MILITARY AT MATARAE

Evening Star, Issue 15481, 1 May 1914, Page 5

MILITARY AT MATARAE

ARTILLERY PRACTICE.

BREAKING CAMP.

[From Our Own Reporter.]

MATARAE CAMP, May 1. Yesterdav the artillery brigades held their annual shoot. They took up their aSand with the guns on the side of the Bo« «BSd Pillar Mountains. The B (Dunedin) -Battery had four howitzers and used 40ib of lyddite. Both suns and explore were used yesterday for the first time here. The C Battery had four 18poundere and 1001b of shrapnel. The B Battery had had its howitzers for one month onlv. The shoot was entirely instructional! and the work, which was carefully watched, was excellent, considering the practice the men had had. Ihe how&er of the B Battery fired a 35 b shell, and used a bursting charge of nearly 2ib ol powder. It is estimated to carry for 7,oooyds. These guns are in use neither in Australia nor in Canada, and \~<t, as a matter of fact, just out. M\ the men in camp are m excellent r.e>kh There were no serious cases replied yesterday. Before the infantry leave Color-sergeant Johnstone, of the 14th Regiment, will be presented with a 12-years' long-service medal. One end of the camp presented a desolate appearance yesterday after the departure of the mounted men. Between the mounted and infantry lines there stretches a big gap, and yesterday evening the mounted lines presented an appearance of an isolated wilderness. The presence of a number of tents (relics of the busy life which had departed) accentuated the dismal character of the scene. Each man beiore he left had to clear out his tent thoroughly and leave the debris in an adjacent gully to be burnt. Small fires along the lines cleared away whatever other rubbish there was, and so everything was neat and tidy—astouishgly so, in fact. Still it was melancholv and dismal, and the dull, miserable weather enhanced the biueness of the outlook. On the other side, however, where lay the infantry lines, all was as busy and "full of activity as usual. The infantry men passed yesterday doing company drill, the artillery had their bi.g shoot, and the signallers were as nsual busily sending communications by the semaphore and all the other mysterious means they employ. To-day is the last day of the camp as a whole. To-morrow the infantry line {cheerful to-night) will be deserted, and on Monday the casual camp will begin.