DEFENCE NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 14371, 18 March 1910, Page 3

DEFENCE NOTES

(By “Vernier.”) Warrant Officer Instructor Grant has been awarded the sixteen years’ continuous service medal. He first commenced Ins career as a soldier as a member of the North Otago Mounted Rilles, and was actively engaged in the South African War with tiie First New Zealand Contingent. lie joined the N.Z.R.A. Permanent Force, and from this department was transferred to the instructional staff. Quite recently he was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer, the highest a non-commissioned officer can attain to. For some years lie has held the position of instructor to the 2nd Regiment O.M.R.V. The examination of Lieutenants McLachlan and Coupar, Colac Bay Rifles, for their commissions, was conducted on Wednesday at the Garrison Hall. Officers and non-commissioned officers could witti advantage indulge in a copy of “The Knyvett Case,” as published at the instance of the committee prompting tho proposed inquiry. The matter contained in the pamphlet is hardly worth the paper used in the construction of it, hut it servos a splendid educational imrpo.se in that it gives very fully and clearly the conduct of a Military Court of Inquiry. The tiling is valuable to all advanced ranks for this reason only. Apropos of the affair, there seems no immediate prospect of ex-Captain Knyvett being reinstated, it having been announced that Lieutenant Greenhough has been promoted to the rank of Captain of No. 1 Company, Auckland G.A.V. On -Monday of last week, Captain Hickey, A.A.0., found himself in the position of inspecting a company parade composed of one officer, one man. The company was the Wakari Rides, Dunedin, and the reason given for the experience was that a misunderstanding bail arisen as to the date of the inspection.

The new signalling lamps forwarded locally by the department have proved lo be -successes in so far as their capabilities arc concerned. To the uninitiated, versed in the Morse code, the lamps present some difficulty in the way of manipulation. A little practice overcomes this awkwardness, however, and sending and receiving is soon recorded as quickly as with Hags. Some evening when the (dements are favourable an at-

tempt will be made to get in toucli with Bluff from the Water Tower. The trial is being looked forward to with interest by those to whom it is a matter of concern.

Tiie ninth annual prize-firing in connection with tiie North Otago Rifles will be held on tiie three Easter holidays— March 25, 26, and 28. The prize-list of £2OO represents' the highest sum yet offered by the association. Tiie programme includes: —President’s Match, 10 shots at 200 yds, 22 prizes value £2O; Oamaru Match, 10 shots at 500 yds, 22 prizes value £2O; Territorial Match, 10 shots at 600 yds, 22 prizes value £2O;Easter Match, 10 shots at 500 yds, 22 prizes value £2O; Elderslie Match, 10 shots at 600 yds, 22 prizes value £2O; Redcastle Match, 10 shots at 700 yds, 22 prizes value £2O; Service Match, 16 prizes value £7; N.O.R.A. Championship, 17 prizes value £23; Champion Teams Match, and Cadet Match. Communications should be addressed to the secretary, Private A. McKenzie, Box 100, Oamaru. The following are some of the conditions; —Entries close on March 19; entry fee for Matches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and Aggregate, including membership fee, 30s; entries for single matches 1 to 6, 5s each, Service Match 2s 6d; one optional sighter will be allowed at each range, except in Match No. 7; time limit, except in Service Match, one minute per shot: competitors must provide their own ammunition; tents and straw will be provided: applications for use of tents must be made with entries; practice shots (four for Is) may be obtained on the range during the meeting. In all other respects the association conforms to the Dominion Rifle Association of New Zealand Rules for 1910. Ail sights approved by this association will be allowed.

It appears that until the new regulations eventuate, companies from the O.’s.C. downwards are likely to exhibit little interest in their duties as defenders of tiie country. The feeling Is a reasonable and a natural one. The parades that are being called locally have for their object the holding of the companies together, and little or nothing in the matter of instruction is being attempted. It would prove a profitable arrangement as things at thA moment are, to call parades without arms and indulge members in the practice of the new drill—double rank, form fours, and other work of a fundamental nature.

The training of recruits, for the future, is to receive more attention from local authorities. In different centres different methods having regard to the training of the soldier have prevailed. Locally ,the practice has been to leave the matter to the tender mercies of the non-commissioned rank, with practically a free hand, the results alone being the subject for comment. This way has its recommendations, but where infantry training alone is required, a considerable amount of time and energy is wasted. It is just as easy for a sergeant and a corporal to instruct 20 men as six. Better results, too, have been obtained from a mixed squad under one instructor with an assistant than with a constantly changing staff. Cheques covering the personal payment earned by members of the forces at the recent Kitchener manoeuvres have come to hand. The amount is being distributed among the various units who qualified for it. What particular shade of eye has Nature served out, to the successful rifle shot? The typical rifleman’s eye is grey, and it varies from this colour to light blue or even green. The brown-eyed man is generally not in the first flight of “shots,” although there are exceptions. Rifleman Hawthorn, now of Weber, but for long of Wellington, holds that the black and white target must go. Himself a crack shot, he is of opinion that such shooting should be only preparatory to service shooting. Asked why good results were infrequently obtained in the “service conditions” matches, he said; “It is quite obvious that a man can’t shoot well In these matches if he has no practice. The men do absolutely no shooting except at black white targets all the vear, and they come to Trentham a novice at the game. If ‘service conditions’ prevailed on all ranges all the year round, I am convinced that the results at Trentham would be more remarkable.”

