MOUNTED RIFLES

Evening Star, Issue 19271, 9 June 1926, Page 2

MOUNTED RIFLES

TRAINING IN NAME ONLY [Special to the ‘Stab.’] CHRISTCHURCH, June 8. [Jnder the scheme of military training in foroo in Now Zealand provision is made for the training of a certain' number of men in the mounted branch of the service. Nevertheless, tho training is more or less training in name only, owing to th© fact that the majority of tho mounted men are without horses, and in these days of motor cb.m it is practically impossible for men living in cities to provide horses for military training purposes. How had th© position is may be gathered from the fact that at a mounted camp last year, attended by 565 officers and men, there, were only sixty horses. To Lieutenant-colonel H. C. Hurst, D. 5.0.. who saw service with th© Now Zealand mounted troops in Palestine during the war, the whole thing appeared farcical and a waste of Government money. Without horses the men could not he trained in mounted work, and accordingly ho suggested to the Defence Department that tho mounted branch of th© service should be reorganised on a pre-war basis by forming troops of mounted rides in the country districts. Alter some tima the department agreed to the suggestion, and arrangements are now in full swing for the reorganisation in Canterbury of tho First New Zealand Mounted Rifles (Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry), popularly known as the C.Y.O. on its pre-war basis. It is hoped to raise a complete regiment in the district extending from the Conway River in the north to tho Waitaki ill the south. There will bo three squadrons—on© in North Canterbury, one in Mid-Canterbury, and one in South Canterbury Headquarters will be established in Christchurch, Men in the mounted branch in the city who are unable to provide horses will be drafted into other branches of the seryjoo.