officers. There was a large attendance of debgates at the meeting of the council of the Otago Rifle Association held last Wednesday. It was decided to hold a twodays' prize meeting during next Easter, at which £lOl will be given in prizo money. It was announced that a sum of money had been voted by the Defence Department, which will be given in prizes for matches fired under service conditions. As free railway passes will be given to all competitors up to 100 miles, it is expected to have a large entry. The association have recently taken over control of the Ladies' Challenge Shield, and the competition for this trophy will be fired on Easter Monday. Formerly the shield was fired for by teams representing companies in the Dunedin district, and this will bo tho Srst year that companies whose headquarters are situated between Waitaki and the Bluff will be allowed to compete. The conditions of the trophy aro as follows: Team to consist of five men from any Territorial company, Defence Rifle Club, or Senior Cadet Company in the Otago military district.- Each" man will fire eeven shots and one optional sighter at 300, 500, and 600 yards, the team with tho highest aggregate being declared the winner. Great interest is'being taken in the competition, and no doubt companies will go into training immediately to try to win the very valuable, trophv. " The District Challenge B"ugle will be handed to the officer commanding tho district, who will arrange a competition to be bred under service conditions. i The value of eight days' continuous training m place of twelve daylight parade* extended over a period of twelve months, has been proved by the Divisional Sicn=>i Corps, who finished their week's wo-k on baturday last. The idea of under canvas was abandoned owing to The wet weather, and accommodation was found for tbe-ffien in the band room at the Garrison Kb.ll, tho officers deeping in the Officers' Club room. Reveille was sounded every morning at 4.30 o'clock, and after coffp"e had been served three hours' solid work was done, chieflv squad and company drill and flag signalling In the evening Jh„ men assembled at 6 30 o'clock, each action devoting three hours to their own particular work. Horses were provided each evening, and the telegraph and telephone Kectiort received instruction in harnejsip.f' and driving, and in laying air lines and cable from the new four-horse waggon and the two pack animals. The signalling MC tion gained instruction in long-distance wo-k both with flag and lamp. Tho attendance right throughout the week has been excellent, only ono man being absent at anv parado without leave. This is somewhat iv. the nature of n. record, and shows how enthusiastic the men are in this kind of training. On Saturday last an official Inr6^rCtA°n Avas mnde by Banchop, G.M.G., officer commanding the district who was accompanied bv Major Grant. • ii A h3a(lr:l,;, " io '-s station was formed in the Oval, and ( > eiiTrounding hii;? had out stations of signallers pcefod on them, the last station being linked up by telephone, returning to headquarters, "a te*t message, written out by Major Grant and consisting of 34 words, going through all the stations and reaching "headquarters in 2bmin without ono mistake. At the dote of the inspection Colonel Bauenop expressed himself pleased with the work oono that day, and. also with the general efficiency and discipline of the company. "D" Company £th Otago Regimenf are entering teams for all the principal iniantry competitions at the Auckland military sports. With the object of defrayin? tho expenses of the team r, military entertainment is taking place at Roslvn on Friday, November 28. ' An invitation to bo present is acknowledged, and accepted with thanks.

In futiiTe adjutants of Units will furnish tha group officer in their respective area groups with a copy of the monthly numerical and prosecution returns. In' the case of a regiment drawing its quota from two groups adjutants concerned will furnish particulars of returns in connection with the troop* drawn from- each group to earfi group officer. The officer commanding other Units wiil also furnish the group officer with the returns named.

In future- the following procedure will bg followed in the case of men who are on the rolls of a Unit and cannot be traced : A summons should be taken outagainstthese absentees for failing to render = their personal servire. As soon as the police notify in writing that the summons cannot he served owing to their not. being ahte to trace, the absentee, application should k> made to the group offirer concerned to have the individual transferred from the roll of the Unit on to that of th" area croup concerned. Area group officers will in no case take a man back on their area rolls unless the written notification from thepolice accompanies the application for travsfer. The principle should be that Units should not carry on their Tolls men who cannot be traced, but at the came time it is essential that Units should make every endeavor to trace these men in the first instance. After this it becomes the duty of the group officers to keep lists of these men. and these lists can be again handed to the police in order that further efforts at tracing the men may be made. Many officers and men of the Territorial Force have been sworn in during the last tew days as special constables. The following notices appear in tho '? te £t issue of the 'Gazette':—Captain R. B. Smythe is transferred from the regiment of the Royal New Zealand Artillery to the New Zealand Staff Corps, with seniority next below Captain Dungan. Lieutenant D. A. Ewen, B Batterv, New Zealand Field Artillery, is transferred to the reserve of officers, dated October 7. 1913. Major P. Fordham. 4th Otago Regil went, is transferred to the reserve of officers, dated 23rd September, 1913. MiArthur Mulligan has been appointed second lieutenant (on probation) in the South Island Battalion of the Post and Telegraph Corps, dated 18th March, 1913 Private Vinicombe, of D Company 4th Otago Regiment, put up a good performance while doing his musketry course on Saturday lost. In his grouping practice ho put all his shots within a lin ring and in the rapid practice at 200 yds (10 shots in 60see) he put on a possible of 10 bullseyes. Tho Dunedin companies of tho Railway Corps aro having some excellent musters at their parades. The company muster three times every Mondav (morning afternoon, and evening), to suit the men according to tho t:mo they aro off duty

The instruction up to tho present time is confined to squad and company drill and physical exercise. No uniforms or equipment have yet been issued, but these, are expected down now at any time. December 26 and 27 "aro the dates selected for the group association prize firing, which will be held at Pelichet Bay. £SO has been set aside for distribution at this meeting, which amount will be .augmented by a small entrance fee, and the wholo distributed in various amounts a* prizes. .Seven matches each will be fired by Territorials and Senior Cadets, all under service conditions. I have seen the suggested programme, but until it is finally passed by headquarters I will wait before announcing the conditions. It is expected that several trophies will be available in addition to the prize money, and I sincerely hope the attempt of the Defence Department- to ioster rifle shooting will be assisted by a large entry both of Territorials and Senior Cadets. I might also mention that compulsory members of rifle clubs are eligible to compete. Lieutenant Mulligan,- recently appointed an officer in the Invercargill company of the Post and Telegraph Corps, was for a number of years a prominent member of the Dunedin Engineers. Second Lieutenant H. A. Davies, Royal Xew Zealand Artillery, has been Relented to attend the gunnery staff course, which begins immediately at Shoeburyness. In connection with the aeroplane recently presented by the Home authorities to the New Zealand Government, and tho school of instruction to be established, Mr J. Hammond, of Feilding, has offered his services for the tuition of pilots. Mr Hammond has had considerable experience in aviation at Home, besides which ho has made several successful flights in Australia.