DEFENCE NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 16688, 17 March 1911, Page 2

DEFENCE NOTES

(By "Vernier”) Trentham. Southland competitors at the big meeting returned during the week-end and by Saturday evening’s express the rollcall was 'complete. In spite of the comprehensive representation from the sub-district the final fifty was fired minus a Southland com. etitor. No explanation ea- be offered for such a circumstance. Trentham shooting this year was certainly hot and among the hot ones Southland maintained its reputation. The shooting however throughout was patchy and as will be noted from the finals a groat many of those old competitors at Trentham. professing a knowledge Inside and outside of the vagaries of the range, failed to hold their own. A rifleman above nil men requires physical fitness, while the calibre of tlie individual behind the rifle also lias much to do with results. Times there are. when a man goes out and simply cannot go wrong. He strikes the conditions and the consequent compensating balance and puts the shot there as he would do a lead pencil. The week following ie would possibly be completely out of the running, better conditions notwithstanding. As witli days so with seasons. Men arc in and out, spells lasting for months. The weather experienced at Trentham was the usual conditions prevalent on that range—tricky, uncertain and changeable. Local competitors considered it worse than the years just previous to this meeting. In the “Kings” the shooting was better than that recorded for the match of last y< ar. The average in last year’s final was 211 points per man, this year it readied .12. ’-be conditions were adverse, one competitor describing the wind as "googly”—a cricketing term. “Its direction, writes a correspondent, "was ostensibly from the rear of the mound straight clown Hie range towards the targets, hut exactly described by the observant rifleman, it was “a right-and-left-up-and-down-wind. This is a particularly trying species of "fishbait,” involving silent cogitation concerning deflection and elevation. It was in fact a lulling wind coming In erratic spasms, with a right and left moment all the time. This to a great extent explains the downfall of many a tried shot.’’ The Champion. Bifieman Boots, Kaponga, is probably the youngest King’s Prize winner on record. He is only -3 years cf age and his fine performance was worthy of a veteran. For the past four years lie has attended the Championships at Tren-

tham and the vear before last shot Into the fifty. He carried off the Hrwera Cup in 1907 and the following year won the championship of Kaponga R.C. This year he was n.nner-up for the club honours. Last year his aggregate at Trentham totalled 403 ; this year he made 486, which is three points better than did Ilalliday, the winner of the previous championship at Trentham. The Bnllseye Doo ted. There will be no more bullseyc championships, so much Major-General Godley who is nothing if not of a service mind insists upon I’cr the future. The announcement is an important one and likely to revolutionize shooting. Tests will he much stlffer tmd a new set Of champions is likely . > ensue. However the fiat has gone fortli and whatever else may come of it there is a certainty that the service itself should bent *. by the change and after • 11 this is the chief object of the big meeting. Southland Doings. Tn the Auckland Match the scores of the 1 City Guards, who had pi ■ kily ventured forth against the giants of the north, fell below the average exhibited by (hem on Grasmere. Over ranges non and GOO yards 10 shots the scores were ;—Baldwin 80, Hunter 79. Robinson 79, Pad got 77, McChesney OS, Kelly 07 ; conditions were adverse. In the first stage of the Nelson Match an improvement is to be recorded ; 10 shots at 500 yds. ;Baldwin 44, Kelly 43, Robinson 43. McChesney 41, Hunter 39, Padget 32. The opening match was notable among 11)e Guards f>r some fine scores; the ranges were 2-5-6. Score;; : —Padget 9:1, Baldwin 91. Hunter 90. McChesney BS. Kelly 85, Robinson 84. In the Trentham Aggregate Moss, Bluff, was 21th winning £1 with 17G—10 points behind the winner. On Saturday the Auckland Match saw .the same rifleman in the coveted list coming 4111 in the Auckland match w'f- £3. Preece of Gore was among the £1 winners in this series. The other Southlander in the prize money over the Nelson series was Henderson, J Battery, wtio won 10s with 87, the last count in. The Loophole Cover Match saw McPherson of Tapanui among the • rize takers with 6 hits (one bull). Moss ,(£l—4B), Hunter (£l—4B), were southern representatives hi the Canterbury Match, 10 thols at 800. There were two possibles and twenty 49’s. On Wednesday morning Moss was 29th in the Aggregate ‘with 310, twenty points behind Franks who was lc ding with 370. In tlie Otago Match 10 shots at f 0. Preece Gore £l. Hiuler Invercargill £l. Ayson £l, Wills £l, Moss £l, were the Southlanl representatives. 10 shots at 1000 yards is a hot proposition for Southlanders and in the liawkes Bay Match under those conditions it is not surprising to read of a few getting placed. Kelly, Guards. Petrie. Battery, Beattie. Tapanui, Bradshaw, Bluff each won 10s as tyros. Moore. Tapanui. notched a £1 under the same heading. The Taranaki Match, 10 shots 900 and 1000, afforded a sound test for the cracks. 96 notched the top out of 50, the second prize money going to 92. Beattie, Tapanui, £l, Shanks Gore £l, Henderson, J Battery £l. Moore, Tapanui £ I (tyro), Padget (Guards 10s tyro) represented Southland. In the Special Service Match Lieut. Kelly, Guards, notched £1 3s with 6 hits .being 18th in the list. McCartney, Riversdale, 12s Cd McPherson, Tapanui. 12s 6d were the only others. Southland was represented In the Championship Teams’ Match by the City Guards who put up a fine performance. Tey came 4Lst in a list of CO teams and considering the fact that the occasion was the first on which they had visited Trentham their record is a noteworthy one. T’ e winners Ohura R. C. scored 475 points and the second team 466. The ranges were 200 500 600 yards—teams of five men. The aggregate scores at each range for the locals were 161—142 —132 total 435. Over 200 yards the Guards were 7th, the highest score being 164. Southland had a worthy representative in the Uniited Service' Match, 20 men. Club v. "The First Line," In Rifleman Wills, who scored 94 out of 105 possible over ranges 200. 600. 800 yards. His place in the scoring , wa» 13th. Diagrams. Two diagrams by Corp. Henderson of J Battery (late Oreti Rifles) are featured below : 900 yds. 1000 yds.

