VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12856, 3 May 1905, Page 7

VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

[BY SENTINEL.] The annual meeting of the No. 1 Native Rifles will be held during the present month.

Recruiting; is going An vteadily among the various • Dinpanies of the Auckland Volunteer Garrison.

The shooting competition for the Ranftirly shield takes place on the Penrose range at an early date.

Gunner C. Cowan, of the No. 1 Garrison Artillery Volunteers, har been promoted to the rank of acting-corporal.

Lieutenant Kretehniar. of the No. 3 Native Rifles, goer up for tin; practical portion of his cxaminatioi this evening.

The No. 3 Native Rifle.* hold a full-dress parade on Wednesday evening next (May 10). The company's annual meeting will he held aftei the parade.

Auckland resignations gazetted are those of Lieutenant G. E. Spinley, No. 8 Company N.Z. (J.A.V.. and Lieutenant A. 1). Shilson. No. 1 Company "Waikato Mounted Rifles.

The members of the No. 8 Company New Zealand Garrison Artillery Volunteers hold a shooting match at the Penrose rifle range next Saturday afternoon.

The second of the winter socials in connection with the No. 8 Company New Zealand Garrison Artillery Volunteers takes place in St. George's Hall nn*t Friday evening.

The No. 1 Company New Zealand Garrison Artillery Volunteers will parade at the Drill Hall this evening, when arms will be issued. The company's inspection parade takes place next Wednesday.

The members of the " A." Squadron Auckland Mounted Rifles will meet at Mr. Gorrie's Paddock, Epsom, next Saturday, to practice "pushball" on horseback and on foot. A good attendance is expected.

Appointments recently gazetted in the Auckland district are those of Francis J. Short, and Lieutenant Bruce S. Hay. N.Z.M., to be lieutenants respectively of the Opotiki and No. 3 Waikato Mounted Rifle companies.

The New Zealand rifle team foi Bisley left Wellington for the OKI Country on Thursday last. Ex-champion Ching having decided not to accompany the team his place was rilled by Rifleman .1. Franklin, of Weber, Hawke's Bay.

The colonial auxiliary forces' long service medal has been awarded to John Ward, formerly No. 6 sergeant of the Auckland Engineer Volunteers. On December 31, 1893, the. recipient's total service was 21 years and four months.

Dismounted parades of the "A" Squadron Auckland Mounted Rifles will be held during the winter months, each division parading at its headquarters. The Avondale division will parade every fortnight, commencing next Monday night.

Private Carlsen, of the Victoria Rifles, was responsible for a fine score last. Saturday, when he won Mrs. Clark's cup with 99 of a possible 105 points, a matter of 15 points over inners for 21 shots. Lieutenant K. G. Cox. last year's winner, finished up fifth with 88 points.

Th. intended regimental camp of the Fourth Battalion Auckland Mounted Rifles at Rotorua in Mar appears to be stirring up volunteering on the East Coast, as a. number of recruits are joining the different squadrons. Civen fine weather th* camp promises to be a great success.

The "A" Squadron Auckland Mounted Rifles had a very satisfactory muster in camp last week, and the work and discipline of the men was 1 extremely "good. Notwithstanding the hard work and long hours, especially during the Easter manoeuvres, both men and horses came out of camp very fit and well.

Lieutenant J. Parry, of the Onehunga Public School Cadets, finished fifth in the class firing competition held annually in the various educational districts throughout the colony. Lance-Corporal 11. Carlson, of Dannevirke. was top scorer with 82 points, five points better than the Auckland cadet's score of 77.

Prince Louis of Battenburg is one of Britain's smartest naval men, every inch a sailor as well us a prince. Born a German, and naturalised as an English citizen, he. married one of Queen Victoria's grand-daughters. He is fifty years old, and lias nearly thirty-six years' service to his credit. As a lieutenant lie saw war service during the Egyptian campaign of 188£. He was promoted Rear-Ad-miral last July. But it is as an inventor that Prince Louis is most generally known. One of his productions is a course indicator, and another is an instrument for calculating the speed of ships. He collaborated with Captain Percy Scott in bringing out a cone-signalling apparatus, which has been read at sea at a distance of eighteen miles.

