VOLUNTEER NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12414, 25 July 1902, Page 3

VOLUNTEER NOTES.

Br "Scout."

The Federal Commandant (Major-general Ililtlon) is strongly in favour of mounted rifles, and he is considering how best to increase (lie strength and efficiency of that arm in the Commonwealth. Excepting the officers, the members of ■the Dnncdiir City Rifles have received their new khaki uniforms, and by Coronation lime, or perhaps sooner, the company will be seen in its new dress, which it certainly long required. , Captain Falconer, of the Torpedo' Corpi, is to take tlio Wellington Engineering \ olunteem in hand for special training. Information coming to hand respecting the reorganisation of the Australian militaiy forces shows tliat every branch of the service is being thoroughly dealt with. I understand that the annual meeting of the Volunteer Officers' Chib was hehf on Friday evening last. Tho business was of a routine nature, but arrangements were made for a course of lectures, etc., to bo delivered, Colonel Rcbin giving the opening address in about a fortnight's time. The members of the B Battery will entertain and welcome home to-night several of their comrades who wero-in the Seventh Contingent and who recently returned to Now Zealand from the front.

Colonel Teuton, former Commandant of tho J\e-w Zealand Forces, has he-en appointed Chief Staff Officer to Major-general Cooke, who is to command the colonial troops at Alexandra- Palace.

the B Battery and Engineers both held parades on Wednesday evening, I noticed tliat tho latter corps had their chaplain (the Rev. Canon Mayne) present, and ho appeared to bo taking a keen interest in all that was going on. A brass tablet to the memory of the late Captain J. A. Harvey, of the' Fourth New Zealand Regiment, will shortly bo erected in the Garrison Hall. This is being done by , r , c > oll "itcer officers of (lie district, Tho festive season is setting in. Next Jinday tho Engineers hold their annua! ball, which is always regarded a,? one of the best military functions of its kind hold during tho year. A fortnight later Hip TJunedm Navals will also hold a ball. It is the first that the company has held for some years. Tho committee who have the arrangements in hand hope to make the ball so successful that thero will bo no doubt as to its continuance in future years. tho physical training classes held in connection with the Queen's Cadets, Christchurch, by Professor P. Byrno have been so very successful that- it has been decided to go in (or a second series. The course 'includes a scries 6 of breathing and chest exorcises and dumb-bell drill, together with training in fencing of the modern descrintion. ' l

Judging by the comparative up-to-dateness ot Hie notifications in recent issues of the tazette, the poking up that ihe. Defence department has been receiving in regard w its dilatoriness has had some effect. The last issue to hand contains notice of the appointment of the Rev. R. Fairinaid to the position of chaplain of the Taieri Mounted Kifles, the appointmont dating from Juno 7. It also contains notice of the acceptance of tho services of the Puorua Rifles, Club as from June 21. A third notice of interest to local Volunteers is the acceptance of the resignation of Lieutenant Hume, of the Cavershsm Rifles. Mr Abe Bailey, a South African resident in England, has promised £600 a year for five years to help horse the Siissex imperial Yeomanry, as a mark of his appreciation of the services of the Imperial Yeomanry in llie war. He desires to set an" cxamolo to many wealthy South Africans who owe a deep debt of gratitude to the vecmen of lvigland.

For downright hard work commend me to the Duncdin Garrison Band. Take' the late military carnival as an instance. For 12 consecutive nights and two Saturday? the band was at its post, and notwithstanding tins f«hous engagement they still coninved to get down to the Botanical Garden? on the Sunday afternoon intervening and play a good programme. It will be readily understood that a volunteer corns caii get along even though there may 'be several absentees; not so with the baud, with its limited number. It is greatly to <h« credit of the members that they show such an enthusiasm in their work! and it is pleasing to know that at the conclusion of the carnival the officers of the battalion made the band a donation of a very handsome cheque as a mark of their appreciation of the services they had rendered. Lieut. George and his men have every reason to be proud of the position they hold. I understand there is a- recruit class in connection with, the band.

I have been requested to notify that l,y inadvertence the scores of two of'the. members of the Otago Hussars were not included in the list published on the 11th inst. In the Belt Match Trooper Anderson came fifth on tho list with a score of 153 points and in the Hyain's Cup Handicap Match I'rooijor Finncgan scored 156 points, or 1 point less than the winning SC orc. It is probable (says the Post) that Wellington will be roperesentcd at the annual meeting of the New South Wales Rifle Association, which will begin at Randwick on -Monday, October 25. There are to lie 24 matches, and the prize-money will total £700, in addition to which there will be a number of valuable trophies, including a silver medal to be given by the National Rifk Association of England to tho New Sontn Wales competitor who makes the highest aggregate score in three stages. Tho Tapanui A T olunteers are drilling regularly twice a month at present, and the chief instruction is in the handling of the new rifle. Parades have been fairly well attended, and on Thursday last half a dozen recruits came up for their first lessons. The newcomers will till vacancies caused by removals from the district and others resigned, and they will parade weekly for instruction by non-coms. Shooting is having a rest during the bad weather, but it will bo revived with the advent of longer days. At a business meeting after paradeon Thursday some vacancies in the list of non-coms, were filled and a committee was appointed to carry out the arrangements for the anniversary to take place next month. A largo majority favoured the proposal to hold a Volunteer ball as against a social and dance.

