THE BISLEY TEAM.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 3260, 18 October 1897, Page 3

THE BISLEY TEAM.

RECEPTION ON THEIR RETURN TO NEW ZEALAND. The Bisley rifle team and the remaining members of the New Zealand mounted contingent returned to the colony by the Mataura, which arrived alongside Queen’s Wharf at 10.15 a.m. yesterday. As the hour of arrival was earlier than was expected, the arrangements for the reception of the Bisley team wore somewhat harried, bat Mr Ball (Mayor of Wellington) welcomed the team, and congratulated the members upon the manner in which they had upheld the honour of the colony at Home. The Mayor then called for three cheers, which Wore heartily given by the crowd assembled on the wharf. Major Soraraerv ille, in briefly replying, thanked the public of Wellington for their reception, Tho members of the team had done their best, and they were gratified on ther return to the colony to find that their efforts were so well appreciated. He would not, he said, make any long speech, preferring to wait Until the following evenwhen he would have another opportunity of addressing theul. Private Hawthorne, of tho Wellington City Rifles, was singled out for an especially hearty welcome, being carried shoulderhigh from the steamer and taken to a carriage, which was dragged by a number of his comrades in tho company. The City Band also serenaded him to his home.

SMOKE CONCERT TO-NIOH T. Tho Bisley Rifle Team Reception Committee notifies that! tho smoke concert will tako place to-night at 8 o’clock in the Drill hall. Mount Cook. Tho tickets are goiug off rapidly, having been fixed at a low price so as to nrako tho gathering a truly representative one, and altogether the entertainment promises to bo a great success. " MAJOR SOMMERVILLE INTERVIEWED. “Welcome back. Major," said a Times representative yesterday, as he shook hands with Major Sommerville. “ Thanks; and I’m glad to get back, too,” was the reply. “ You may go where you like, but there’s no place like New Zealand, after all j and we’ve seen a good deal since we left.”

Saying which the Major sat down in his pleasant room at the Club Hotel to give his impressions to a small army of eagerinterviewers who crowded round him gleefully. His first words were in praise of the contingent and of his own team for the splendid work they had done. At Aldershot, he declares, the marching past of all the colonial troops was much better than that of the regular army. “ I have had some-years ot Cavalry experience,” said Major Sommerville, “ and that is my emphatic opinion, and I see that others who were present at the review hold tire same opinion. Some of the crack cavalry regiments were certainly very poor —upon my word, tho Grenadier Guards and the Household Guards looked like a dog’s hind leg. Of course, as often happens, a regiment may look beautiful ns they go past, and a .moment after going over the passing lino they may be as crooked as possible, but certainly the cole* nials did splendidly. It was a great sight indeed to see the guns,” said Major Sommerville. ‘*They went by at a gallop, and there they were, all looked together, the muzzles as straight as could be.” Major Sommerville had naturally a good deal to say of the success ot his team at Bisley. Asked how the firing of the Englishmen compared with that of the colonials, he replied that individually the Englishmen were far better than the colonials, for it was only to be expected that when there were 2000 to choose from, as against a handful from the colonies, some good men must continually crop up with brilliant scores. “But,” he added) “if you take any three of the crack companies in New Zealand—say, the "Wellington City Rifles, the Wanganui dnd the Dunedin City Guards—you will find that they have a greater number of good shots than you’ll get in any three companies of the forces at Home.” “ Wo had a good deal of difficulty in starting—in selecting a place to camp at, for one thing. However, we went straight to Bisley and camped there, and went in for steady practice for the fortnight we had to spare before the meeting opened. Wo did hard work in that fortnight: you can judge that from the fact that in that two weeks at our practice we fired 10,000 rounds of ammunition. "We used the Bisley targets ; in fact I believe we practised most ot the time at the very same targets we afterwards fired at in tho Kolapore Cup match.” “We had no trouble with the light,” continued the Major. “It was just as good as in New Zealand; but tho wind was very baffling.” And so, speaking with a note of bitterness in passing about the famous change of wind that lost the Now.Zealanders the 1\ olapuro Cup match, he went on to explain how the Lee-Metford riflo “chucked,” or jerked sideways, if fired while the wind blew from the right. Unless allowance were made for this, and the sights fixed accordingly, the jerk would affect the shot to the extent of as much as 9ft to the left. This right wind just cropped up at the very time we were firing for the Kolapore Cup, and our fellows couldn’t get it at all.” Major Sommerville explains that this chuck of the rifle is the result of a twist in the barrel, and may possibly be aggravod by the use of certain powder. ‘i Would you recommend the Lee-Metford rifle for adoption in this colony in place of the Martini-Henry f" “ Most decidedly. ■ If such a choice were offered, I would 1 say at once without any hesitation, take the Lee-Metfords. I have read a paragraph to the effect that the Imperial authorities have offered the LoaMetford rifle to the colonies in exchange for the Martini-Henry; and I look upon that as one of the'best things that could happen.” “But what about the jerk you speak of?”

