VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13202, 13 June 1906, Page 9

VOLUNTEER AND SERVICE JOTTINGS.

* : • ■: "• - BY SENTINEL. .' - The services of the Scottish Borse Amounted Rifles, with beadquai at Waipu, have been, accepted. So far no entry for the New Zealand Exhibition brass band contest has ,/een received from, an Australian band. A volunteer church parade will be held on the day of M'r. Seddon's funeral, the date of-which will be duly announced.

The officer, commanding the listrict, Colonel iJavies, leaves for the Waikato today, for the purpose of inspecting corps in that district.

Surgeon-Captain Joint M. Hope, of the New Zealand Medical Corps, has been attached tc the No. 3 Battalion Auckland Mounted Rifles, for duty.

Efforts arc being made by the No. 1 Native Rifles to arrange a snooting match on Saturday next with a team from the United States cruiser Baltimore.

All volunteer parades called for Monday evening last were cancelled, owing to the death of the Premier, who, among other portfolios, held that of Minister tor i Defence. v"

The medal for 16 years' consecutive and efficient service lias been awarded to Private Waiter Cummins, ~>f the No. 1 ; Company Native Rifles. Private Cummins hits" served' as a volunteer lor close on 19 years.

The smoke concert arranged by the Noncommissioned Officers' ClubSfSr Friday evening next- has been postponed, on account of the deat'ff of the Premier. The date will be arranged later on, and those interested will be notified. '

The Auckland Garrison Band, under Lieutenant A. R. Hunteer, met for practice last night. Upon the v. suggestion of Colonel Davies, the band played " The Final Halt," " Departed Comrade," and ; the " Dead March," out of respect for Mr. Seddon.

Auckland district resignations accepted are those. of Captain A. W. Baragwanath, No. 8 Company N.Z.G.A.V., and Lieutenant E. L. Lees, No. 9 Company N.Z.G.A.V. The latter has been placed on the. active list (unattached), New Zealand volunteers, with his present rank. A Southern writer states that three or four prominent English marksmen will visit the colony during the term of the Exhibition, 5 ; anct suggests, that steps should be taken to induce them to compete at the next New Zealand Defence Forces' Rifle Association meeting, which is to tic held at Christchurch.

A district oi'dci just issued states that grants of '£5 in aid of the library "'funds of the Auckland Officers'..and' "'Auckland Non-commissioned Officers' Clubs have been approved. If my-memory serves me rightly, these grants were approved some time ago, but so far as i can learn the money litis not yet been received.

Colonel Loveday, officer commanding the public schools', cadet forces of the colony, attended the last meeting of'the Military Affairs Committee of the Exhibition, and detailed his plan for' camping one battalion of public school cadets per week at the Exhibition. The committee agreed with the idea, but would accept no financial responsibility. ■

. ) .•» x~. The benefit concert by- the First Battalion Band to Scrgcant-Majoi Morgan, of the No. 8 Company G.A.V v who was shot through the leg some months ago, will take place in the Albeit Park on Sunday afternoon next. The'hand intend placi a good programme before the public, and a collection will be taken up by some of the members of the No. 8 Company. ; ~ 1 •

The following Auckland district appointments have been approved James John acting-lieutenant, ".No: : 9 Company N;Z.G'.A.V. ; Thos. Eustace Corkill, actinglieutenant. No. • 1 'Company Ohinemuri Rifles; Sydney Cecil Crapp, acting-lieuten-ant, Whakatano Mounted Rifles; Win. Livingstone H. Burgess,' 1 acting-lieutenant, A" Battery, New Zealand Field Artillery. The minstrel entertainment by the. No. 9 Garrison Artillery Company's "(Coastguards) variety troupe, in. aid of the funds of the Auckland Non-commissioned Officers'' Club, takes place on July 6, in the Federal Hall. A capital evening's amusement is promised, and the entertainment will be under the patronage of His Worship the Mayor* (Mr. A, M. Myers) and Colonel Da vies, C.8., officer commanding the Auckland forces. Captain Harrowell, who has been acting as adjutant io the Auckland, Infantry Battalion since the resignation of Captain Oaudin, leaves for Fiji shortly. His loss to the volunteer service here-will be regretted, but all will wish him success in his new sphere. A rumour has . been going the rounds that Captain .Harrowell has been chosen by the "authorities at Fiji to reorganise the volunteer force there, but the captain himself states that there is no foundation for the rumour. - . The No. 1 Native Rifles having won the Ra'ph cup for two years in. succession, the trophy becomes the property of the 'corps, and, according to the conditions stipulated by the'oonor, Mr. W. J. Ralph, will' in future be competed for by members of the company. As in the company competition, it will have to be won twice in succession, or three times at intervals, before it passes permanently into the , hands of a. member of tho corps.- The Auckland corps had, I understand, a good chance of losing the cup right up to tho closing stages of the teams match at Huntly. . The last couple of men to go down lor the Huntly Rilles "went to pieces," thils spoiling the team's aggregate score, and, enabling the town corps to bring the trophy back with them. A Clevedon correspondent writes as follows : — To ' Sentinel.' '_ Dear Sir, — would like to ask, through your columns, whether the Victoria Rifles are still in existence? The Franklin. Mounted Rifles have tried and tried in vain to arrange a match with the crack Auckland shooting company. You. will remember, perhaps, that the last, encounter resulted in a win for the 'Vies.' by a very small margin of points; therefore, the local men are very anxious to try their fortune again, but the town shootists seem very loth to accept." Surely the correspondence from the. Franklins must have miscarried, as I have never known the Vies." to refuse to accept a challenge. If not, the. Victorias should make all haste to reply, otherwise their claim to be regarded as the crack shooting corps of the district will be called into question. : EXHIBITION MILITARY TOURNA* MENT. I have received the draft programme for the military tournament; to be held in connection with the New Zealand International Exhibition on Wednesday and Thursday, December 26 and 27. Events have been arranged for field artillery;' garrison artillery, engineers, and. infantry, as well as a number of open, events, and the prize list is a liberal one. For the field artillery there is a casualty competition, sub-section alarm, section-driving competition, drivers' harnessing competition; gUii-wheel race, range-tak-ing (mekometer), gun laying, and fuse setting. The garrison artillery events are: Six-inch gun drill,';six-pounder quick-firing gun- drill, range-finding, setting Tangent sights, gun laying, and fuse setting. ... For engineers, the competitions include pontoon raft-buildmg, land mine tiring,'single lock bridge-building, sandbag redoubt, field observatory, field telegraph, fasciue and gabionbuilding. For infantry, the events are: j Physical drill, sword and■ bayonet, bicycle obstacle' racej and bicycle ' competition. Open events 'embrace a' tug-of-waiy route marching, bugle and trumpet competition, range-finamg, tent pegging - (by sections), lemon cutting,, and tilting at the" ring, signalling (Morse ; and semaphore), • tent coinpetition, . Balaclava melee, , wrestling or horseback, obstacle race, novel race, pursuing .competition/', tug-of-war, on horseback, umbrella after cigar race (mounted), bicycifi races' (one mile and two miles), quarter-staff win petition, bayonet fighting, night alarm,

Lloyd-Lindsay competition, Victoria Cross rescue race,-St.; John Ambulance competition, mounted push Mil, Maxim gun drill (mounted), arid Maxim gun drill (dismounted).