THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3113, 12 November 1913, Page 6

THE DEFENCE FORCES.

By Sextet

Synchronising as it did with the development of the strike to the p°<nt of . rioting, the conference of officers commanding m iltary districts, held at Wellington last week, suggested a council of war to prepaie for emergencies. •Questioned upon the point. Colonel Bauchop stated that the conference was cailcd to talk over matters in connection with the brigade camps to be held next year, when General- Sir lari Hamilton m visiting the dominion, and had no relation whatever to the strike. In the light oi events, and the published remarks of Cq.onei Hoard in reference to the duties of the military if called out to protect life and property during strike riots, it may safely bo presumed ttiat the conference alfoidtd a timely opportunity for determining exactly what action commanding officers should tako in the event of trouble involving the services of the military. In answer to a further inquiry, Colonel Bauchop stated that thoic was no intention of calling in ufles in this district, as has been done m Wellington. lu connection with the district camps at the end of the present military year, it is probable that an allowance of 2d per day per man will be made for extras. iho amount will be handed over to the unit for disbursement. Kit bags are to be issued to all Territorials. Each man’s name and number will be marked on his kit bag, and no personal gear save that which is contained m (lie kit bag will be taken to camp, and at the conclusion of the camps all k:t bags will be returned to regimental stores. Officers’ gear is also to be kept down to a minimum at camps. Already the B Battery jubilee and the connected therewith are a matter of history so far as most people arc concerned, but to those who wore fortunate enough to be able to participate .n them they will doubtless live long in the memory. From fhe Wednesday evening, when a number of the older ex-membore attended the weekly parade, to tho church parade on Sunday morning, the various functions were carried out in a distinctly happy spirit. Probably tho most gratifying feature was the manner in which old members of the Battery, some of them dating back to its very formation, rallied round and joined with the younger men of to-day in the celebrations. As was pointed out by a speaker at one of the functions, the Battery might not have a list of famous victories to its credit, but it had an honourable and dignified record of 50 years. All recognised this, and while old members displayed a spirit of pardonable pride in their one-time connection with the corps, present members were inspired by the knowldgo that tho standard which had been set for them was no mean one. The moral effect on the future of the Battery should bo invaluable. * No. 2 Field Ambulance proposed a o«z.ip at Tahuna Park from November 8 to 15, I or the purpose of getting through the halfday parades. As tho park is not available for those dates, the camp has been postponed. It will probably be held towards the end of the month.

A conference of Otago group officers ■was held last week to determine upon the best means of encouraging rifle shooting per medium of competitions. The £2OO grant for Otago district will probably be divided equally amongst the four groups. This money will be the basis of the prize list ;for a meeting in each group, run under the auspices of the local rifle associations. The sum of £SO is not large, and it is just Lore that Honorary Territorials can find one means of justifying their existence and demonstrating their active interest in the forces. Anything the Honorary Territorials may do in the dncction of encouraging rifle shooting amongst the ranks will be of great value, and prizes for this object will be ■welcomed by the group officers or the headquarters staff. These group meetings are to be confined to Tci; itorials and Rifle Club members who wtro under 21 years of ago on April 1, l&ll. and to Senior Cadets. It will be seen that in order to encourage the young shots, the older riflemen have been altogether cutout of these group competitions. They will have to seek consolation in the fact'that an additional meeting, with larger prize money (as indicated in the next paragraph). is open to all Territorials and Rifle Club men in the district. As a further encouragement to the younger allots, the entry fee, including cost of catering, will probably not exceed ss. Tents provided for those from a distance will effect a further caving in personal expenses Railwaypasses for these group meetings will not be granted to competitors from other groups. For the meeting at Pelichet Bay for Group 13, the dates, December 26 and 27, have been approved. Provisional dates for Group 14- (Invercargill) are February 6 and 7: Group 16 (Milton), January 30 and 81; while dates for Group 15 (Oarharu) are yet to bo considered. A further sum of £B7 10s for the encouragement of shooting has been placed at the

disposal of the officer commanding the district. It is proposed to hold a district rifle firing meeting at Duned.n, probably during next Easter holidays, under the auspices of the Otago Military District Headquarters. Nothing, however, has as yet been settled in this connection. The sum named, with the addition of entry fees, should provide fairly substantial prize money, the compctiiton for which will bo open to all .Territorials, cadets, and rifle club members in the Ota go district. Passes will bo available from all parts of the district. Tiiis will probably be an annual grant, and it is possible that if circumstances warrant the meeting may be held in the different groups in turn. In future a Territorial officer, must have at least one year’s service in his present rank before he can sit for promotion examination.

Recently tho rents of several halls used by tho cadets have been raised. In at least tlireo of such cases the lessors have lost their tenants, tho department having made other arrangements. It has been found necessary, to change the existing dates of the half-yearly examinations for officers of the N.Z.S.C. and the R.N.Z.A. The examinations will commence on the third Monday in April (if Ibis clashes with Easter the examination will commence on the first Monday instead), and the third Monday in October of each year. The first examination under the now conditions will commence on April 20. 1914.

The Oamaru Defence Rifle Club's opening competition was held in a “ howling ” nor’-wester, but nevertheless, the numbers taking part and the scores made must be considered very satisfactory. Amongst those competing were a number of members of the Glonavy Rifle Club, and also Waitati High School boys, and it is pleasing to note that both in the matches and tho aggregate the boys got into the prize list, and gave promise of becoming first-class shots. It is suggested that the school teams should attend the club practices and thereby gain experience and got used to shooting amongst strangers. Plenty of realism was thrown into tho army manoeuvres at Homo recently by the crossing of the Thames by a column of troops of all arms in tho face of a withering fire, throe horses being drowned in tho process, while several soldiers had duckings. After part of the Brown force had been ferried across in pursuit of the White Army the Enginecis swifty flung tho, main pontoon bridge across the stream for tho transport <Jf the Brown divisions. Sixteen pontoon lengths were required, and the work was completed at wonderful speed, and the crossing was begun. As a precaution life-saving crews in light pontoons rowed slowly beside the bridge, winch hour after hour swayed to the tread of thousands of feet. The horses gave a lot of trouble during the whole time, and at length, when a telephone limber, drawn by four horses, had reached the centre, the animals became unmanageable, and the whole lot went over into the river. Sergeant Quinney, of the 26th Co. R.E., dived in fully dressed and helped Smith and Baker the drivers of the telephone lirpber, to the bridge. Then, at great risk to his life, he dived down to tho struggling horses, which had been dragged under by tho weight of the limber, and cut the two leading animals free. They wore soon swimming for tho bank, but the pair of wheel horses could not bo released from the shafts, though a gallant attempt was made, and both were drowned. A similar accident happened to a water cart, drawn by two horses. It was impossible to save the shaft horse, but Corporal Ryan and Sapper Morrison dived in and cut tho traces of tho loader, which was thus saved. lake Sergeant Quinney, they risked their lives, inasmuch as the animals, hold down under water by the weight of the vehicles, were struggling frantically. General Haig then gave directions that no more horses wore to be taken over in harness, tho guns and vehicle? being taken across by squads of soldiers, i while the horses were led over and herj nessed up on the far 6’de. "When the I first gnn was being brought across in this way an infantryman with his rifle slung across his hack was knocked into ihe river, but a« he came np he just managed to clutch the loose end of a ron" hanging from one of tho pontoons and held on till pulled out.