VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11714, 25 July 1901, Page 3

VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

■ ■•■..■: ■•— ♦'.'•:• • '" -' [BY BKNTINBI..I What has become of the proposed Yeomanry Company! .■';:..'• A rifle club has been formed at Katikati, and tho necessary land for a range has been reserved by the Government. A squad of the Auckland Mounted Rifles will visit the North Shore next Saturday to commence a course of Maxim gun drill at the forts. The companies of the No. 1 Battalion, Auckland Infantry (Countess of Ranfurly's Own), pfrrade for Government inspection | next Saturday afternoon. Now that the mounted battalions are being formed, it will greatly tend to facilitate the good work being done by this most useful branch of the volunteer service. Several members of the Auckland Mounted Rifles intend accepting the kind invitation to be present at the welcome home to Trooper Rimciman at Papatoetoe on Friday evening, ■ ~ - : ■ The Auckland Mounted Rifles parade for inspection at St. Sepulchre's Hall to-morrow (Friday) week, dismounted. Mounted parades will not be commenced for some weeks yet. • I regret to hear that Lieutenant Ratjen, of the No. 2 Native Rifles, has handed in his resignation. He finds that his business makes such demands on his time that he cannot continue his active interest in volunteering. ■• . ■ -■", A shooting match will take place in Paeroa on i August 3 for a trophy presented to the Ohinemuri Rifle Volunteers No. 1 by ActingLieutenant J. Nathan. The match will "he one of 10 shots and one sighter at 500 yds and 600 yds. The Firing Committee of the Auckland Mounted Rifles have decided to reopen their rifle range for practice from August 3. No doubt the company will continue to uphold their reputation for shooting during the coming season, as they have already several matches in view. The "A" Battery Artillery, Devonport Submarine Miners. Auckland Engineers, Auckland Bearer Corps, and the Garrison Band will attend a parade at St. Paul's on Sunday forenoon next. The men will assemble at the Wellesley-street drill ground at a-quarter past ten a.m. It is estimated that the total cost of the recent Royal review at Christehurch will be over £10,000, or nearly £1 for each man and cadet who took part in it. Included in this, of course, is tho cost of transport of the various corps, both from' the North Island by train and steamer, as well as the South Island and Canterbury men, and horses by rail ' •From a Southern exchange I learn, that Captain Loveday, who was recently invited by the Minister for Defence to prepare a scheme for the organisation and conduct of tho cadet movement in this colony, has already prepared the scheme. .It seems safe to predict, therefore, that before long we will hear of something practical being dono by the authorities in this important matter. Every year there is a competition amongst volunteers for Government medals— gold medal for the best shot in the North Island, a silver medal for the best shot in a district, and another silver medal for the second best shot. These medals were competed for on March 30 last, four months ago all but a few days, and yet no wort' has come from the Department to tho anxious volunteers who, won them. This is surely not the way to encourage shooting. ",'".' It will doubtless be ot interest to volunteers to hear of the success of a New Zcalander at the Rand Rifle Association meeting, held some months ago at Johannesburg. At this meeting ex-Lieutenant Avery, of the No. 1 Ohinemuri Rifles, who left New Zealand with the First Contingent, wa* first in one match, second in another, and third (only three points from the winner) in- another. Lieutenant Avery, then a corporal, won one of the Auckland district medals i for 1899. [ "Mounted Infantryman" writes:—The ' change from the Martini-Enfield to the maga- ! zine rifle seems to me somewhat of a doubt--1 ful betterment, the latter being more clumsy in appearance and heavier in weight. For 1 mounted men' they are loss preferable: than ' for infantry, as the bolt "is liable te catch in the equipment ot, the horse next to' the bucket when arms are . returned, thereby opening the breach and damaging the bolt, etc. Further than this, a mounted man requires to be as lightly equipped as possible. , There certainly seemed some remissness > on the part of the Brigade Office when those '.. who have stood shoulder to shoulder in the r war with returned warriors from South l Africa, but who returned by earlier contingents from the front, were not invited to . meet their comrades, nor given any part in t the reception of last Thursday's batch. Some , of those thus ignored feel most grieved, and ; justly so, as it would have cost the authori--1 ties nothing to have invited them, and would . at the same time have been a graceful act. i A teams' match, five men a-side, was fired } at the Government, range at Mount Eden - on Saturday last between the Devonport ) Coastguards and the Gordon Rifles. Car- - bines and the new magazine rifles were used, t the competitors exchanging weapons, and it ' is worthy of note that although the maga--1 zine rifles were being used for the first time » both teams returned a better score than - with the carbine, the Gordons' total* being - 15 points better. Tho match was won by - the Coastguards, and Lieutenant Gardner, i of that corps, returned the best score of , the day. 3 . ———. ■

