MUSKETRY TRAINING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15645, 26 June 1914, Page 10

MUSKETRY TRAINING.

MUPIVtfIM. XJtAIMiW. ' 6ir,-*-A number of tho officnrß and mon do not want to learn to shout, and many people are beginning to think tho Goverumont is 'liot anxious to have thorn taught. Tito result is that' a very small portion attend the riflo range and very few at;a good shots. Then, again, there are such poor facilities in ilio way of riflo ranges. Theno should bo closo to the towns, and men should bo encouraged In every way to attend them whenever possible, I Wo always said it will require'largo money prizes to make riflo phooting popular in New Zealand. Whenever it becomes popular, and hag been made a hobby by largo numbers of the m«n, the Government will have no further trouble. Sir lan . Hamilton's remarks on this matter were well to tho point and show clearly that the recruit must first , train at tho bull's-eye for at least twelve months, and then go on to tho mora difficult figure shooting. There can be no doubt there is an extraordinary fascination in shooting at the bull, and when, a man makes a possible at, say, 500 or 1000 yards range. I can think of nothing that eclipses trie feeling of elation at tho achievement of such a splendid succesß"H)xcopt tho dropping of a few right and left at snipe, quail, or partridge, or stopping driven grouse • coming over the • butts, down wind. Tho bull's-eye is the steppingstone to figure and moving-object shooting, and unless the recruit is well trained in the art he can never become even a third-rate shot, let alone a first-class shot, and if New Zealand ever meets a foreign foj, woe-betide hor military forces If they have not been trained tc shoot straight and to do so quickly and with an intelligent knowledge in tho us« of tie rifle—that is, loading singly and with . magazine, raising and lowering th< sights, together' with tho accurate judg ing of distance. If the old volunteei force, including rifle clubs, totalling, say 10,000, wore to-day placed against Nev Zealand's, say, 60,000 territorials ant cadets; (both forces being armed with thi ' some weapon), the latter would bo run ning'tor their lives before they had beei engaged for' half an hour, because a least 70 per cent, of the old volnn tears' bullets would find a billet, whils practically none of the territorials' bul lets would .find _ anything but earth o rock, for even if a few of the terri torala can shoot they are not good a

! judging distance. Don't forgot Modder River in the Boer :-War,, when 1,000,000 rounds : f of' ; ammunition ' Was discharged jby the, British forces in . a,short •. space of : time, and' pity about) tyfin'drfd and ' forty-six : Boer's , were ' killed and ; founded. Since then ..the British- soldier.- has received a far more ; , "twining £ ,ip ; rifle shooting. . The late terrible sea-ft'cci*-: dents have put the steamship companies on' their mettle to 'provide safer-means ''of transpose- and 'better niton's. of - obtainsing, safety- when an accident takes place, and the ' Government . and those in authority uro usually conspicuous in urging reform which only affected, say, perhaps, 300 to 1000 people, and yet the 1 authorities will neglect the training of its troops to shoot when the laves of 100,000, nay, perhaps, millions of her soldiers and subjects are at stake if the troops are loft untrained in marksmanship. Gicxr, A. Whitney.