COLONIAL DEFENCE.

West Coast Times, Issue 2860, 3 June 1878, Page 2

COLONIAL DEFENCE.

Chbistchurch, June 1.

The Times this morning states — v We are in a position to state that the Government has ordered the whole of the heavy guns recommended by the Imperial Commission, and these, together with the necessary ammunition, are now on the way out. Regarding small arms, we have authority for stating that the Government has in stock 5000 Sniders of the ordinary, and 2000 of the shorter pattern, which, with another thousand of the former now ordered, will soon give the colony a total of 8000 Snider rifles. For these there are in stock 2,000,000 rounds of ball cartridge for ordinary rifles, and a larger proportion for carbines. Some of this stock only recently arrived, having been ordered by the Government shortly after taking office. In addition to Sniders, the Government can muster 13,000 Enfield rifles, and a large quantity of suitable ammunition, making a total of 21,000 rifles at their disposal. The Government

have under their consideration a plan of torpedo defence, which will probably be undertaken. The intention of the Government is, as soon as war is declared, to bring down a few Armed Constabulary men to each port as nucleus of a force of Artillery ; to place Naval, Artillery, and "Volunteers on a satisfactory footing, and to consider the question of enrolling the Militia, probably with the advice of Parliament. It will he interesting to know that the commission of i officers that reported on the defence of New Zealand had the advantge of. the latest charts of the colony, and obtained I full information from officers, some of them scientific, of both services who know the localities they had before them. The report of Colonel Moulc, R.E., made after inspecting the harbors, and \thc confidential report made by Sir W. J. Jervois some few years ago at the request of S. Jervois, has been practically adopted by the committee."