THE FEDERAL RIFLE MEETING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10620, 16 March 1896, Page 4

THE FEDERAL RIFLE MEETING.

(Psn United.'Press Association.) ,' • Oamaeu, March H. The weather this morning was One, bat doll, with a light 7 air blowing down the range. t . Owing to the delay in. changing tho order of the-progtamme, it was 9 o'clock before a start was made with the Marlborough Match, which was fired in almost perfect weather.,, The light was good, bat there wat a. light draught across the range—just sufficient to puzzle the men in obtaining elevation. The shooting generally ■was a groat improvement on yesterday, and there is little donbb the Kynoch ammunition which was used in the match is of. better quality than that, of yesterday. In some instances come.of tho men experienced hard luck, getting on several bull's-ayea. and then falling across a bad cartridge which failed to reach the distance. The following are the prizetakers :— Maklbokougu Match.—soo yards ;10 Bhots; the winner to hold the silver enp presented by Kynoch and Co., who supply the ammunition for tha match free of cost. Cuptiin White, Victoria, £8 .. ■„. ... 49 Corporal Meddings, Ohristchurch, £6 ... i ... 48 Corporal Jackson. Ohristchurch £5 ... 47 ;- St«»dman, Whsagarei, £i ... 46 P.O. Williams, Wellington, £4 ... ... .„ 46 Corporal liavery, Chrustchurch, £Z ... ... 46 Harris, little River, £3 48 Volunteer Purnell, Wanganui, £3 46 . Cor^roralGarget,.Queensland, £2 46 O'^rporal Lyders, Duuedin, £2 45 Volunteer Matheaon, Syduey, £2 45 W. Smith, Taeuru, £2 ... 45 Corporal Strachan, Alexandra, £2 45 Benton (Featherston), Gray (Marton), Todd (Victoria), Corporal Bradley (Queensland), M'Kay (Cb.ristehn.rch), 45; (i. Loyeday (Woodville;, M'Diarmid (Oamwu), Cameron (Oamaru), Winslade (Wanganui), Brydone (Dunedin), A. BaJlinger (Wellington), RanI dills (Melbourne), Sergeant Webster (Melj bourne), Lieutenant Roas (Napier), Corporal j Grant (Wiimate), Sergeant Moody (Queensland), Lieutenirat Kirk (Petooe), Robilliard (Kaiapoi), 44; Woolletfc (Dunedin), and Robiuaoa (Upper Hutt), 43 ;—each take £1. Counted out: M'Donald, Claohen, Hioks, W. H. Ballinger, Oates, Armstrong, Grant, Craw, ' Smith, M'Gregor, Head.'Fraaer, Prott, Cap- ' tain Chalmers. 'At the conclusion of the Marlborough Matoh 1 a test was made of three different jammunitions—viis., Victorian manufactured, that manufactured at Auckland in 1895, and that used yesterday. The range wa* 500 yards; | four men, five nhote each. The result was : VieI torian, 85; 1895 manufacture, 6S ; yesterday's BrouuQvtioD) 60. The Ladies Match, which does not count in the Belt aggregates, was then proceeded with. By this time the wind had shifted to the south, and was blowing fresh down the range, which rendered it rather difficult to hold on, but, notwithstanding this, the shooting was quite up to the previous year's, and the winning score wss ■ & point higher than that of last year's winner, ' while the score of those counted out was the 1 same. Trevethick, who won the match, only ' made op his mind to come at the last moment. ' It is singular that for the last three or four i years tho Pstone Rifle Club has provided the : winner of this inateh, which, owing to its cour ditions, is a difficult match to win. Tha 1 following are the prize-takers :— ■ Ladies' Match.—loß yards; 10 shot?, standing, i kneeling, or sitting; not counting for the ' i Belt. | r Trevethick. Petone, £S ... ~. ... 47 ' I j Volunteer Todd, Victoria, £6 ... ._ .