THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 14

THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Amended regulations provide that members of the Volunteer force " who have lerved continuously for 16 years as efficient »re entitled to the N.Z. Long and Efficient Service Medal. If the service is not continuous the Volunteer must put^ in 20 years" to qualify for the medal. Efficient eery ice in reserve corps formed under Regulation 540 a, and reserves to corps under Begulatkm 540b, will be allowed' to count _a one-half time in connection with both the Long and Efficient Sen ice Medal and j£ho X.Z. Volunteer Service Medal.

In future, officers of Cadet companies above the rank of lieuteuant, pro video they are not pupils at a college or high school, lhali be granted acting appointments op Ihe recommendation of the Council of Defence, and commissions shall be issued to |ucb, acting officers on passing the examination as laid down in General Regulations for aduli officers. Officers under the rank of captain and officers who are pupils at <i college or high school shall, as heretofore, |»0 granted hon. acting appointments by Mie O.C District (only u"pon the recomof the headmaster in the case 31 pupils). On passing the examination prescribed by Generai Regulations for their ffcnk, a certificate will be issued, which rcrt-icate wili exempt the holder from a further examination for a similar rank ihv jild he be elected an officer in an adult volunteer corps withm three years of passing such examination.

Defence Cadet officers ho'ding substanth 2 eo.nmis&ions will in future be allowed to count efficient »en Ice a** full time towards til N.Z. Volunteer --ervict! medals. This privilege is nov extended to those below the raiik of captain. U'he third and final match in the "Wed'vmday competition for piizes presented by M> Lofran and Col -sergeant O'Drisooll wafir»d last week. The conditions were that the two highest aggregates in the competition shculd count. Corporal Brown, of the Dunedin Engineers, is the winner of the first prize. Private H. M'Kay, of the Dun«din Highland Rifles, being second, and Private G. Kay, of the Dunedin Cycle and Signalling Corps, third. The committee controlling Wednesday shooting have been, greatly pleased with the increased interest jhown this year. The average attendance on the range has been about 14-. and jncluded amongst these is a number of practised shots who are always rwudv to help young riflemen. Shooting will be continued this Wednesday, _ when it is hoped lo start another competition. The Inspector-general is asking for information concerning the length of service in the present rank of all commanding officer', seconds in command, and adjutants of regiments of mounted rifles, battalions of ir fantry, " battoi ies of field artillery, :i'"' Bompanies of field engineers (in yeai* 1 jilso, the total number of days (of six hoi' pr more each) that these officers ha\e t<>i landed or Mrved wi>h their unit* at actual

mw-taixyfMift t the field in daylight in the lih* nUkRHt of B Battery have put in the Imsiest. Utae of their military lives during their camp, being hard at it from 6.30 p.m. to 10 p.m. regularly. They have ra-ther gloried in the exercise, and as a result were in good spirits and looking forward with great heart to their shoot at ! Hampden to-morrow. Sunday was reoen- J tion day, and numbers of friends were entertuin-sd. On Tuesday evening the O.C. j District paid a visit to the camp. The exams, for layfnsr. fuse-setting, an-d gunnery are oompletcd, and results will be available shortly Ihe Dunedin Engineers had a fair pro- ; portion of men engaged in various useful duties onJSaturday. Lieutenant Veitch had a squariVof men conducting the submarine exolosiob at the Ravens-bourne regatta; the telegraph' 1 section sent a sergeant and nine men to Hampden with B Battery to run out the field telephone in connection with- the fiold-firing; whilst the first class shooting team fired a match against the North Dunedin Rifles on the lower range, the conditions being se-\cn shots at two langes, 12 men a-side, the two lowest scores countej out. This evening the Dunedin Engineers and the Engineer Cadets will parade for the first inspection by tho honorary captain. Sir James Mills. Ijieutenantcolonel Smvth. O.C. District, will aho be present. After the inspection the senior and junior companies, headed by the Garrison Band, will parade through the main ' thoroughfares. In connection with the , corr.panv'- section competition ihe infantry - drill will be iudeed by Lieutenant Hickcv, ! D.5.0., on the 12th proK. The removal of the tli^rict staff to its i.ow premises in St. Andiew ttreet — whence, by the wav, by reason of unhawpv ielation-, with the Drainage Board, sundry furtive vi=its to the Railway Station (wsits ahvavs associated with a humble coin of | the realm) may be obscr\ed — has cleared the wav for come imm-oiement in the i accommodation for Volnte2rs at the Garri- j «on Hall. The room formerly occupied by tho O.C. District will, doubtless, some day fulfil the useful destiny of clubroom for ' officers. The Bearer Company takes pos- j session of the staff sergeant-major's room. ] The Dunedin Rifles take the Bearer Corps' room, and the area at present occupied by the Dunedin Rifles will be cleared, whilst , the whole of that rack where the gymnasium apparatus has for years been peacefully j decaying is aleo to be taken down, which. | will mean a considerable enlargement of ] the drilling spaes in the basement. Mean- ] while the new drill hall question is still ■ in the correspondence stage. ' The Dun&din City Guards have enrolled i useful member and a first-olass tliot in ho person of Lance-sergeant "William • chall, who has served seven years in C '' iv 3rd Volunteer Battalion Man'"tit- and joins the Guards as a private. Tho company will hold a full ■■*■■■-» xnajado on February 10. '

