THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2913, 12 January 1910, Page 14

THE DEFENCE FORCES.

By Sentby. The committee who controls and fosters shooting at Pelichet Bay on Wednesdays is this season in the unfortunate, position of having no prizes for competition. . Interest in the Otago Rifle Association s annual prize firing is evidently on the wane. Last year the total entry of 103 represented a falling off of 19 upon the total of the previous year. This year the entry dropped further to 92. Although it is a fact that had all those who forwarded entries without fees attended, the number would have been raised to over 100. The deficiency ceems to be mostly with the local shots. Of course, it is inevitable that the meeting should offer more attraction to the country rifleman, who gets his railway pass and adds to his love of shooting the pleasure of a trip to another centre. With the city man there is always the temptation to utilise the holidays in search of recreation elsewhere. This, however, does not explain the steady falling off in the attendances at this meeting, nor would the decision not to permit the use of the aperture sight, and not to adopt the one-man-one-target principle account for more than an occasional absentee. The failing attendance must be regarded as a regrettable decline of interest in the all-important art of rifle shooting. Corporal F. W. Mackay put up a good performance in winning the aggregate. He is quite a young shot, and if he fulfils present promise he should early take a place amongst the shooting names in the Dominion. It will be remembered that he shot remarkably well at Trentham last year until the final stages, when he dzopped back. The Kaitangata Rifles, whose No. 1 team last year finished fourth in a field of 11, this year carry off the honours in the teams" match with a score of 1162. the Dunedin Engineers taking second prize with 1154. Last year the winners were the North Dunedin Rifles (1129), followed by. the Wakari Rifles (1110), Port Navals (1094), and Kaitangata Rifles No. 1 (1093). It is instructive to note the ooi&naribou between the leading men in the aggregates of 1909 and 1910. Herfc they are :—1909 : Sergeant Clyde, Private Miller, Sergeant Bradley, Sergeant Wilron, Private T. Jones, Sergeant Mills, Co'.our-sergeant Dewar, Mr J. Losran. 5.910 : Corporal F. W. Mackay, GunneiNapier, Lieutenant Capstick, Lieutenant Bryce, Gunner Keenan, Private G. P. 'Jrimp, Sergeant Tonkin, Private T. BYaseT.

In view of recent happenings at the West Coast Sounds, the proposed holiday trip in the Lady Roberts" by members of the Dunedin Navals would have been invested with additional interest —not that the Lady Roberts was likely to anticipate the. Waikare's unfortunate experience, but that the members of the company would doubtless have made acquaintance with the locality in which the later misadventure occurred. The excursion unhappily fell through, the reason being that the craft was placed upon foreign-going articles for .the purposes of the trip. This meant that r-.'w with foreign-going certificates would Cave to be secured, and the effect of this wae that 12 members of the company would have had to forego the excursion to Jnake room for the crew. Sooner than ■ 'disappoint a section of the men in this >ay the excursion was abandoned. Keen interest is being evinced locally H \a the visit of Lord Kitchener to New Zealand, and his methods in Australia are being closely watched. There-can be no question that in dispensing with the purely ceremonial parade (which merely serves to displav numbers, physique, accoutrement, and acquaintance with elementary "drill) and requiring practical field work (which involves a tost of physical endurance and the ability "to apply practically >he knowledge of soldiering) Lord Kitchener is adopting the best means to accomplish Jus mission—i.e., the finding out of the exat military value of colonial forces. Officers are in accord with the methods adopted. The General will arrive Twe on a Thursday, and will remain till the following Mondav, which suggests the likelihood of practical field manoeuvres here over Saturday and Sunday. Nothing define however, is known concerning the Rrakn'gements. As far as New Zealand is concerned, the visit of this great soldier tor the purnose of estimating our strength Is altogether inopportune. He will see 'fcho forces at a moment when they are in B stage of transition, when organisation is merely beginning, and when, beca«r» of Mie drastic changes, the whole force is out »f gear. . , , . Rifle clubs were not to be included in the New South Wales "Kitchener" manoeuvres, and this provoked the following cynical complaint in a Sydney Mpw:— " The rifle clubs, of which there

