THE VOLUNTEERS.

Colonist, Volume XLVIX, Issue 11812, 17 December 1906, Page 3

THE VOLUNTEERS.

9 Lieut, -Colonel Wolfe left for Greyr mouth yesterday on matter* con- - nected with the* rifle range there. J He. will return on Wednesday. :.,. 1 The -ftefeori Rifles will not parade i to-nis?ht, the shed not being afail- - able. "There will be a Morris tube 3 shoot instead. 9 The first of the series of rifle matches will commenqe next Saturd ay afternoon. The following are 3 the matches :— Nelsdii Rifles ~v. - N.D.R.C., at Toi - Toi Valley; ) Stoke Rifles v. H Battery, mudfiat ; 1 Wakatu M.R. v. Waimea Rifles. . tsrightwater. Ranges 200 and 600 i yards, ten shots, one compulsory lighter, not to count, i It is understood that Sir Joseph I Ward is in conference with some Dis--5 fcrict Conimanders in Wellington, [' and that in a few days some impoitant announcements will be made.l : . A;S the result of. theArinourer's visit a very large per centage of arms has been* condemned. Each con- : demoed barrel costs the Company i 255, so that a pretty large hole in this year's capitation will result. The most unfair point about some of the condemned rifles is that even I chough a barrel is condemned from wear in an endeavor to make a good snot of the user, the Company must still pay £1 for this condemned , barrel. The pull-throughs supplied by the Government are next to useless for the purpose of cleaning, and most of the careful men have : to ■ purchase their own appliances. The sooner corps' clamour for a proper armoury the sooner will the present great drain on a company's finances decrease. If a rifle appears to the Armourer unserviceable he condemns it, but the moat peculiar feaiure about some of these rifles is that ( good shooting can be obtained from them. Why condemn them if they are riot dangerous, and a company is satisfied with them? ,Of course, in many cases there are men who should never have a rifle j issued to them, as they are in reality too lazy to look after them. It is understood in the Dunedin District over 200 rifles were condemned.