THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 6

THE DEFENCE FORCES.

By Sextet.

The resignation of Captain R. J- • c -’ Teddon, dating from September 19, 1913, , 6a rhc ed rcsignutions of Lieutenants G. B. Burns, 4th (Otago) Regiment and ™ Lieutenant John Fren & p /S Mounted Rifles, are notified m the san issue of the Gazette. has been trans . SS! InSc&tffh no. Wotabte that Captain Ewen s absence Bom Du edffi will bo a lengthy one, and that ho, ”’K CbVn *dX Sy ckcifcl to hold cadoAorUent ,nd Park on December 6. A programn e . boin- prepared, and it is proposed to ask the Engineers, B Battery and .the local mounted troops to .assist by giving disPalos will be available for comnetito'rs within the group—i.e., from Abbotsford to Waitati The surplus funds f vpn tur© ■will Id© distributed to local boys competing at the Auckland tournament. the amounts to be i proportion to the number of tickets the competitor sells. Finance is the problem with most of the boys who wish to compete at Auckland. Why should .nopresidents in the various districts be mv itc contribute, either through the medium of collecting cards or entertainments, to the expenses of the boys m their districts. To such an appeal a generous response might' reasonably be anticipated. Amongst the features of the October number (just issued) of the Zealand Military Journal arc an informative article on “ Military Freehand Drawing. b\ Colonel E S. Heard; a characteristic contribution by Captain F. Hudson, the subject, “Grip”; a continuation of Captain H Eyre-Kenny's pen-and-ink sketches of officere in Now Zealand; an entertaining sketch of “ The Casual Camper, by a write? whose initials “ F. H. have a , familiar look; Pedigrees of New Zealand Mounted Rifle Regiments, by Colonel xi. Slater; reports of training camps, etc. The ex-members ct ft it ■ cided to send Home for a trophy worthy to commemorate the attainment of jubilee honours. At the smoke concert next ihursday Major Ritchie will preside. The toast “ The Battery ” will be proposed by Lieu-tenant-colonel Chalmer. His Worship the Mayor will propose the toast ‘ The ExBattery ” and Messrs C. H. Statham. J. B Waters, and another will respond. An • interesting souvenir is in the hands of the printers. Excitement oyer the jubilee is not prejudicing the legitimate work of the battery. A profitable and pleasant weekend camp was held last week. No company parades will bo held during November in connection with the Ist Battalion nth (Otago) Regiment. Instead there will be Battalion parades on the evenings of November 10, 20, and 24. Major McKenzie, 7th (Southland) Mounted Regiment, has qualified in tactical fitness for promotion, and Second Lieutenants R. H Nicholson, L M. Scott, and P. J. Schluter. 4th (Otago) Regiment, have passed in subject (a) for officers’ promotion. As a brushing-up in physical drill the recent training camp for the permanent n.-c.o.’s was distinctly profitable. Men who on the fe-st day collapsed after three repetitions of that seductive exercise which consists in taking up a horizontal position on the fresh, sweet earth and raising the. body by pressure on the arms, were enjoying the twentieth repetition of the exercise before they loft the camp. For the most part the men enjoyed the continued physical exercise in the open air. The effect upon the appetite was such that the wife of one ravenous n.-c.o. ventured to suggest that she would be glad when the camp was over. The riding school left some of the men rather less enthusiastic. Some quaint happenings in connection with this riding practice might lie disclosed, but they won t be, save that it rjiav be whispered that one n.-c.o. who found his stirrups nearer his knees than his feet is said to have reported that his saddle was too short ! At this cam .' the Swedish drill was much more effective because there was available that simple apparatus, the beam. Without the beam or its equivalent the exercising of the whole of the .muscles as . aimed at in the Swcdisli system is impossible. It is hoped that, at any rate, the larger centres in New Zealand will be supplied with this simple necessity. Another valuable feature of the camp was the preparation by Captain Moore of lecturettcs suitable for the n.-c.o.’s to deliver when instructing the cadets. The special training of the n.-c.<w a in physical exercises shoiftcT haw its effect in improved instruction for cadets. A chance glimpse of a paragraph in the Otago Daily Times relating to the affairs of Dunedin Non-commissioned Officers’ Club