A crack New Zealander told the Australians that Trentham range was as fair as any other. He said he had been on Randwiek and other Australian ranges, where he had found it more difficult to realise good scores. The art of ditions and meeting them. On Tuesday evening the 2nd Battalion Band (Invercargill Garrison) underwent the annual inspection conducted by the Principal Medical Officer of the district. This year Lieut.-Col. Will visited the locality, and due to the courtesy of the Oreti Rifles, whose drill night it was, inspected the Band in their work in the Garrison Hall. There was a full muster of the unit under Bandmaster Lithgow. There was no set programme, the inspecting officer directing his attention to the carrying out of the routine work usual under the conditions. It is understood from chance remarks let fall by Lieut.-Col. Will that he was highly satisfied with what had been shown him, the Band being quite above the ordinary compared with like bodies in the district of Otago. It is gratifying to know that here again the Band have maintained a reputation for thoroughness that has of late characterised• their position in the musical world. Perhaps none of the local bands give the public quite so much in the way of musical entertainment as the Garrison Band, and it is also a notable fact that their playing has been of a good standard as New Zealand bands go. It is understood (writes the Dominion) that when the extension of the Seddon range is completed next year an arrangement will be made by the Dominion Rifle Association for the institution of a new series of matches so as to cater for junior rifle shots and old hands who have not been prize winners for some considerable time past. It is stated that a new' class, which will probably be known as the “ B ” series, will, if possible, be added to the championship programme.

Ex-champion George Hyde, of the Opaki Rifle Club, presented a very handsome piece of furniture in which the champion on Friday last was chaired across the range. The chair is of New Zealand timber (rimu), finely polished, and has pairs of handles fore and aft to enable the champion to be easily carried. Attached is a silverplate inscribed as follows : Champion’s Chair, Presented to the Dominion Rifle Association by Ex-champion G. Hyde, 1910. There wore a great number of grizzled veterans at the Trentham meeting, also a large gathering of youthful competitors. “ The apertures have given a new lease of life to the old shots,” said a range officer pointing to a group of old 'uns in full war paint. Writes a northern journalist : “Apart from match barrels, various forms of sight and many aids to accuracy, the rifle shot has other fetishes. Some speed the parting bullet by carefully sucking it before inserting it in the broach. One famous shot always gives his rifle bolt a tender pat before he squeezes the trigger. Another man was detected talking tenderly to his gun. The gun made answer it was a hull.” The Chief Range Officer had something to say about tire difference between what is known as “match” barrels and the ordinarily-used “rack” barrel. The difference amounts to Ibis: Both came from the 15.5.A. workshops, and both were passed by the Government viewer. Then one or two big private firms bought stocks of barrels, tested them again, fined down the sight here or adjusted it there, and, generally, went over the finished barrel for the correction of such errors as may have escaped the scrutiny of the Government viewer. Then they clapped a few pounds on to the price and sold them MATCH BARRELS. There was no difference in the metal, no specially wrought steel as was popularly supposed. Sergeant James, of Napier, accomplished all his great successes in Australia with an ordinary “rack" barrel a barrel taken down from the rack. Altogether there does not stem to be much in the argument that the possession of a match barrel places a rifleman at a greater advantage over his fellows. The advantage is largely the same as that obtained by a rilleman using the modern aperture sight over ho who uses a more out-of-date contrivance. The first-class shot knows no difference at all,

eczema cubed in less than A WEEK. PROOF POSITIVE AT NEWTOWN. people who are disfigured with Eczema need not despair. Listen to what Mrs jane Robinson, of 3 Commodore-street, Newtown, Sydney, says in respect to her case. This lady removed a patch of Eczema four years old by means of one week’s treatment with Rexona. “Rexona Ointment removed a patch of Eczema from my face in less than a week in a manner that was positively startling- This patch of Eczema was very unsightly, and really X was ashamed to go out of the house. This Eczema been on my face for about four years when 1 started to use the Rexona, i had tried all sorts of Ointments and other remedies, but all without any effect at all. After a few applications of Rexona, however, the irritation was much decreased and the Eczema scabs began to come off. leaving new skin underneath. The Improvement kept up day by day till all the scabs were gone and a perfect new skin appeared where the disfiguring Eczema formerly was. The wonderfully speedy cure Rexona Ointment effected has astonished and delighted me." Rexona, the new skin remedy. is sold only in triangular po,_ at Is e d and *3. Obtainable everywhere. '