52442v344v —38 3vvv4ssvv5 —45 V represents “central” and in a tie would count 6 Invercargill Guar. s. In the absence of the cracks at Trentham, the junior shots of the company fired a series for Mr Peter’s trophy, the winner turning up in Private Mather. Scores were:— 200 500 600 500 COO hep TL.

J. Battery. The Garrison Hall of late presents a scene of feverish activity during Hie evenings, while a visitor at any time might well stand aghast at the formidable display of warlike weapons on view there. Beside the two maxims anil the old !)-pounder there are two 15pounder H.L. mark 4’s and accompanying waggons. These were shipped south on a recent date and have since beeen much In evidence for training purposes. On Tuesday. Ctli March, the late Orell Hides changed their name and calibre; from Orel I to J Battery and from infantry to Field Artillery. With recent recruiting the strength now stands at ll’s all ranks, and the first tiling that strikes the observer on parade nights, which by the way is every night, is the total inadequacy of the hall as a training ground for artillery. With two guns it affords a makeshift space; with four as will be the case in a few weeks the tiling is impossible. Negotiations are, however, in progress with the idea of obtaining suitable quarters. The raising of Invercargill to the status of a garrison town is hailed with satisfaction generally, and no doubt an impetus and extended interest in military matters will be the result from a public point of view. From a military standpoint Hie circumstance has much in it that cannot be discussed In tills column. From Dunedin with the guns came Bombardier Jones, K.X.Z.A.. popularly known ns the autocrat of “B” Battery. His departure from district headquarters was a matter for regret among his comrades in the “B’s”. Locally, in his position as instructor of J. Battery, he Is making himself extremely popular as well as proving himself a capable man, clear and searching in his work. If he succeeds, and already his hopes are high in that direction, in placing the local battery in line with "B” Battery as regards gunnery, drill and general appearance, then Invercargill will possess a corps creditable to the city and on a par with any Imperial Army representatives. The guns are the latest pai/torn of 15-pounder B.L. from the Klswick Ordnance Works, and are equipped with tangent and Admiral Percy Scott’s recently invented telescopic sights, mark For accurate shooting they arc the last pieces of ordnance out and are perfect in every detail.

Ft. Mather 20 24 10 23 24 38— -151 SI. Kelly 25 00 21 24 24 Oi■145 Ft Timpany 01 25 27 23 26 ls— -137 Ft. Burt 29 32 22 22 17 15— -137 Op Murphy "0 32 10 32 25 scr— -135 Colquhoun 20 23 10 24 19 30— -132