Among the novelties in the battleship King Edward VII. which tond to decrease manual labour, and to assist rapidity of action and up-to-date efficiency, are the bucket dredger shell hoists in the ammunition passage*. These hoists are on the mechanical principle, of marine dredgers, but are worked by electric motors. The difference in detail is that the bucket: is halved, and consists of a steel cylinder bisected, slightly ill excess of the diameter of the shell. A pedestal is fitted on the ammunition passage flat, which is geared on to the electric motor, and the base is exactly fitted to receive the bottom of the shell. Directly the .shell is placed in position, steel clips attached to the half buckets retain it there, and by means of an endless chain and reclining buckets a constant supply is delivered to the guns' crews. Hand gear is also provided in the event; of a dislocation of the electrical machinery.

Sergeant-Major Rolle, of the Permanent Staff, leaves tor England in a lew days, having received orders from the Imperial authorities to return Home to take commissioned rank in the artillery service at the .School of Gunnery. While pleased to hear of the populai officer's well-merited promotion, the volunteers of Auckland, and more particularly those in the artillery service, will regret his departure, as during his tern- under the New Zealand Government he has worked ungrudgingly to forward the movement, and his -services were always at the command of those anxious to improve themselves. Although master of tlu» branch to which he was attached, it may be said that Sergeant-Major ltolle rendered invaluable service to volunteering in Auckland, and one and all will join with me in wishing him the success his undoubted ability may be expected to bring him on his return !o tin- Motherland.

•fust recently (says a well-in formed Home journal), the Admiralty has admonished officers to be guarded in their conversation, and not to discuss service matters too freely with civilian acquaintances. This admonition has been sent to dockyard officials as well, and is conveyed in a lengthy memorandum, which sets forth the presumed dangers of speaking too openly about service secrets before subordinates and civilian friends. it is quite an unnecessary admonition, for if there is a close and cautious individual anywhere it is the British naval officer, amongst whose failings loquacity has never been numbered. Even a bluejacket is averse to talking " navy" outside naval circles. There is another school, however, in the navy, that holds more rational views, and .Sir John Fisher is at the head of it. These believe that the country should be taken into confidence as fully as possible in all service matters, and that no good comes of unreasonable secretiveness'. Of course, State secrets should not bo shouted from the housetops; but then these are not often in the possession of naval officers. In a very recent number of a German military paper there is an interesting account of a visit paid to Salisbury Plain and to Aldershot by a German lieutenant-colonel. He was much shocked at the march discipline of some of our volunteers, ant! especially of that of a detachment of the Army Service Corps. In the latter case the officers rode gaily on in front without taking any steps to see what went on in the rear,'with the not, unnatural result that the waggons were all over the road, and that the intervals were anything the drivers liked up to fifty paces. The escort, who were volunteers, chatted unrestrainedly with the drivers, marched with their jackets unbuttoned, with hats off, and beads tied up in handkerchiefs, with rifles thrown on the top of the waggons or lashed to the sides. All this is not pleasant reading in a foreign paper, either for regulars or volunteers, but there are certainly nowadays

manv officers who do not think such matters are "of much account. The German officer seems to have been taken with the mounted infantry, who were well mounted and well turned out. At Aldershot lie found the situation of some of the camps idyllic— will be news to the young soldier!—and was struck with the smart turn out of our men in the streets. The German officer seems to think this may in a measure bo due to the presence of so many officers in plain clothes, and the men therefore not knowing when and by whom they may bo observed. A new and important. Hitting is being placed in the new battleship King Edward VII. for the purpose of developing the rapidity of tiring the guns of large calibre. It is practically a dummy gun, with a real breech-block attached, and all the mechanism for passing the projectiles into the breech. The invention consists of a, stout wooden frame, the breech end being covered with a thick steel plate, having a hole drilled, or, rather, cut. Out of its centre the diameter of the projectile of the gun which it represents. The actual breech-block of the gun is attached to this. The barrel of the gnu is represented by a half-cylinder of wood, cased with thin steel, and running at an acute angle from this is ». return gutter of wood and steel, which brings back the projectile after it has been rammed through the barrel to the loading position. The projectiles are raised from the deck and placed in position by a whip leading from a radial arm, which derives its motor power from a hydraulic press. The dummies are fitted on the upper deck, and every motion is gone through in -xactly the same manner as if the projectile were actually fired from the gun itself. These drills are calculated to bring the gnus' crews up to the highest standard -of efficiency in rapidity of loading; in fact, it is considered by gunnery-experts that by this method of training guns above tin* calibre of 6-inch will closely approximate to the results obtained from the quick-firing guns. The cost of each duinmv is estimated at £1500.