Volunteer Notes.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIII, Issue 11, 15 September 1909, Page 12

Volunteer Notes.

By

RIFLEMAN

THE regimental rifle meeting of the Mounteds will take place early In November, at Penrose range. Amongst the trophies to be competed for will be the Wiseman Belt. The final match for Hallenstein Bros.’ trophy was fired last Saturday week by the members of the A Squadron, A.M.R., and, after a close finish, Mr. Holden proved the winner. The First Regiment A.M.R. will parade at Papakura on Dominion Day, Pukekohe, Clevedon, Franklin, and Auckland squadrons taking part. The men will assemble on Saturday, parade on Sunday, and disperse on the same evening. The following are the dates for the annual training camps of the Auckland Garrison Artillery for this year:—No. 2 Co. G.A.V., January 7th, 1910, to January 22nd, 1910; No. 3 Co. G.A.V., January 14th, 1910, to January 29th, 1910; No. 1 Co. G.A.V.. February 4tb, 1910, to February 19th, 1910. Specialists of the A Battery—gun layers, range takers, etc. —last week commenced the Instructional course preparatory to the annual camp. The classes are held every Tuesday night under the direction of the battery officers. It is hoped, as soon as the weather is favourable enough, to go for a week-end trek out towards Panmure district, and give all ranks some practical instruction. The Tso. 2 Co. G.A.V. are still recruiting well; so well, in fact, that the company lias ordered from Hobson & Sons, London, another £l7O worth of full and undress uniforms. The last shipment, which arrived two months ago, has already been served out. ■ ■ ■ The company routine orders issued by Cap’tain 11. S. Morruu, of the No. 3 Co., ’Auckland Division G.A.V., contains notice of the approval of the following promotions:—Corps. Mclntyre and Urquhart to be acting-sergeants; Bombs. Hood, Skeates, Golden, and Brothers to be acting-corporals. No 3 Natives’ football team, by their defeat of College Rifles, five points to three, have practically won the Hazard Cup. It was a ding dong go, and attracted a “full house. The reminder to the officers that their presence at these contests would not be out of place was apparently taken to heart, and I noticed quite a number of them round the line at the match. The undermentioned officers, having passed an examination under the Central Board of Military Examination, have been granted certificates of rank: —For major: Captain 'A. W. Jones, No. 1 Company, N.Z.E.V., and Captain G. Sherson, A Battery N.Z.F.A.V. For captain: Lieutenant C. E. Andrews, No. 1 Company, N.Z.E.V., and Lieutenant P. B. Greenhough, No. 1 Company, Auckland Garrison Artillery. A military correspondent of the London •'Daily Telegraph’’ writes:—“The short rifle is, it seems, already doomed, and a new weapon, with a more satisfactory breechbolt action and a better system of clip-load-ing, is to be adopted. As reported, the committee of experts recommend the issue of the new rifle as soon as possible, although at the same time there is believed to be a consensus of opinion amongst them that this, the next Army rifle, will only be a stop-gap prior to the introduction of some form of automatic firearm. General orders by the New Zealand Council of Defence include the following announcements: —Obituary: Captain W. P. ?Wall, late of the Royal New Zealand Artillery, August 10, 1909. Lieutenant J. H. Al. Carpenter, New Zealand Militia, retired list, July 27, 1909. Lieutenant W. L. Robinson, No. 2 Company, N.Z.E.V., has been appointed a lieutenant in the New Zealand Militia. Leave of absence for 15 months has been granted to Captain R. S. Matthews, N.Z.M., with permission to be absent from the Dominion.. Capt. W. H. Parkes, M. 8., N.Z. Medical Corps, has been gazetted major. It is desired that very complete arrangements for Dominion Day church parades should be made in connection with al! units of the Defence Forces. Parades are to be local no train expenses to be allowed. It is left to the option of the O.C. District to hold a large open-air service or to arrange for services in the various churches. The latter plan has been adopted. The Impressiveness of an open-air service is impaired by the fact that only a portion of the troops can hear the service, whilst the sight-seeing public is not always conspicuous for reverence. Arrangements as to the churches they will attend are left In the hands of officers commanding battalions, etc. The Auckland troops will parade in Prices-street. The band will move along the column playing tho church call, and ending with a hymn, after which tho troops will be marched to their respective churches. Tho question of recognising members of tho St. John Ambulance Brigade as a reserve for the regular army medical service of the Dominion Defence Forces has been under consideration for some time. The 6t. John authorities have been In communication with the Defence Council about the matter, and there is a likelihood of tho