As the outcome of his recent visit to Sydney with the New Zealand Rifle team, \ Oaptain J. N. Barclay, adjutant No. 1 Battalion. 0.8.V., has accepted a business proposition which means that he will sever his connection with local interests early ia March, shortly after the close of the volunteer year. An officer with a warm enthusiasm | for military service, and a genial, jovial i disposition, Captain Barclay will be missed j by his colleagues. Amongst other things, he will be remembered for the important part he took in securing a reduction of tramway fares for volunteers. A few particulars concerning his military service are appropriate at this juncture. Captain Barclay joined the Ist Berwick-on-Tweed Ai-tillery Volunteers as a gunner towards tho; end of 1862. During his first year he put in upwards of 80 drills, and in spite of , his extreme youth he was selected a mem- ■ ber of the gun detachment to proceed to represent the corps at the Government j camj of instruction at Irvine. Ayrshire, in July, 1883. In subsequent years he had j the advantage of visiting Government camps of instruction at Barry (Forfarshire), and at Shoeburyncss, on the Thames, and also the regimental camp at Alvemouth. iri Northumberland. During Captain Barclay's residence in Victoria, Australia, he did not, I owing to his being required to do a great deal of travelling as a banking official, together with his Uislike to the Militia system, join the Defence force, but soon after his arrival in Sydney, in 1897, he joined the sth Regiment Scottish Rifles thcie — a fine regiment, 500 strong — as a subaltern. He went through a school of instruction, 16 day« in barrack?, trader Captain Webb, South Staffordshire Regiment, and passed. On leaving Sydney, jn 1901, he was placed on the "seconded" list. He resigned on joining the Dunedin Highland Rifles, in j 1904-, as jumon subaltern — having previously | deolined several invitations to take a ' captaincy. In the following year he was appointed adjutant Ist Battalion, 0.R.V., on Captain Stoncham vacating that position io become major. He went through tho school of instruction under Captani Lascelles in September last, and visited Australia as adjutant with the New Zealand j Rifle team in October. j During the very successful encampment (just concluded) of the Wakatipu Mounted Rifles, a somewhat important eve'it in the annals of the squadron took place, in this change of command from Captain P. de la Perrelle to Captain W. dimming^, Captain J Perrelle having applied to be put on the i active list. During the term of his com- | mand Captain Perrelle, who has been a member of the corps' since its inception, the last four years as 0.C., has carried out his heavy duties in an enthusiastic and painstaking manner, and has worked up tho squadron until it is now as fine and efficient a body of men as is to be found in the Dominion. In Captain Cummings the ' squadron has an able and enthusiastic commander whoee whole heart is in his wojfo, . and who is nothing lacking in energy and i ' d?tQrm '* n flit 1 '^ 1 !- I V A

In handing over the reins of command, ' Captain Perrelle spoke highly of the splendid enthusiasm and ability of the men Oi his command, urging the squadron to continue to render that same loyal support to his successor. Replying, on behalf of the corps, Surgeon-captain Thomson thanked Captain Perrelle for the excellent service he had rendered the squadron in the pact and for his kindly appreciation of those under his command. After Captain Cummings had addressed the squadron, ringing cheers were given for each officer in turn. The Wakatipu , Mounted Rifles commence their ninth year stronger than they have ever yet been. A North Otago paper published recently a paragraph alleging that an order required ■ members of the Defence forces to salute their superiors in mufti. I have contrived a glance at. a copy of the document presumably referred to, and canno!; find in it anything which may be so construed. It is a circular in which is laid down the procedure re saluting "on all parades and duties." Farther on in the circular it is distinctly laid down that '" there is no salute in mufti, the hat being rai=ed in the ordinary way." Possibly it is this clause anent the raising of the hat that has inspired the paragraph referred to, but on tho face of it a remarkably vivid. • imagination is needful to construe this ' circular into an order to salute superiors m civilian dress. The raising of the hat I is a courteous practice in the service, although not common here. In private life the rank and file raise or touch the hat to their O.C, just in the same way as an employee will rane hi* hat when meeting his employer outside of business hours. GREEN ISLAND RIFLES. The Green Island Rifles- on Saturday fired the first of a four Jtiys' competi- j tion, thieo highest to count for ' championship. Ranges : 200, 500, and GOO yards; seven shots and optional sighter. Sergeant A. C. Crimp registered th© possible at 500 yards. A tricky wind and rain interfered with the scoring at the long 1

EXCELLENT SHOOTING. AUCKLAND, January 23. ! No. 3 Company, Garrison _ Artillery Volunteers, Auckland, is ' having com- ' petition firing at Lake Takapuna. Last night, out of 39 rounds fired by the sixpounder quick-firers, 32 were hits; and Lieutenant College's gun team cut up the Dominion record for the year by scoring 16 out of 20 hits in lmin 30sec. With 6in t

guns this morning Captain Hazard got 13' hits out of 12 ehots in 6min 55sec. Hazy weather but fair targets wera the conditions. Th& company is practically euro of a first-class pass. January- 24. Some excellent shooting was done by th© artillery this morning, when a record for the Dominion for this year was established. Sixteen hits out of 19 shots from a sixpounder quick-firer were made in a. little ov«r one minute. The company also put" on a record for the Auckland district with the 6in breech-loading gun, firing 12 rounds at long range and obtaining 11 hitff, in just over six minutes.

■•riv. F. Crimp .. J riv. G. Crimp iergt. A. C. Crimp Jorp. J. Geddes 'orp. R. Leece jieut. D Fastier iieut. W. M'Lean !ergt. W. Miller iergt. W. Crimp 'riv. ~W. Crimp 200 vda. ... 31 . 29 .. 32 . 30 .. 30 '.'. 32 .. 31 .' 30 .. 31 500 yds. 32 33 35 29 30 3-4 31 24 31 31 600 yds. Tl. 28 — 91 26 — 88 21 — 88 27 — Bs~ 26 — 86 25 — 86 19 — 82 25 — 80 18 — 79 10 — 72