VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11954, 1 May 1902, Page 3

VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

/». [bt SENTINEL.] New Zealand has now despatched to South Africa 6343 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, and 6+91 horses,-since October 20, 1899. The Canadian rifle team for the Bisley meeting (England) will leave Montreal on June 14, so as to arrive in London in time fox the Coronation. With a view to improving the physical development of the men the British Admiralty propose to build a gymnasium at each of the Home ports, in charge of a lieutenant. The whole of the gymnasia will be under the control of a commander, who will be called | the superintendent of gymnasia,. The members of the Akarana Rifle Club will fire in the following competitions at the Avondalo Range on Saturday afternoon: — "A" class, marble clock: "B" class, Mr. J. G. Buchanan's medal. Ranges, 300 yds-, 600 yds. and 700 yds, seven shots and two sigbters at each range. The train leaves Auckland at a quarter-past one p.m. Sergeant-Major Potter, of the Auckland Mounted Rifles (or No. 1 Company), an enthusiastic, painstaking, and experienced noncommissioned officer, has been promoted to the position of regimental-sergeant major of the First Auckland Mounted Battalion, and the battalion is to be congratulated on having such a good man in this responsible position. The members of the Akaraua Rifle Club and the Victoria Rifles have arranged a friendly shooting mutch of 17 men a-side for next Saturday week. Although the conditions provide that the Akarana team must consist solely of civilians, I am inclined to the opinion that the clubmen will prove vic- I torious, as they have a larger number of reliable shots to draw from than the Victoria Rifles. I hear that Clark's Cup and the District Belt will ho fired for shortly, no doubt at the Akarana Club's range at Avondale. It is j difficult to understand why there has been i such delay in getting off these competition", I as.the Akarana Club authorities have shown themselves ever ready to place the Avondale Range at the disposal of our volunteers. ft. is now three years since the last competition for Clark's Cup was fired. There has been some tall shooting in Christchurch for the (government medals for the South Island. Private A. Burford, of the Timaru Port Guards, headed the score with 112 of a possible of 120 points, his range totals beirg 33, 33, and 36, and Trooper S. Lindsay, S.M.R., finished second, with 109, equalling the highest score put up in Auckland, which stands to the credit ~of Volunteer Kerr, of the Victoria Rifles. There were nine other scores ranging from 100 to 107 points. Up to the time of writing I had not heard of any higher scores being registered in the firing for the Government medals for the North Island than (hose put on by the three marksmen of the 'Victoria Rifles (Auckland), Volunteers Kerr and Carlson raid ColourSergeant Aylett, who scored 109, 103, and 104- points respectively. If these scores have not been improved upon the "Vies." will be able to boast a, unique record. The North Island medal was won last year by Volunteer Carlson with a score of 109 points. The First Auckland Mounted Battalion will soon be in their new green uniforms, the three country companies already having received theirs, whilst the two town corps nave ■ hud their measurements taken. ,The battalion will look exceedingly smart when the corps are all turned out in full dress. In the event of the volunteers taking part in the local Coronation ceremonies it is thought probable that the battalion will Ik? mobolised towards the end of June, possibly to undergo a. week's training, if suitable quarters can be obtained. This will be the first battalion camp held since the mounted battalion was gazetted, and will be looked forward to with great interest by all concerned. Who discovered Lord Kitchener? There seems to be a conflict of testimony on that point, but the latest claimant to the honour is Mr. Waiter Morrison, ex-Unionist M.P. for the Skinton Division of Yorkshire. Mr. .Morrison related the following interesting experience at, a meeting which he addressed the other day. Many years ago he went to Chatham to pick out. an officer to carry out the objects of the Palestine exploration fund. There were 50 applicants, all of whom had the necessary scientific attainments, but there was one who seemed to have the force of rlmachj; in addition, and, after due consultation, Mr. Morrison thought thai, a certain Lieutenant Kitchener was the best man of the lot. _ In Paler-tine that officer did such splendid work thai lie was soon promoted to other fields of labour, culminating in the honours of the Egyptian campaign. The second stage of the match between team.s representing the Akarana Rifle Club and the New Zealand Inanimate Pigeonshooting Association was fired at the latter club's grounds, Epsom, on Saturday last, when the shooting was at inanimate birds with the fowlingpiece. The riflemen cracked up badly, and when the percentages of the possibles in both competitions came to be totted up, it was found that the clubmen had won very comfortably. I would suggest, that; when another match is arranged between members of the club and association, the conditions in the rifle-firing should provide for bullseyes only counting. It is much less difficult for an adept with the fowlingpiece to bit a fixed object with a rifle, with a coat to fix sights, etc., for him, than for a rifleman to shodc a moving object with a fowlingpiece, and a condition such as this would make matters more equal.

