VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11536, 22 November 1900, Page 3

VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

[bt SENTINEL.] The quarterly examination of officers commences on December 5.

-Instructor Sergeant-Major Carpenter returned from his visit to Wellington early in the week.

The monthly Government inspection of the No. 1 Battalion Auckland Infantry takes place next Tuesday evening.

Has the proposed revolver match between officers of the No. 1 Battalion and the "Blues" fallen through?

It is rumoured that the narao of the company now known as the No. 2 Victoria Rifles will shortly bo changed.

The British Admiralty have decided to add a new intermediate grade to naval writers and to improve the pay of writers now serving.

If volunteering is to be placed on a really sound basis in this colony, the Government will have to introduce the partially-paid system.

Lieutenant-Commander Patterson and officers of the Ponsonby Navala will entertain a few friends at dinner at the camp at North Shore this evening.

A Mangonui enthusiast wires me to the effect that the Government has accepted the services of a mounted infantry corps in that district. There will be two divisions, with headquarters at Mangonui.

In a walking race of one mile (in march-' ing order), held in connection with the" recent military tournament at Wellington, tho first prize went to = Private Evatt, who occupied 11m. 5 l-ss. in covering the distance.

On' Saturday next the companies entitled to the use of the Government range at Mount Eden arc the Mounted Rifles, Devonport Coastguards, and Newton Rifles. The Coastguards are entitled to tho resident marker.

Tho No. 1 division (town) of the Auckland Mounted Rifles parade at the company's rifle rango at Penroso on Saturday afternoon for inspection and volley-firing. _ The left division will go through their volley-firing while in camp.

Several applications have been sent in by volunteers anxious to find inclusion in the Auckland detachment of tho mounted company to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth celebrations, but so far the authorities have not made any selection.

Of the whole of the officers in tho Auckland Garrison, only two last year contributed to the funds of the Auckland Rifle Association. Surely the association deserves more encouragement than this at the hands of our officers.

The members of tho Auckland Volunteer Cyclists' Corps met at Henning's Cycle School on Thursday evening last, when Mr. Lomas Smith was elected to the command of the corns, and Mi-. R. Riss to be lieutenant. Both elections should give satisfaction.

A Cbristehurch exchange of last week says that up to the time of writing the local defence authorities had only received three applications from volunteers prepared to join the contingent which will represent Now Zealand at the Federal celebrations in Sydney.

The Auckland Navals go' into camp of instruction for 16 days next week. I hear that they are determined to beat tho Ponsonbys in the Government _ competition for naval and artillery companies, and will devote considerable time to practice on lines similar to those governing tho competitions.

Last week the excellent score of an Onehunga recruit was recorded, the total number of points being 148. Coromandel has an equally promising recruit in Volunteer S. Strongman, whose shooting was as follows: — 200 yds : Lying, 27 ; kneeling, 20; standing 24. 300 yds: Lying, 22; kneeling, 21: standing, 18. 400 yds: Lying, 27. Total, 162.

The programme for the Auckland Rifle Association's annual shooting meeting will be drawn up in the course of a few days, and from what 1 can gather will be much the same sis Inst year's programme. There will probably be more prizes in the nursery and tyro matches, in order to encourage young shots to enter.

An old rifle shot informs me that ho expects to see Auckland represented at tho New Zealand Rifle Association championships by a dozen or 15 men. If the estimate proves correct the Aucklandc.rs will bo able to enter for the teams match, which they havo not been able to do for years past.

Looking at the members of the Auckland Volunteer Cyclists' Corps at drill the other evening, I was at once struck with the smart appearance and suitability of the new uniforms. The dress consists of a loose jacket, with wide knee breeches and stockings, thus giving that freedom so essential to cycling.

Captain Bartlett has given the members of the No. 2 Native "Rifles several valuable prizes for competitions for first and secondclass shots. The trophies, which are on exhibition in Mr. Ratjen's window, Queenstreet, include a handsome silver cup and marble clock, a silver-mounted stick, and a combination pocket knife, with silver handle.

