OUR DEFENCE FORCE,

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10601, 22 February 1896, Page 7

OUR DEFENCE FORCE,

Sir,—Having read your leading article of Wednesday last with "reference to our defences, I must take, exception to your statements regarding the effleieocy of the Permanent Artillery and our naval forces.

The Permanent Artillery are equally as well trained as those in other c.oloniev and the looal detachments,.augmented by the strength of the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Navals, are able to fully man the forts afc Dunedin and Ofcago Heads. To provo that the.Navals are capable men, you need only refer to your own reports on their yearly encampments.

I wish also to contradict your assertion that they cannot hit a moving target, for I am sure they have gun-layers equal to the .occasion. A reference to their shooting records would prove that. I personally havi. witnessed some excellent shooting by the Navals at Taiaroa Heads. I consider that your query re manning ths forts iv answered in tbe above, but think the Defence department shonld issue a larger supply of ammunition for the artillery to have the practice required to bring them up to your idea of marksmen.

As to " the want of connection between tha artillery and the volunteers who support tbem," it is not so, for both the Navals a> d Permanent Artillery work very harmoniously together.—l am, &c,

Dunedin, February 21. Ex-Volunteer,

CALCUTTA.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Couid you or. any of your readers oblige by telling me,if thero io such a place ti9 Theatre road in Calcutta, India, and a legal firm in tbe said road commencing with St-«wnrS, &c. ? I would be vety thankful if you could give me any information on the subject, or tall me where I should be likely to get it. —I am, &c, Dunedin, February 19. A. Z. [We cannot say. Perhaps some of our readers may know.—^Ed. O. D. T.]