OUR DEFENDERS

Observer, Volume XI, Issue 750, 13 May 1893, Page 13

OUR DEFENDERS

By Nordenfeldt,

Have church, parades gone out of date? It is some tinte since one was held.

Volunteering seems to be looking up. Last Thi^rsday the A Battery had a big muster and a march out.

Jack Hatswell, who lately returned frcm_an extended trip to Europe, haß been coing some tall shooting in the old country. Hatswell will be a great acquisition to the redoubtable A Battery.

Hutchinson, who has been out of the volunteers for a couple of ye.ars, has rejoined his old company, and on Saturday succeeded in making top score at Mount Eden, thus winning one of the Battery Martini Kifles. The other two were wc*a by Gunner Joe Orr and Corporal Hazard. Of course, only a few members of the Battery competed.

A committee selected by the various corps of the Garrison has sent a challenge to the A. Battery to fire a Martini-Henry match on May 27th, fifteen men aside. It is rather an undertaking for one company to fire a team picked from the whole Garrison, but I understand the Battery is willing to fire 12 men, but not 15, and to let their opponents have the choice of weapons.

On Tuesday evening, at the inspection parade of the City Guards, Mr William Osborns was to have been presented with a splendid telescope and stand, by the members of the Martini Bifle Club. Eut owing to his absence the presentation was postponed. Mr Osborne has always been an enthusiastic shootist as well as a good volunteer, and it was in a great measure due to his efforts that Auckland was represented in Sydney last year when our team defeated all comers in the champion team match.

Major Somerville's circular oil the projected visit of New Zealand reps, to the Intercolonial meetings in Sydney and Melbourne has made our shootists begin to think about working up a team from Auckland. Last year only a bare five-men team was sent from here, and yet they succeeded in winning first prize in the teams' match. Over 70 teams from all over Australasia competed, and I feel sure if we could only get ten men across, this year, and a similar number could go from each of the other shooting centres of the colony, the intercolonial match would be a ' dead bird ' for N.Z. We have in Auckland nearly twenty first-class Martini Henry rifle shots, and if the best men could only manage to get away, we could send over a team good enough for anything on this side of the line.

' Shootist ' writes : — Will you kindly answer through your valuable paper, who is entitled to the prize in the following case :-A medal is given to the W.R.C. to be fired for on the pool match principle, the conditions being that one of the club's committee-men is to be present at all firing for the same. G. and W. g* to the range, G. fires, W. marks and takes G-.'s score ; G. ia a com-miUee-man, W. is not. T. and S. go to the range, T. fires, S. marks and takes T.s score, both being committee-men of the club. Do not G. and T. forfeit all their rights, powers and privileges as committee-men for the time being once they take up their position at the firingpoint and continue firing for the prize in question ? [Tim way of firing for prizes is most irregular, and of course neither G. cor T. have complied with the conditions. If two or more competitors fired together, one of whom waß a committee-man, it would entirely alter the case ; but one man is never allowed to supervise his own firing. Of course S. being in the butts, was not present at the firing-point. I should like to have a copy of your ' pool match principle,' as. what is known in England as the pool system is totally different from the pool match regulations of the New Zealand Rifle Association.]

Shaekelford's for waterproofs ! Some of the most stylish coats imported and cheap, too. A huge stock of shirts, collars, lies, bags, ' gamps,' rags, etc., as well.