NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXVI, Issue 7761, 5 March 1894, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

HENDERSON LEADING FOR THE BELT. - fBY mEGRACH -PRKB3 ASS-iOIATI 'N.) j ! " CiiiiisTcnoiujH, March 3. AUCKLAND MATCH. After lunch the Auckland match, 10 shots at 300 yards, was fired?? with a light wiud and a dull sky. The shooting was very good, and the following were the chief prize takers : Mcgregor, Oamaru, £8 . ... 46 Ross, Napier, £6 . ... u j >» 48 Seoto, Ohrisljchurcli, £5 McMab, Invercargill, £4 44 Wilmott, Qneenstown, £4 44 Spiuley, Auckland, £3 43 Sim, Terauka, £3 43 Nimmo, Oamaru, £2 ... 43 Dodds, Port Chalmers, £2 43 Hatswell, Auckland, £2 ... ... 43 Salman (Blenheim) 43, Grace (Petone) 43, McKinnon (Hawkes Bay) 43, each £2.

HIGHEST AGGREGATES. With four matches . finished, the fo (lowing are the highest aggregates : Henderson (Thames) , 201 ■ Jack (Dunedin)... 197 . Greenshields (Auckland) ... 196 Thorpe (Wairoa),.. ..i • ... 191 Smith (Invercargill) ...191 McKay (Christchurch)... ...190 Spinley (Auckland) ... ...190 Ross (Napier) '190 A. Ballinger (Wellington) ... 183 [' Humphreys (Napier) 187 ' Jones (Dunedin) ,187 Borough (Nelson) ... ... 185 McFarlane (Christchurch) ... 185 Steadman (Whangarei) ... 185 a. Taylor (Auckland) „• ... 185 -® Dodds (Port Chalmers) 185/ Dobbs (Auckland) 185 Speight (Dunedin) ... ... 183 1 Later, I TEAMS MATCH.

Yesterday afternoon the Companies . Teams Match was fired at 200 and 500 yards, the conditions being favourable, but at the 600. yards a fierce southerly squall set in, and most ef the leading team fell,'to pieces, allowing those who were at one time apparently out of it to come to the front. T-he following is the result: Wanganui Rifles, £30 ... 392 Oamaru Rifle Glnb, £20 389 ; Southland Rifle Club, £15 ~. ...380 Christchurch Reserve Company, No. 2 team, £10 : ... ... 379 D unedin Rifle Club, £10 ... 378 Christchurch Reserve Company, No. 2 team, £5 ... 37<N The other names, were:—Dunedin City Guards, 371; Woodville Rifle Club, 370; A Battery Auckland, No. 2 team, 369; Lytteltonßifle C1ub,365; Petone Rifle Club, 359 ; Wairoa Mounted Rifles, 357; Auckland City Rifles, 350; Christ* church City Guards, 340 ;, A battery, No 2 team, 340; Kumara, 308. The weather cleared at 9 o'clock at. night. The intention is to fire the Wellington match at 500, 600, and 700 yards, 7 shots, and the Christchurch match* 600 yards, at 10 shots, to-morraw, Both counting for the belt-, and if possible the ladies match (standing, kneeling, or sitting), 10 shots at 200 yards, COMPLAINTS BE AMMUNITION,.

It is freely announced in camp that immunition, other and of better quality han that on issue by the Association, is >eing used by some of the competitors. md as some of Knocks' wrappers have. )een found on the range, this jolonr to the report. To sheet the offenCe?" lomewouldbea matter of some diffijulty unless the offender was caught in ;he act, and the difference, in the cart'idgecase between Knocks' and Whitley's could then easily be detected. A singular coincidence is that at this range in 1887 there were complaints—not withjut good grounds—that better ammunition that that sold by the Association was in use, and although a search was made af the tents no ammunition was dis30vered, but several 'packages of the . good ammunition were found " planted" in.the gorse on the range. As the meeting proceeds the growling over the ammunition continues, and from experiments made there is little doubt that something is the matter, and this appears to be in respect to the bullets. Several rifles and bullets have been experimented with, and in numerous cases lift bullet is too light and too thin, and easily slips down|tlie barrel, whereas the bullets in the ammunition which has been issued by the Government (ammunition in use r' . : came from Melbourne} require some force to get it down. In support of this, the fact is known that several bullets, fired from the 700 yards, were quite spent when they reaehed the target, and had scarcely sufficient force to perforate the canvas' Other bullets pnked up near the tent bears no mark J the grooving of the rifle,

A thief has been on the alert, though so far. his efforts hare not been successful, In the course of the day a large amount of money is taken for ammunition and sighting shots, and this ap*. parently has not escaped the notice of iOme. At all events an unsuccessful attempt was made to enter the magazine, where the. money is taken, and last night a watch was set with a view to capturing the would-be robber. There is no suspicion of anyone in camp, but it is believed that, 'the unwelcome visitor is from the city. u