has prompted a letter from cx-C'olour-ser-geaiu Fraser, who was secretary of the club wheat it was in a very hcakny condition in point both of membership and usefulness. Ex -Colour-sergeant Fraser, who did so much to fan the flame of interest in the club, writes thus from Auckland: —“Dear • Sentry,’—l get the Witness regularly, and the first thing 1 look for is your notes, but I never see any' mention of the N.-C.O. Club. Surely it is not a thing of the past. Although in no way connected with the game now, I still take a certain amount of interest in our Territorials, and I would be sorry’ indeed to think that such a valuable institution as the N.-C.O. Club had become defunct. I am sure Dunedin has plenty of n.-c.o.’s with the energy and ability to run the club successfully, more especially’ as I understand that if the authorities were approached in the proper way a substantial grant could be obtained; also a proper room provided to hold their meetings. The Auckland N.-C.O.’s Chub has a splendid room in the Garrison Hall, rent free; and I believe every help is given the club by the various officers. The officers, no doubt, recognise the immense amount of good that can be accomplished by a N.-C.O.’s Club, properly supported and working on sound lines. I am 1 Hiking forward to seeing some of the Otago boys make a name lor themselves at the Military Tournament to be held here in connection with the Auckland Exhibition, but I can assure you that intending competitors wlil need to make up their minds to train, and train solidly. Already teams are hard at work here,'and they, at any rate, realise that the winning teams must spare neither time nor trouble to make themselves perfect. —With kindest , regards, yours faithfully, U. C. .Fbaser.”

Mostly through indifference upon the part of a large section of the n.-c.o. 6 and partly because of unhappy relations amongst those in authority, the N.-C.O.’s Club has not been a conspicuous success during the past season, but there is no reason why next season there should not be an early start and a reawakened enthusiasm. An incident in connection with the recent appalling tragedy occasioned by the colliding of two Scottish expresses shows the British officer as we like to think of him. Says an eye-witness: —“I met on the bankside a gentleman whom I have since identified as Captain Hill, who casually asked me to bandage his knuckle. He had already injured his" fore arm and his leg, and ho field out to me a piece of rag sodden with blood with which to bind his hand. I said to him, ‘ Did you get those injuries in the rescue work?’ and he replied, ‘No, they hacked mo out of that coach (pointing to the ruins), but the chap was a rotten marksman with an axo!’ His most pressing desire then was a cigarette.” It has been decided for the future not to pay any camp pay to any public officer, but that he will receive the full amount of hits salary in the ordinary course from his department. Any officer, however, whose salary for the period is less than he would have received as camp pay, may send in a claim to the Defence Department for the difference. With a view of encouraging a more active and general interest in musketry, railway passes, at the discretion of commanding officers, may bo issued to officers and noncommissioned officers and men of the Territorial Forces and Senior Cadets and compulsory members of Rifle Clubs on holidays or half-holidays to and from the nearest rifle range for the purpose of shooting. OAMARU NOTES. “ Battery” writes as follows:—The second annual ball of the iOth (North Otago) Regiment was held recently in the Drill Hall. Close on 80 couples attended. To the music of a first-rate orchestra, the grand march was led off by Major Scarlo and Miss Kibblewhite. The floor being in capital trim for dancing, one and all entered spiritedly into the evening's entertainment. Color-sergeant Doran, of A Company, made an efficient M.C. The doorkeepers were Sergeant Young and Private Ross; Sergeant Swinard was in charge of the refreshment booth, and a first-class supper had been prepared. The committee is deserving of great praise for the decorations. Lieutenant Cowan was kept busy in his capacity as secretary. The merry party brolcc up at 1.45 n.m. Six or seven mot from the lOth Regiment, under Sergeant Young, have been told off to take signalling instruction, so as to qualify as regimental signallers. They commenced their : cw work with the Otago Mounted Signal Corps last Wednesday, judging by the numberless questions asked, and the manner in which they get to work, it will be flic means of creating a friendlyrivalry between the mounted and infantry men. The men belonging to the Otago Mounted Signal Corps had last Wednesday evening the best parade, both in the matter of work and attendance, that they have ever had. Every man was in attendance, and all gear was* in first class order. The men

are proud of thoir corps, and are determined to make their presence felt amongst the other branches of the service. The company has now been divided into two sections. No. 1 under Sergeant Brown, and No, 2 in charge of Sergeant Meikle. 'The Field Ambulance section is making rapid headway with its ambulance duties. During the recent camp the members found that it was not all play, but real hard educational work, in front of them. Staff Sergeant-major Rudd had his men well in hand. The progress made has been of such a nature as to win praise from the instructor.

The Maxim gun section is still forging ahead, and members are taking an active interest in thoir work. The recent week’s voluntary drills have boon a capital means of infusing more enthusiasm into the men.