The details,of officers for range duty at Mount Eden for the month of May and the time-table of corps using the range are as under:—Detail of officers: Saturday, May 3, Lieutenant Bos-worth; Wednesday, May 7, /•lieutenant. Salmon: Saturday, May ' 10, Lieutenant-Commanding Clemens; Wednesday, May 14, Lieutenant Cox; Saturday, May 17, Lieutenant Gardner; Wednesday, May 21, Lieutenant Derrom : Saturday, May 2*, Lieutenant Mc.Hardy; Wednesday, May 28, Captain Napier; Saturday, May 31, Captain Hutton. Company time-table: Saturday, May 3, "A" Battery (R.M.), Engineers, Cycle Corps; Saturday,' May 10. Auckland Navals, Devonport Submarine Miners (R.M.), Ponsouby Navals ; Saturday. May 17, Coastguards, Newtons (R.M.), Victorias: 'Saturday, May 24, Gordons (R.M.), College; Saturday, "May 31, No. 1 Natives (R.M), No. '?-. Natives, No. 3 Natives. According to i Sydney exchange just to hand the following 18 riflemen have been communicated with by the authorities in connection with the Commonwealth team for Bisley, asking them if they will make the trip if selected:—Mr. L. F. East (Victoria), Sergeant-Major Whitehead (Victoria). Mr. .1. T. Lake (South Australia), Corporal Hibberd (Tasmania). Mr. P.. Wallace (Queensland), Mr. W. G. Todd (Victoria). Mr. George Lindsay (New South Wales). Mr. A. Carter (Victoria), Mr. P. Farghcr (Victoria). Lieutenant W. G. Rickwood (New South Wales), Mr. .T. .7. Mathisoii (New South .Wales), Corporal George Bradley (Queesnland). Corporal (I. Williams (Victoria), Mr. G. Hewitt (South Australia.), Captain Hunt (Tasmania), Mr. Galliford (South Australia), Mr. Alexander Ferguson (Queensland), and Mr. Oeorge Shaw (Queensland). The first 12 names are further understood to have the best prospects of final selection. The musters of several of the rifle corps at Penrose on Saturday, when Dr. Logan Campbell's money prizes were fired for ami won by the College Rifles' team (13 men), were decidedly poor, the only company of the battalion to have a. good muster being the Victoria Rifles (" A" Company), which corps entered two teams of 20 men each for the competition. On the rough, uneven ground at Penrose large teams are at a disadvantage compared with the smaller teams,' as while i advancing the men have to centre their attention on the targets—at which they fire on exposureand are consequently more liable to get out of order. It in to be hoped that when the Buchanan Cup is fired for the teams will be of ten men a-side, and that it will be made compulsory for every company to fire with a full team. Only one or two companies put forward the full complement (20 men) last week, and had the Rifles competed with their ten leading shots instead of placing tiro full teams in the field, the result would probably have been different. A correspondent writes asking me 'when the. companies of the First Battalion Auckland. Infantry are going to get their new fulldress uniforms (scarlet tunics, etc.), but I regret to say that the question is one that cannot bo answered. When the idea was first mooted considerable enthusiasm was shown, but latterly the companies, for some reason or other, seem to-have cooled off, and the only company at present showing an inclination to carry the proposal into effect are the Victoria Rifles. I believe, however, that the officer commanding the battalion is now desirous that the various corps shall get an undress uniform, similar to "the new* cloth being introduced in the Imperial service, before going in for the full-dress uniforms! It

is to be hoped that this will be done with as little delay as possible, and that steps will then immediately bo taken to get, tho red tunics, the only recognised full dress. Four or five of the battalion officers attended the recent Government House ball in khaki, but. in reality, they were not complying with the instruction issued by His Excellency that only these wearing full dress were to attend the function, as the British army knows no full dress outside the red uniform. TVAJUKU MOUNTED RIFLES. The Waiuko. Mounted P-iflcs assembled for parade at ten a.m. on April 26. There was, as usual, a good muster* Captain Karri ball was in command, Lieutenants Bent anil Herrold being- also present. It was decided to have a shamfight, and the men having been numbered off were served out with blank ammunition. One-half of the company was placed under the command of Lieutenant Bent, who was allowed 20 minutes' start to JTi/t his men away and placed under cover. Lieutenant Herrokl had command of the remainder. The position taken up by Lieutenant Bent, was in dense tea-tree, known as Cotllin's Flat, about two mii's from the township. Although Lieutenant Hen-old's scouts were not lone; in spotting the enemy. the position was so difficult to get at that it was upwards of mi hour and a-half before a shot was fired, when the enemy opened on a small party of Herrold's men. .However, it was not then long before the war raged hot and heavy, as Lieutenant Hen-old, with his main body, had crept up under cover and poured i'» several volleys, which were returned by tho opposing side. When the bugle founded the fall-in it was found that none wore missing, and Captain Barriball. who had watched the proceedings, pointed out where he thought mistakes had been made, and complimented the men for the way they worked. The company returned at half-past one, well pleased with their morning work.—[Own Correspondent.]