The establishment of a military pigeonpost at Aldershot will take place next spring. The charge will be given to LioutenantColonel Allatt, now commanding the Ist Royal Homo Counties Reserve Regiment, an officer well experienced in the breeding and management of pigeons. Ho has large private lofts, and has successfully flown birds over 300 miles.

On Saturday afternoon a return match will bo fired at the Akarana Club's range at Avondale between members of the president's and vice-president's teams, the ranges being 300 yds, 600 yds, and 700 yds. Matches will be fired on December 1 and 8, the ranges being 300 yds, 600 yds, and 700.yds, seven shots at each: competitors to count the best score made on either date; the trophy for each class, A and 13, to bo won outright.

Looking in at the Drill Hall on Monday evening. I noticed that the No. 2 Natives mustered but 20, and were under the command of one of the non-coms., none of the commissioned officers being in attendance. Maybe they put in an appearance later on, but if so it could not have been until considerably after eight o'clock. Several other companies have also been mustering very poorly, and will be named in a future issue.

With the exception of torpedo-boats and a few small pleasure craft, the Americanbuilt Russian cruiser Variag is to-day the fastest vessel afloat, having recently gone through a seven and a-half hours' trial run at a speed of from 23.6 to 23.7 knots, or 27.14- to 27.25 miles an hour. The best hourly trans-Atlantic record, which is now held by the Hamburg-American line steamship Deutschland, is 23 knots, or 26.45 miles, and this affords a very suggestive standard for comparison.

As I anticipated, details from local papers to hand show that the conditions under which the Napier Rifles fired in the match against" the Victoria Rifles a fortnight back were in every way satisfactory; in fact, the day seems to have been an ideal one for shooting. On the other hand the Victorias fired without Captain Skinner (having to count in the score of an inferior shot), and on a somewhat tricky afternoon, facts that bear out my contention that the result would have been much closer had they been as favourably circumstanced as their opponents.

The members of the Akarana Rifle Club fired the first of a series of eight matches f or Mr. F. Kearslfy's champion shield and Mr. W. Thornes' medals at the club's rango at Avondale on Saturday afternoon last. The ranges were 300 yds, 600 yds, and 700 yds, seven shots at each, but owing to the heavy rainshowers and a strong loft wind the shooting was not up to the usual standard, more particularly at the longer ranges. The top poorers in the A class were: Messrs. J. G. Buchanan (82), M. Tobin (80), and E. Buchanan (79), while the top scorer in the B class was Mr. J. J. Buchanan with 77.

Judging by my visits to the Drill Hall during the past week or two, I should say that the Premier's proposal to increase the strength of the volunteer force of the colony to 18,000 will not prove as easy of accomplishment as the Bight Hon. R. J. Seddon may have been led to believe; indeed, present indications point to a difficulty in keeping up the present strength (some 11,000), at least as far as Auckland is concerned. There is no disguising the fact that interest in the movement is on the wane, and in at least some of our companies the cause may be traced to a want of interest among the officers.

