VOLUNTEER NOTES

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 21, 18 November 1908, Page 10

VOLUNTEER NOTES

(By

RIFLEMAN.)

Lieut. J. L. Barton's appointment to the* staff of the 2nd Rept. A.MLR, as adjutant has been approved by the Governor. Dr. Purdy, District Health Officer, who la a surgeon captain in the N.Z.M.U., has been appointed District Sanitary Officer under the new medical organisation of the Defence Council. / The No. 1 A.G.A. have formed an electric light section of about 30 members. This should be a valuable adjunct to the company, for it will take charge of the electric lights, and be directly responsible to the O.<*. company. An innovation which has proved very popular amongst the members of the Gordons is a weekly competition, after drill, for a trophy on the miniature range. Murphy was once brought, up for breaking into barracks, that is, getting over the wall instead of entering by the gate. “But. Murphy,” said the officer, “though you weie late, you should have come in by tile gate.” “I’iaise, yer honour,” said Murphy, “1 was afraid of waking the sentry." Our London correspondent states that Dr. A. Milne-Thomson, late Surgeon Major of the 9th New Zealand Contingent in South Africa, has been gazetted lieutenant in th? 3rd Wessex Field Ambulance Corps, the appointment to date from July 6th last. This corps is a detachment of the Royal Arm y Med lea 1 Corps. I understand that the committee formed some time ago in the No. 1 Battalion of Auckland infantry to consider Capi. Grant’s scheme for the improvement of efficiency by it general instructional scheme meets this week to consider the proposals further. The Idea, I believe, is to set up competitions between the companies and so stimulate the interest of the men. Three promotions have been made in the Auckland M.R. for the camp. Pvt. W. Morgan is made sergeant, Pvt. Spencer corporal, and Pvt. M. Fergus corporal. The Marsden Mounted Rifles have elected Lieut. McCarrol as their captain., Saturday next has been fixed as the open Ing day for the Gordons’ annual competition for the Abbott Shield, and the matches will extend over three Saturdays, one of the three ranges (2tX>. :MM>, and 500 yds) being tired each day. This event is always’ keenly contested, as it carries with H tbr virtual championship of the cofupnny, ®fld the shoot this year promises to be specially ■interesting, in view of the Iqcge number of comparatively’ young members who have been shaping well. In addition to the usual runner-up and R .Class trophies, sever■ut additional prizes have been provided this year. The shield itself, of course, cannot be won outright, but the -winner is

presented with a memento in the shape of a handsome gold medal.

Amendments recently made in regulations are in the direction of conferring more direct power on the O.U. district,. but one outcome of tbe Dunedin controversy is said to be that the power to actually dis* miss volunteers has been removed to the Defence Council. Au addition to section 51. of the Defence Act, 11MI8, reads* as follows: ‘An O.<’. a district may disrate any lion-commissioned officer thereof for any causes mentioned in par. A (disobedience of any lawful <H>minand or order of any of his superior while doing any military duty, or misconduct by him as a member of a corps) of this section, the existence or sufficiency of such cause, to be determined by such district commanding officer.” It is also claimed as another important outcome of the affair that the regulations have been so amended that the approval or non-approval of an officer elected by a company will be at the discretion of the Council of Defence in future, of the case of an election the O.C. company wilt report tne result of the election to the O.C. district, who shall do nothing more than forward the report on to the Council of Defence. On the face of it, this seems to take too much out of the O.C.D.’s hands.

In addition to the innovations already (telegraphed regarding the 1909 meeting of the N.Z.R.A., there will be a new feature in the form of 25 special badges for the highest half of the Final Fifty, based on the practice followed at Bisley. Bisley regulations in regard to back sights have also been adopted for this meeting, the effect being that McCulley sights may be used by every marksmen who is rich enough to buy one (remarks the “Post”). In short, any sight made of metal, and suitable for military service conditions, provided it can be adjusted to the service rifle by the removal of the hinge pin of the present style of sight, may be used. It is provided that instead or ten men teams’ matches the .number shall be six, same in the champion teams’ match, wherein the number remains at five. Members of rifle clubs and volunteer companies alike may compete in all service matches, and one entry fee covers all six of the contests. At the end of the championship shooting at Trenthani, next March, the team to represent New Zealand in the Empire Maien ai .syaney in 1909 will be chosen.. The selection Is t<y l»e made on form srliowji at the Trentham meeting: It has been arranged that in the cover matches alii shots shall be aparked., so now;-com-petitors will have the full of their hits as soon as each range f?<‘"fired, and so be able to make more accurate shooting in the later s&tges. The.‘institution of a “Service Aggregate” and a “Teams Aggregate”—additional to the Championship ‘Aggregate is sure' 1 to enhance the general interest 4aken in the meeting both by competitors and t>he public. .....