Out Paeroa correspondent writes:—The return of the troopers of the Fourth and Fifth Contingents from South Africa seems tc have caused a stir, both amongst volunteers and the general public, in almost every centre they have passed through in'• New Zealand except Paeroa. I noticed that two of these warriors arrived in Paeroa during the week, but no demonstration of any kind gieeted them; no volunteers in anifornv turned out to meet them, no band, no official welcome of any kind. The fault does uot lay with the volunteers, however, as they are only too anxious to take their part, but they cannot always lead the public, and it would have been only right and proper for the local body or the public to have made a. move in this instance. Speaking with an old military instructor the other evening (says an exchange), he deplored the fact that the , volunteers of the present day are giving so little time to the important work of gymnastics, musketry and bayonet fighting. The latter is dealt with -in a measure by our present physical exercises, but not nearly to the same extent as it should be. The whole of the ability of the soldier rests upon his hardihood, andthis can only be brought to a propei, stage by the systematic training ot his muscles. What is urgently needed here is a military gymnasium, with a proper qualified instructor, the work to bo made a necessary part of every volunteer's education. Unless the muscles have been properly trained, the chances are very much against a man becoming a successful shot, as in this more than perhaps any work it is a healthy body which means success. . /'.) Thus Volunteer" on "the Drill Hall question:— "1 daresay that it is too 'late now to offer suggestions with regard to the site for a drill hall, but it is a pity that no one had thought to suggest that perhaps the Government could arrange with the City Council for the purchase or lease of the old City .Market. It would be impossible tc find a more suitable position. Right in the heart of the town, with acoess from four streets, - with quiet entrances in the shape of small lanes, easily reached trom all points, about a 'good area lor a hall to meet the requirements of our growing movement, at present of, very little use, and certainly no ornament to the town, it is.the site pre-eminently fitted for the position of a drill hall worthy of a city of Auckland's size. The present position of the Drill Hall is fairly central, but when there is a large gathering of volunteer*, inside, and a fail muster of the public outside, it is with great difficulty that the men can be marched away from the one small entrance." . . ;\v In the erection of a new drill hall it is -ti be hoped that the authorities will see that there is ample room foi orderly-rooms for the whole of the garrison,; including the mounted companies, in the town. In having the whole under one roof it would be better for mustering, and the drill instructors would not have so much running about from place to place to give instruction." Then, again, a small social hall ' would 'be very acceptable, a'. room where a xmrpany could hold smoke concerts, meetings, etc.; while

it is very desirable thai decent rooms should be provided for officers. _ Above all, lavatories and propel convenience? are urgently required for the men. : It is to rxi hoped that tho officers interesting themselves in the collection of funds for a new building will see that when it comes it is up-to-date ' '; in every respect, a building that will' be ... • credit to the city and a boon to our citizensoldiers. "We are a long-suffering community not tc have risen up and shown our disgust at the action ,of, the authorities in so long delaying this most necessary work of re-erecting, the Drill Hall. ... " One of the merits of the cadet' system," says Major Eddy, of Victoria, " is. that it fosters in the "boys high aims and; worthy ambitions, and, being carried out on strict military lines, discipline and obedience become almost native traits, while at the same time every boy is taught tc realise that he i 3 in the full sense a soldier. The, value of such training has already been abundantly apparent in its influence on moral character as well as physical development. No better evidence of tho martial excellence that has been attained can be found than that afforded in connection with the Federal demonstrations in Melbourne, which won from the Duke of Cornwall tho high encomium that what had pleased him most in the march : ; past had been the soldierly bearing and dis- -""•: cipline of the cadet corps. When we add to this the fact that at least 70 per cent. of the members of the several contingents which left Victoria for active service in the ', Transvaal had been cadet boys, and that . many of these have already received the D.S.O. and other decorations, it will be seen •that courage and heroism are developed in : a marked degree." My old friend " Sabretasche" once mora addresses _me on the question "of cavalry v. mounted infantry, as follows:—" Dear ' Sen-. ; tinel:' The other day I noticed in yout'mili- •-/ ' tary column that there was a movement towards forming a cavalry corps in Auckland. I need not tell you I was much pleased to heat it. It has long been a wondei to me how so v many good men and horses con- 1i descend ■to humour .the. fad for khaki and ;S: mounted infantry when , they could insist '" upon becoming a part of tha*. splendid and noble arm of the service, viz., cavalry. , It has been clearly shown by the'best military, authorities in Europe that cavalry can do the work of mounted infantry, either, mounted or • ' dismounted, and still be cavalry proper, pro- , viding only they are suitably armed with a. rifle of longer range than the aid carbine. They have also the unquestioned superiority over mounted infantry of being able to bring': the shock tactics of cavalry to bear upon theenemy whenever the opportunity of so doing is given them, which mounted infantry daro-. .. not attempt even upon disorganised and re- .' : treating regular infantry. Even in this Boer '•,,". war, unique as have been its conditions, and by, consequence most suited to the use of mounted infantry, because the Boers have no. V cavalry to oppose them, and the whole fight-* • ' ing strength of their army may be said to. - be mounted infantry, yet we "find General '.: : French telling our first contingents that both men and horses were too good foi mounted infantry, and the sooner they were armed ■■■■■, with sword and. lance the bettei he should ■ be pleased, and that, he should term, them" his independent cavalry. Lord Roberts, the Commander-in-Chief, in addressing, the other day that splendid body of cavalry, Gloucestershire Yeomanry, ove: 1000 , sabres strong, '" said they must not lie deceived by the com-monly-believed idea that because of the improvements of late as to the extended rang* of the rifle and artillery that cavalry would ever be superseded by mounted infantry. This would never be the case. The infantry soldier, mounted on a pony for the sake of •greater mobility, would be an infantry soldier still, and could never perforin the work of a cavalry soldier. But the cavalry soldier, though dismounted, and for the time being doing infantry duty, was a cavalry man still, and nothing else, though able to . perform both duties. If, then, from the best military, authorities of the day, oavalry can do the ■ work of mounted infantry and their own too, which the others cannot do, why in the name : ! ' of common sense are we in this country to be - confined to mounted infantry, when both our men and horses are good enough for the better and higher branch of the service? I shall not here enter into, the subject of the' vast moral and negative good done by our cavalry proper in the Boer war further than' , to say that had they not been encumbered m such a. class ot country, with much unnecessary weight as to saddle, accoutrements, * ' ■ and forage, etc., they would have overtaken 1 and cut the Boers to pieces much oftcner ■ than, they did. It is folly to say this country ■ is not fitted tor cavalry, when it is consider- i ! ed fit foi mounted infantry. Wherever they A ' can go,'cavalry can go better, and wherever ." they can act and be of service so can cavalry •' > and better." . ,