■■■ , ■■■■■■ ■• ■:■ ■- : ■ ■■"■■'■■ . -- I hear that Mr. W. H. Shepherd, of Moan* Eden, well known in volunteer shooting ; circles, is moving in the direction of forming a cadot corps in the. Mount Eden' district, with a result that some 90 names of, young follows ready to join have already been; handed in to him. Tho application for acceptance will shortly be in the hands of the authorities, and there is little doubt but that the corps will be accepted, as the Government has announced a desire to see cadet companies brought into existence throughout the colony. If I mistake not, Mr. Shepherd has already had , some •, experience with cadet corps, ho having formed and conducted a company at tho Thames,' where his efforts to teach the young idea met with considerable success. ' •...■: j - , Captain McKenzie, R.A., who acted as um« piro at the Ponßonby Navala' big gun-firing for the Government badges lost. Saturday morning, presented his detailed report • n Tuesday evening, when it was shown that although the detachment had decidedly hard luck in the matter of hits, owing to a circumstance ov«i which they had no control, the shooting brought them to within half-a-point of tho necessary marks required to qualify as a first-class battery; while the practice, as fai .lis rapidity of firing was concerned, proved to bo a record. With a second detachment to fire on Saturday next, and little or no fear of a recurrence ot the unfortunate error of last week, tho Ponsonby Navals should have little difficulty in picking up tho half-point and qualifying for the first-class badges. They are to be complimented on their success. Those who should know inform mo that there will be less difficulty in getting sufficient men together to form a couple more naval artillery corps than in getting half-a-dozen suitable officers. It seems that the examination for this branch of tho service, embracing as it does infantry work, as well as the more difficult subject of gunnery, etc., is so stiff that few care to tackle it under -the existing conditions, which provide that a man shall come forward for examination in tho whole at the end of nine months. Those who would otherwiso like to accept office find that they cannot devote the timo to preparing for such a stiff "exam," and it would be well if the authorities could see fit to extend the subjects over two periods, taking infantry first, say. at the end of six months, and gunnery 15 months after entering tho service.

Tho South African war has .afforded a lesson to more military men than those wearing the uniform of Her Britannic Majesty. The United States War Department has laid those lessons to heart, and the reports of tho American military attaches at the front have been published for the benefit, of the United States army. The attaches are at one on the following conclusions, and it may be added that all tho foreign attaches who followed the fortunes of tho war .agree with them:—l. Tho campaign has shown that a purely, frontal attack is no longer successful, but must bo combined with flank attacks.— 2. The value of mounted infantry for reconnoitring and holding points important for develonmont of the. main body. 3. The necessity foi having the latest small arms and artillery. -4. The undesirability o! risking artillery a? General Buller did at Colenso. 5. The value of effective scouting. 6, The presence of ample cavalry and artillery.

Two new armoured trains, for employment over country where there are no rails or permanent ways, have just been placed upon tlie establishment at Aldershot. Each consols of a locomotive, or traction engine, aim four trucks, all of which are painted tho now familiar, but ever unlovely, khaki. Tho locomotives, which are of exceedingly powerful construction, are completely cased with steel, the vital parts being especially protected. An ingenious arrangement of prisms and mirrors somewhat aftei the manner of the camera obscure, enables the driver inside tho cab of the engine to see without being seen, or in any way exposing himself. The trucks are built with hieh sloping steel sides, which are pierced and slotted at intervals, to enable the occupants to fire through them. They are also provided with slides at either end, to permit of trims and waggons being run into the trucks. The steel sides of tho carriages are so .instructed that, when necessary, thev may fall inwards, and lie flat on the platform of tho truck, which can then be used for ordinary transport purposes. |

In volunteer circles in various parts of the colony, it is rumoured that. Colonel PolePenton intends to return Home at the expiration of his engagement with the New Zealand Government (says tho Canterbury Times). The Government has announced its intention of replacing the officers commanding the various volunteer districts of the colony with officers now serving with the New Zealand contingents in South Africa, and this being so, speculation naturally arises on tho question of who will bo Colonel Pole-Penton's successor. Not a few of the quidnuncs mention with an air of certainty the name of Lieutenant-Colonel Robin; but, of course, this is, aftei all, only rumour. Lieutenant-Colonel " Robin has certainly proved himself an admirable officer at the front, but the position of officer commanding the New Zealand forces is one requiring a training more thorough and a knowledge more comprehensive and exact than can be expected to bo possessed by an officer whoso experience has been wholly gained in New Zealand. The fault found with Colonel Robin, or rather, the fear that it is a weak point with him, is his limited experience of artillery work, and a full knowledge of this branch of the service is indispensable.