" That may be met by. an arrangement of the sight.” The ammunition used at Bisley Major Sommerville describes in one word—it is perfect, says ho. Cordite, or the smokeless powder, is the ammunition employed, to the entire exclusion of the black powder. The custom at Bisley is to put eight shots in each packet—seven for the match and one for the sighter—and distribute these packets to the riflemen. “ The Government supplies the whole of the ammunition for Bisley,” he continued, “and that reminds me of-one thing that opened my eyes—the difference between the Old Country and this colony in the treatment of Eiflo Associations. If they want a regiment of men at Bisley for any particular work, all they have to do is to requisition for them, and at once they get 800 men down to do whatever is required. The marking, the work at the butts—everything of that kind is done by the regulars, who are paid by the National Eiflo Association ’ at the rate of Is per day, the Government paying them their wages as usual. In New Zealand we have to pay men 8s a day for any work that is necessary to be done. Then in England the regulars take the greatest interest in the meetings of the Association. All-the officers of the Association are staffiefficers in the Imperial Army, and look forward to the yearly shooting with the greatest interest. The Duke of Connaught was a regular visitor at Bisley, and his opinion of the meeting is given in his words, 'This is the very thing to make men of our young fellows.' The Government gives all the ammunition, but no money grant, so far as I know; but money is freely subscribed. The Queen gives £250 every year, the Prince of Wales .£IOO, and the Duke of tConnaught £IOO, and the public give large sums very freely.” Colonel Cross, who was in command of the officers at the Bisley range, paid the New Zealand men a high compliment for their discipline. “It was a matter of astonishment to the officers,” said Major Sommerville, “ to see a New Zealand man salute when he went up to speak to an officer; the Home men never thought of doing anything of the kind.” “ The arrangements at Bisley are very superior to those in New Zealand," ho continued, " simply because they have a permanent range there,' and have all the money required to make it complete. I must say, however, that we get through our work much more cheaply and more satisfactorily. There are many things we might learn from them if we were able to spend the money, but that is just the point. For instance, forevery five targets they have an underground cable, and thesefive targets are connected with the butts and the Council tent. Beautiful little field telephones are in use ; X wish we had some of them out here—only £2 los, I believe they cost.” “ We must have out here the kneeling position for 200yds,” was another pointemphasised by Major Sommerville. who found that this rule at Bisley bothered the New Zealanders a good deal. The special rifles for the Victorians were made by Mr Donald Fraser, of Edinburgh, in compliance with an order sent Home when Mr Syme, of the Age, gave his handsome subscription. No expense was spared in the construction of the rifles, which cost £9 9s each, while the ordinary rifles," specimens of which were issued to the New Zealanders, cost £2 18s each. “We might have had special rifles, too," remarked the Major, “if we had had the money. But you have to pay for these things. It cost our team for entries alone at the meeting £9 10s each man, without counting the Kolapore Cup, the entry for which was £2 2s for the team.”

Major Sommerville’s visit to Bisley has more than over convinced him tuat it would be by far the wisest policy to establish a permanent range for the Ei3a Association in Now Zealand. ■ He does

not think a team can be sent Home again to Bisley for probably the next two years, unless of course some colonist follows the eXamijle set by. Mr Syme in Victoria. To send a team properly will cost £l2O a man. The team just returned did it for £SO, but the men paid their own passages. The winnings of the New Zealand team at Bisley amount to about £3OO.