proposal being put into operation. There are but five Bearer Corps in the Dominion, and It is recognised that, however efficient these corps may be, they would be quite insufficient in connection with operations Involving a large body of men and heavy casualties. The St. John Ambulance Brigade has a membership of 1300. out of which it would be easy to find a large proportion willing to enrol as a reserve. They would require to undergo some extra training in sanitation, ete., and examination by one of the Defence Force’s medical staff would be necessary before a man was' enrolled. The proposal is an exceptionally valuable one, and the offer should be availed of by the Defence Council. The following items of general interest appear in the latest routine orders issued by Lieut.-Col. G. W. S. Patterson. O.C. Auckland Division N.Z. Garrison Artillery Volunteers:—The appointment of Mr. Charles Willis Coles as acting-lieutenant in No. 2 Company is approved. The resig- , nation of Lieut. Thomas Vaughan, No. 2 Company, has been accepted. The undermentioned non-coms, have passed the qualifying examination for certificates:— Richard Maxwell, Thomas Battersby, and Robert Black, of No. 2 Company, for sergeant; Robert Golden, No. 3 Company, for sergeant; Edgar Skeates and Kenneth Urquhart, of No. 3 Company, for corporal. It is notified for general information that the under-mentioned staff sergeant-major instructors of the Auckland District Staff have been promoted to warrant rank:— Alfred Cheator, Joseph Coleman, and Michael McDonnell. The attention of officers-commanding companies is directed to the fact that form V., No. 3 (enrolment of volunteers), is an important record. It should be made out in ink, all questions on the face of form should be fully answered, and in the case of apprentices a certificate from the employer must accompany the form. Every care should be taken tha't forms reach the office in a good state of preservation. Sergt.-Major J. E. Hill No. 2 Company, N.Z.G.A.V., is transferred to the reserve of his corps. Now that attention has again been directed to the comprehensive scheme of Dominion defence, propounded by Captain Richardson, chief instructor of artillery—one -of the most capable officers in New Zealand—the following resume of his proposals will be read with Interest:— The army will consist of: First line— National Guard; second line—'Reserve to National Guard; third line—Special reserve. The first line would consist of all men between the ages of 18 and 21 who reside at the larger towns or on the main railway routes, and after serving three years would be transferred to the second line or reserve. The second line would comprise all men who had served three years in the first line. Married men in the second line might at their own request be transferred to the third line. The third line would consist of all men between the ages of 18 and 24 (other than mounted units) who live in the backbloeks, or away from the main line of communication, and would, therefore, be unable to attend drills or receive the same amount of instruction as men of the first line. On reaching the age of 18 every male would report himself to the nearest military register, and be allotted to that branch of the service for which he was considered most suited. Claims for exemption, or postponement, would be considered by a local military board. The figures work out that in 1910 the total men thus raised would be 7960, while at the end of six years it would be 47.460. It is not proposed to ever exceed this number under arms in peace time otherwise the force would grow to an unwieldy size. After serving six years in either the first and second lines or in the third line, men would be discharged, thus permitting the establishment to remain stationary at 18,000 for the first line 18 000 for the second, and 11,460 for the third Officers and non-coms, would be retained if possible, and retired only under an age limit. T.he number of trained men at the end of 12 years, apart from any augmentation from the volunteers, would be 94 440 in 24 years 188,880, and in 30 years every man between the ages of 18 and 48 would be trained to arms, giving us practically an armed nation with an available force of 200,000 men. Dealing with the supply of officers, Captain Richardson suggests the establishment of a “District Officers’ Training Company,” from which officers could be drafted to fill vacancies. Universal training could be adopted quite easily, with very little strain on the present staff for the first year, if the officers and non-coms, of the present force signed on under ths new conditions, and the men were rearranged in the three lines according to their ages, the present units to be re-num-bored and form the nucleus fo the new force. All units would be organised on the same basis as the Imperial service. Tho training would be carried out without interfering with business, the instruction being given as follows: One half-day in the field every alternate week (on the business half-holiday) 12J days, one evening drill in hall every alternate week 10 days, 4 days at Easter, and 6 days in summer; total 32J days a year. The annual cost of this citizen army would not be very much greater than the sum which is now expended annually on our present system of defence—£27o,ooo. The total cost for the first six years would be £2,060,500, and the estimated annual cost after the first six years Is £333,000. Payments to members of the citizen army would be nil, but no man would suffer loss of wages through carrying out his training.