„ 46 I Captain White, Victoria, £5 46 Lieutenant Roas, Napier, £3 44 ■ Little, Oamaru, £4 44 Sergeant Johnston, Queensland, £3 44 ' Rule, Oamaru, £3 44 Sergeant Hawker, Victoria, £2 44 Sergeant Manning, Christchurch, £2 44 Grey, Waimate, £2 44 Steadrnan, Whaugarei, £2 ' ... 43 ! , Coiour-serceant Grant. Queensland, £2 ... 43 ; Sergeant Doughty, Auckland, £2 43 1 Volunteer Hale (Wellington;, Speight (Dani edin), Volunteer Young (Victoria), M'lvor - (Kaikoura), 43 each ; Every (Oimarn), Moodie . (Queensland), King (Oamara), Vohmtoer S. , Bellinger (Wellington), Sbelt« (•*), Volnns teer Vernon (Sydney), Wilsou (Woodville), { » Sergeant Humphreys (Hastings), Captain Smith j t (Duuedin), Taylor (Pahiatua),' Niromo (Oamaru), Spiers (Oamaru), Kemps** (Duu- ■ ediu), Bombardier Lester (Christctmn*), . Volunteer Tonkin (Christchureh), C*lo»jsergeant Dempster (Danedin), each 12-^sV each. ' Counted out: Volunteer M 'Donald (Victoria), Lieutenant Jack (Dunedin). This afternoon the Defence department, ' Wellington, wired that a large quantity of Victorian ammunition was in Etock and available ) | for the meeting. Major Sommsrville replied, j asking thst 20,000 rounds be sent to arrive on j Monday night, which, with some 4000 already I here, will be sufficient to complete the meeting ias from Tuesday "morning. It has not been - finally decided what ammunition is to be used lon Monday, but probably it will be the same as j yesterday, and if possible the association will i confine tha shooting to distances not to exceed . j 500 yards. j At 3 o'clock the men proceeded to 300 yards 1 Ito begin the Auokland Mateb, 10 shots at x | 300jds, with similar ammunition to that of yesterday. By this time the wind had fallen, and as there was a bright son in the rear everything was favourable for. good shooting, and the shooting was good. Whatever may be the fault of the ammunition at the loDger ranges t there is no doubt about its being effective at the |. shorter distances, and a comparison with last j j year shows that in this matoh the shooting ' B far exceeded that at Trentham in 1895, where 44 won tho chief priza and 38 was counted oat. Here 46 gaiued first money and 41 was counted ] > out. The following are the prize-takers :—• Auckland Match.—Ten shots at 300 yds; counting for the Belt. E. Wilmott, Queenstown, £8 45 Steadman.'Whangarci, £6 „ _ 45 Sergeant Dempster, Dunedin, £5 ... _ 45 Sergeant Doughty. Auckland, £i ... „. 45 Volunteer Turner, Wellington, £4 ... „ 44 Rule, Oamaru, £3 „ 44 Wilkie, Upper Hutt, £3 ... „ „, „. 44 Captain Atkinson, Hawcra, £2 ...• .„ ... 43 M Gregor. Oamaru, £2 „. ... 43 France, Karori, £2 „ ... 43 Bombardier Howe, Wellington, £2 „ _ 43 I Volunteer Todd, Victoria, £2 .„ ... „. 43 j A. Young, Sydney, £2 „ 43 Corporal Bradley (Queensland), Volunteer Wr.lk^r (Melbourne), Captain Smith (Dunedin), Volunteeer W. Scott (Christchurch), Captain > Smith (Invercargiil), Volunteer Sonntag (Dunr edin), Tieve&iek (Petone), B. Allen (Duuedin), Gunner Taylor (Auckland), 4-2; Corporal Ollport (Nelson), Colour - sergeant Robison (Napier), Volunteer Protfc (Syduey), Volunteer Lo Maitre (Sydney). Captain Crengh (Oainaru), I Sfraff - sergeant Webster (Viotoria), Burns (Karori), Lieutenant Kirk (Petooe), Little ] (Oamaru), Serg«aut Kruse (Wanganui), Hastie I (Oamaru), 41, £1 each. Counted out: Major Aeheion (Riverton) and Sergeant Hawder (Victoria). • Volunteer Todd (of Victoria) and Trevethick (of the Petone Rifle Clnb, Wellington) being the . highest aggregate scorers in tho Ladies' and Auckland Matches, with scores of 89, tied for the Carbine Oup and fired off five shots at 300 • yards, Todd winning with 21 points nguinst 18. The visitor from the fiater colony was warmly