THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3101, 20 August 1913, Page 6

THE DEFENCE FORCES.

By Sesthy

The voluntary encampment of C Squadron, Filth Mounted Rifles, opened at 1 U nfurly with the excellent muster of 90. 1 he weather at the commencement was delightful but the present weather, if shared by Ranfurly, will be anyhting but comforting or helpful. - , From the latest Gazette Fifth Mounted Rifles; Second Lieutenant P. Logan .transferred to the Eleventh (North Auckland) Mounted Rifles. Eighth (Southland) Regiment ; Captain W. Crowiner to bo majoi, Lieutenant F. Reichel transferred to the reserve of officers. .. The number of those in Otago who will sit for examination on September 2 .or first appointments as Territorial ofiiceis has been increased to 57, including seven from the Senior Cadets, nine from the Mounted Rifles, and the remainder from the Infantry. Only 20 out of 70 of those who were warned have accepted the option of mak.ng up arrears of service for the past year by attending the camp at Taiaroa Loads.' The balance evidently prefer to ( «mew acquaintance with the magistrate, wmch m due course they may expect to 00. It is just possible that the brigade camp next year may bo graced, by. the presence of a band of nursing sisters, established as an institution of the camp. Little has been heard hitherto of the flew Zealand Branch of the Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Sendee, but under the direction of Dr Valin tine it is being developed in a practical manner. The machinery is being prepared for the organisation, so that in time of emergency this invaluable adjunct to the medical branch can be readily cahed up. It will bo composed of trained nurses, who will wear distinctive badges or copes such as were worn by the nursing sistcis in South Africa. Of these sisters serving in South Africa, some New Zealanders have not forgotten Sister Knox, a veteran campaigner, whoso services had earned for her a s many decorations as General .French could show. . .. Otago and Southland motorists have moved heavily in the matter of forming a branch of "the Motor Reserve for the Otago district. It is long since the rorm;ition of the branches in the northern piovincos was gazetted. It must he over six months since the local motor car owneis had the proposal put before them, but they did not enthuse. The appomtmenis—a small company of patriots compared with other districts—have now been gazetted:—To be majors: G. B. Bullock, Dunedin; W. D. Hunt, Invercargill. Io bo captains: R. Acton-Adams, Maikaia, W. Bond. Waikaia; J. A. Roberts. Dunedin To be lieutenants; Captain A. Wayto, from retired list, Otarmta; J. T. F. Mitchell. Invercargill; E. Russell. Invercargill; A. I>. Haggitt, Invcrcargil., D. Morton, Invercargill; E. R. IV ilson, Invercargill; W. M. Clark, Dunedin; W. J. P. M'Culloch, Dunedin. . .. If any of the officers or non-commissioned officers attended the refresher course at Palmerston North with the idea of ; ponding a cheap and comfortable holiday, with a little work thrown in, they must have been rudely shocked before they had spent many hours in camp. It lias been eminently a working camp, relentlessly carrying out its purpose of refreshing the knowledge of those charged with the training ot the forces. By degree the tasks have increased until, in the later stages those present are covering as much as 25 miles jix a day, not route marching, but manoeuvring. All those attending are going through the new musketry course. Captain Glcndining and Lieutenant Redmond ha\e had to obtain sick leave from the camp, th® fatter having returned to O a inarm The Otago men are expected back on August 21 . . . ~ Invercargill soldiers will rejoice in the occupation' of a now drill hall, while the Dunedin ball is still at the foundation stao-o. The Invercargill hall, which is being erected on ibe A. and P. Association's ground, is growing apace. Furthermore although the tender for the Dunedin Artillery stables was let some months ago, it is more than probable that the battciN at Invercargill will bo housed in a new building bob re B Battery enjoys a similar privilege. The iron for the Invercargill urtillcrv shed, which will also bo_ on the A and P. Society's property, is in hand, and the work is to be proceeded with without delay. . . Judging bv the amount of attention that is being paid to the camp site at Matarae, and the permanent nature of some of the proposed instalments, it may fairly bo assumed that Matarae is to be the ostalicamp site* for OtJigo 101 \rvirs to come." And from the reports supplied by the exneits find— iterg Hi' Marshall, who examined P geof.-tgiiaHv) it should prove a satisfactory site. On August 9 Major Waite and Captain Williams, with a squad of 14 men of their company (No. 2 Com-

