MILITARY AND NAVAL TOPICS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9917, 4 August 1910, Page 3

MILITARY AND NAVAL TOPICS

The adoption of a silver spike and chain lias been sanctioned, in place of the existing bronze spike and the chain, for wear with full dress Jjelmot by British officers of tlie 33rd and. 46th Punjabis, and 40th Pathans. The wearing of gilderl metal grenades on gorget patches of frock or Norfolk jacket by all Indian combatant- ranks of artillery has also been sanctioned.

" Ueberall," in referring recently to the new musketry regulations of the German cavalry, and recording the fact that the rearmament with the 98 carbine was completed last year, said that the 88 weapon was altogether insufficient to meet the demands of modern war, and that to use it at a distance of more than 1200 metres was impossible. The new weapon is described as admirable, the height of its trajectory being not more than half that of its predecessor. The new regulations are analogous to those of the infantry, and are based on tho principle that the troops must be able to execute what '■■ at may require, resulting from welldirected training in peace. The Earl of R-onaldshay asked the Secretary of State for War recently whether rocking horses wore to be supplied to all cavalry regiments for the purpose of teaching recruits to ride, and did lie propose to extend this advantage to the Territorial Forces with ft view to increasing their efficiency. In reply Mv Haldane said: The noble lord is' doubtless alluding io_ certain dummy horses on rockers, which have been tested with very satisfactory results. Tho question of the supply, of such dummy horses is now under consideration. The Earl of Ronaldsliay: May I ask the honourable gentleman whether it is 'his intention to make good the deficiency in real horses by these restive mechanical beasts? In reply Mr Haldane said: No, but 1 am told that various honourable and right honourable gentlemen practise with profit on these dummy horses. Mr Guinness asked whether, for the edification of members, the right honourable gentleman would give a practical demonstration of "the advantages of this invention on tho Terrace. Mr M'Kenna recently stated in tho House of Commons that the two floating docks which are to be commenced shortly, and f'or which an instalment vote was granted in tho current Naval Estimates, are not designed for taking vessels of the Dreadnought class. At the present moment we have only four floating docks capable of receiving Dreadnoughts, and these are on our south coast, three being at Devonport and one at Portsmouth. Moreover, there will bo little improvement injtur position as regards such docks even in a year's time, seeing that there'will then be only one on our east coast, moored in the Metlway 'at Chatham. Beyond another, which is to be stationed at Rosyth in two or three years' time, the accommodation for ships of large tonnage on service in tho North Sea, the prospect seems far from satisfactory.

i.t is stated that the question of providing a land range over ten miles for the purpose of testing naval guns of large calibre, as in Germany, is engaging the attention of tho British Admiralty.