congratulated on winning the Cnp, which he • holds for one yeir. March 15. The ammunition used yesterday afternoon ;at the abort distances was not similar to that used on the opening day, but was 1895 Auckland manufacture, which at first wus intended •to be fired at the meeting, bub was ultimately diai.irded in favour of the Whitney special manufacture of February 1896, and whiob. ' created such a howl of indignation on Friday. Yesterday's ammunition appears to have giveu r general satisfaction. At all events, the com- . plaints were reduced to a minimum, and fairly good shooting was made all the afternoon. In the Auckland Match (10 fhota) there were only ! 24- misses, and in tbe first range of tho Oamaru Match (sevan shobs) only 13. Tbo 1896 ammunition, however, proved fairly good at the *hort range on Friday, but failed at the long range, • and it has yet to be proved that 1895 will stand : the tesd a 6 500, 600, and 700 yards, at which distances it will bo used to-morrow and Tuesday. At the oonolusion of the Auckland Match the " first range of the Oamaru Match—3oo. 500, and t 700 yards, seven shots, Donating for the Belt, I was fired. Agniu some excellent scores were , made. Those registering ever 30 were:—R. ' Loveday (Woodville), Wilkie (Upper Hutt), 33 ; P. Young (Victoria), Borsyth (RivertDn), Spiers ■ (Oamaru), Purnell (Wanganui), M'Hattie j (North Waitarapa), 32; Woollett (Dunedin), 5 Garget (Queensland), Prott (Sydney), Smith I (Dunedin), Bradley (Queensland), 31. 3 The Victorian - mannfactured ammunition ' which is being obtained from Wellington will 1 not arrive here until Tuesday afternoon, and i will be used in the remaining Championship , matches and tbe Federal Match. It is under- . stood that the Sydney steamer will be detained ,at Lyfctelton antil Saturday night for the conr venience ot the Australians taking part in the ,: Federal Match. At a meeting of the council last night it was decided to allow Australians to compete for the . money prizes in the final stage of the Cbara--3 pkmship, but they will not be allowed to win I the Belt or medals, which are confined strictly I to New Zealanders. In the fioal st&ga the . money prizes are of the respective values of £30, I £20, £15, £XO, £8, and five of £5. lv tbo ) event of an Australian winning the chief 9 prize with the highest grand aggregate, a sum J of £10 will be added to the prisse won by ' the New Zealander wboae aggregate entitles him to hold the Belt. The council also decided :to add £20 to the prize money in the Otago i Mateb, this being a record, and the specia.l i donation by residents of Oamaru, who have I responded very liberally throughout. The i question of allowing volunteers who entered as i rifle club men to fire as membera of the latter lin the Teams Match mi disoaesed at some | length, several opposing it-; but as the roles nther clashed on the matter it was. decided to-;

allow volunteers who had entered as rifle clan men to Are for their clubs at this meeting; bat anew clause is to ba drafted to remove the ambiguity in the regulations. For Champion Teams Matoh 16 teams have entered, including three from Qaeennlsnd and one from Viotoria. An doubts »re expressed whether tie members of two of the former and those of the latter belong to one corps, the acceptance of their entrance is withheld until the morning, when tbe officers in charge of the ts»ms will ba questioned on the subject. Lieutenant Keating, officer in charge of the New South Wales team, took no part in yesterday's shooting, being indisposed. There was glorious weather to-day, and it teems quite settled.