The Wellington papers give fuller particulars of the reply given to Mr Field by tho Acting-Minister of Defence in reply to questions put by the former regarding (he quality of the rifles served out to rifle clubs, and the matter of increasing the allowance of free ammunition from iqO to 500 rounds per man per annum. The Act-liig-Mimsier of Defence said that the departmental reply was that all rifles issued to rifle clubs were classed as first class by the Imperial service armourer, who had subjected them to a most rigid examination.. Any rifles found' to he defective should he returned to the depot at once, and if there was any fault in them they would be replaced. No provision was to he made this year for increasing the quantity of free ammunition.

It seems that the effort to form a Volunleer corps m tho Riversdale district is not altogether meeting with the success that was anticipated. Though it is some time since the proposal was mooted, and a motion carried at a public meeting that a company should be formed, the roll does not yet contain sufficient names to forward an application to headquarters for the acceptance of (lie company's services. At a iccent meeting it was resolved to make a. minute canvass of the district for the necessary names to complete the list. Under the circumstances it looks as if it would be more advisable for the Riverton boys to be content villi a rifle club in the meantime. l;nloss there is every possibility of a very strong corps being formed, it would not be wise to go to the expense and troublo liiat is required in forming and carrying one on. A corps not flourishing and 'pcr° haps in debt means a tremendous amount of worry to the few responsible ones." A rille club is a much easier institution to carry on.

The range of the human eve has not devoopod with that of the firearm, for which reason it lias been a difficult matter to obtain accuracy of aim at great distances. In order to assist our defective eves, an inventor has hit upon the idea of mounting a telescope upon the gun. The result is that not only is the object brought apparently much nearer, but the marksman can iirn with considerable accuracy at twilight or dawn, at a time when the* ordinary sight fails him. The telescone is mounted by a. front support transversely adjustable, and on a rear support capable of horizontal ami vertical adjustment. The reason of the many surrenders during the latter part of the war and the cause of its unexpected prolongation was due, argues a writer in Blackwood's Magazine, m a great measure to the poor quality of the iigluing men in the irregulars sent against the Boers. "When tho war broke out thousands of men voluntarily undertook the risks and perils of a soldier's life, not from any hope of preferment, not from any

love of adventure, but through true patriotism—making tliK sacrifice to meet tho call of the Empire in her hour of need. But that day soon passed, the tide turned, and the din of war sounded faintly from the heart of the enemy's country, The men who had gone forth first returned as their obligations expired, and there were no more patriots to take their places. But the exigencies of tho struggle required even more men then tiian when Roberts made bis extreme struggle to retrieve earlier misfortunes. Kitchener asked for moro men for the final operation, which was so soon to be over. The recruiting sergeant went out for them. It mattered not for quality: it was only the quantity. Men of all nations—Greeks, Russians, Armenians,—who included among them some vile scum, came forward, and in due course donned the uniform they were not fit to salute from a distance. . They did not want to fifrht; they only wanted to be disbanded near Johannesburg within reach of the gold. Surrender brought thorn no qualms of disgrace, 'i'lie enemy, seeing them, hardened bis heart: he thought that Great Britain had reached the limit of her suppiy. Ho disarmed these 'soldiers,' and said 'If we persevere we shall win.' If anyone doubts that an error of judgment was committed in taking such men into the army let him ask tho Government for a return of the arms and ammunition surrendered to and captured by the Boers between November, 1901,, and November, 1902." The electro-magnetic gun recently invented by Professor Birklands, of Ohristiania, has just been tried before a committee of technical and other exports with such highly satisfactory results that a well-known Gorman 'firm of cannon founders have offered to purchase the invention. Professor Birklands will lay the proposal before his Norwegian company. The experts hold that a final trial is necessary to ascertain if the gun is able to throw a two-ton projectile a distance of 12 miles. The alterations would cost £7500. but the Professor is certain that tho conditions which will prove the practical adaptability of the gun will be fulfilled. Ho calculates that tho performances of his weapon will increase with the length of the barrel. For instance, with a tube 328 ft long, it would throw a- two-ton projectile a distance of 932 miles! Such a colossal range has, of course, no practical value, but Norwegian experts believe that the invention will cause a revolution similar to that brought about by the introduction of gunpowder.