are nearly 300, with a membership of over 16,000, in New South Wales, are apparently to be a negligible quantity and | quietly ignored by the military authorities 7 in connection with Lord Kitchener's visit. Possessing as they do over 10,000 ' efficients ' —that is, men who can shoot ■ straight—their value to the country in j time of emergency would be a rare asset; but in the Kitchener programme they are evidently not considered worth taking into account in the defence scheme. The slight, unintentional it may be, the riflemen will survive; they are not given to ceremonial and ostentatious display, but their hearts are filled with the patriotic instinct that can only be realised when ' the guns begin to shoot.' In that programme they would not be ignored, and it is to be hoped that ere the famous soldier leaves these shores he will be made properly acquainted with this sterling reserve, from which could quickly and economically be evolved some regiments of first-class fighting -material."

Lord Kitchener's horses, it appears, secured ready buyers on his lordship's departure from India. His South African " Galloway," that took him to office daily for years' and carried' him through the campaign, has been purchased by the Nizam of Hyderabad. Another horse, Democrat, has been purchased by the Maharaja of Gwalior, while Madrid, his racing pony, has joined the Patiala stud General Sir O'Moore Creagh purchased his predecessor's splendid pair of blacks. To kem pace with the ever-changing regulations affecting the service Messrs Gale and Poklen have issued the nmtn edition (revised and brought up tc date bv Captain P.. F. Legge) of Lieutenantcolonel S. T. Banning's useful manual U:tranisation. Administration, and Equipment Made Easy." The original purple of the book was to save officers an expenditure of time bv providing a digest of the most salient features of the Imperial system of organisation and administration. It is practically a consolidation of the essential features of many official books of regulations which officers preparm" for examination would otherwise require to study. An appendix of examination papers fully answered is included in the work. A second (revised) edition of Surgeon-major H. Waite's handy little book, "How to Keep 'Fit'; or the Soldier's Guide to Health m Field. Camp, and Quarters," by the same publishers contains many valuable hints upon health and hygiene, treating even of the care of the toenails. By the bye, it is interesting to note that the study of chiropody is receiving attention in the Home forces, the care of the feet being regarded as ;f considerable importance in the case of mem who may be called upon to march long distances Concerning the team of New South Wales riflemen selected to take part in the Trentham meeting, a Sydney write'', criticising the large list of men from which the final selection was made, says: " The selection, which was not so early, has given rise to much criticism, not altogether sympathetic. While this invariably is the case it is more pronounced on this occasion, the reasons for the inclusion of several men not being quite apparent, as also the omission of others, who figured prominently at the Jubilee meeting of the N.R.A., and are undoubtedly reliable service shote, a consideration which had to be kept well in view. Notwithstanding the grumbles, however, a really gocd representative combination can be got together from those nominated." A fortnight's te.--t of the value of service rations wae recently conducted on Sal;sbury Plain, and (says the United Services Gazette) promised to provide some scientific data of th 3 highest importance to the Army, and will, we believe, lead to a changs in the preserved rations at present issued, which • do not appear sufficient, either in duality or quantity, for the work expected from the modern fighting man. On the first seven days tinned food was served out, and while some men put on flesh others lost weight, but on all the effect was the same in one respect—they did not want to be b ihered about anything. On fresh meat and vegetables being issued the ch&nge was remarkable, the vitality of the 20 showing itself in a desire to let off surplus energy in various outdoor games. At the conclusion of their voluntary experiment the men were inspected, and it was found that there was an average loss in weight of 51b and an average loss in chest measurement of lin. Although the plucky band was often wet through, no one caught cold, but several had sore heels, which was not to be wondered at, considering their average daily tramp was about 15 miles with a load of some 601 bto carry. For the first few days the party felt very hungry, but afterwards got used to its limited rafckxns. This is the first occasion that. an extended test of service rations has taken place, and the report to the authorities should form interesting reading.