| pany, N.Z. Engineers), pitched tents in the locality and spent the week-end in surveying the site. Foggy mornings resolving into genial sunlight, helped to make tJ jo .brief spell of life close to nature more than tolerable, and developed appetites which, if not abated on the return to Dunedin, were calculated to give the average landlady a headache. On the same day two of the men were sent on to Ranfurly, where they established telephonic communication on the rifle range to he used by the men of C Squadron, sth Mounted Rifles, in camp for a week. The location of the camp site is about midway between Matarae and Sutton stations, just beyond the railway bridge which spans the Sutton Stream before it enters the Taieri River. The site, which may be described as rolling downs, is on the right-hand side of the line as you travel from Dunedin. The land has evidently at one time been ploughed and sown down in English grass. It is devoid of tussock, and incidentally of rock and hush —it will not yield a stick of firewood. The drainage should present an easy problem. The Taieri River runs down (.no side, and some old mine workings in the vicinity disclose that the subsoil is shingly. The water will bo pumped by engine power from the Sutton Stream (above the railway bridge) to a reservoir site, whence it will be piped to the camp and reticulated over the area. The arrangements for watering the horses at the Sutton camp were far from satisfactory. The horses had to go down into the ice-cold stream, on the rocky bed of which injuries to the ankles were simply sustained. It is probable that the horses will be watered at canvas troughs at the next camp. The cry of the widow and the fatherless never goes up in vain in Dunedin. Thus it is gratifying to be able to report that as the result of the efforts made on behalf (.f the widow 7 and children of Gunner Napier, who was drowned recently, the sum of £lls is already lodged in tire bank, and there are ticket sales yet to be accounted for. The result is a striking testimony to the spirit of comradeship of the old volunteer days, for the movement was initiated and carried out by fellow members of the deceased’s old corps, iho Dunedin Navals. An additional effort in the shape of an art union is to be made by the same committee.

After weeks of assiduous rifle practice, culminating in their selection for the honour of representing New Zealand in the worldwide shooting competition for Earl Roberts’s trophy, five out of the seven Otago Cadets, including some of the best shots, find themselves ineligible to compete owing to their being unable to comply with the condition requiring that competitors must not be over 16 years of age on July 1 of the year in which they compete Cadet Scrivener, who was shooting so remarkably well, is amongst the outcast. Otago’s only two representatives now being Cadets Wright and Evans, of the Waitaki High School. Small wonder if five disappointed cadets are asking the question, Why tin; tardy discovery of this essential condition ? “ New Zealand Signal Corps to he redesignated Mounted Signal Troops and Divisional Signal Companies, and to form part of the Corps of New Zealand Engineers New Zealand Railway Corps to bo redesignated New Zealand Railway Battalions. and to form part of the Corps of Now Zealand Engineers.”—From the latest Gazette, and to take effect from July 1, 1913.

For Territorials in detention barracks the following daily routine will bo carried out during tlie summer months, and may bo modified to suit conditions in the winter months: —Rise, 6 a.m. ; physical drill, 6.30 to 7 a.m.; breakfast, 7.30 a.m.; fatigue, 8.15 a.m. to 11 a.m. (consisting of sweeping barracks, scrubbing floors, cleaning, sand polishing armament, and other fatigue work of a useful or necessary character); squad drill, 11 a.m to 12 noon ; dinner, 0.15 p.m. ; fatigue. 1 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. ; semaphore drill, 3.45 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. ; locked up. 4.30 p.m. ; tea, 5 p.m. ; exercise in yard, 6 to 6.30 p.m. ; visit by corporal or private on duty, between 7 and 8 p.m.; lights out, 9 p.m.