VOLUNTEER NEWS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 50, 9 July 1891, Page 7

VOLUNTEER NEWS.

[By

Torpedo.]

[■Contributions to this column are invited. All communications " ‘ should be addressed to . “ Torpedo,” and reach this office not . Inter than Tuesday in each week. Notes from country corps will be specially acceptable.]

RANGE TIME-TABLE. July 11—“ A” Battery, Engineers. July 13 —Ponsonby Navals. July 18—Martini-Henri Rifle Club. GOVERNMENT INSPECTION PARADES. July 21—Victoria Rifles, City Guards, Royal Irish, Garrison Band.

The Ponsonby Navals can claim credit for being the only Volunteer corps in the colony to subscribe to the Huntly Disaster Fund. They forwarded three guineas from their substantial bank account for that object. ' * The Ponsonby Navals are forming a football club. ' ' On Thursday evening last, at the drill-shed, Major Goring presented Major Morrow with a long-service medal. .'The Ehgiheers have just sent to England for 50 undress uniforms worth —and can still show a good balance on the right side of their ledger. . Another Volunteer corps has given in to the present system. The Whangarei Rifles are disbanding. The Hamilton Volunteer Band are getting up a concert to provide funds for the purchase of band music. Six “O” Battery members”were balloted into the “A” Battery on Thursday last, and another squad of six proposed. I am now in the position to give any of my readers who may desire the information the present station of any regiment in the British army, or of any ship in the Royal navy. Lieut. R. Caultpn, of the Ponsonby Navals, looks remarkably well in his new uniform ; that long frock coat suits him admirably. Captain-commandant Le Roy was present at the Auckland Naval parade on Friday night to receive , his long-service medal, but in the absence of Major poring the presentation was postponed. The Artillery Band had a fine muster of 22, under Bandmaster A. Hunter, on Friday night, for their inspection, and it is almost superfluous to say played with their usual excellence. Captain Parker has been thirty years, and Lieut. W. Smith twenty years, in the Auckland Naval Artillery. Sefgi? “ Joe” Orr has given the City Guards best, and has thrown in his lot with his old company, the “A” Battery. “ Joe” was for some years one of the smartest gunners in the battery. ( Captain D. Millar of the Ponsonby Navals, is an enthusiastic rowing man. He was especially delighted by Sullivan’s victory over Dutch, as he (the captain) had some years since predicted a brilliant future for Sullivan after a hard fought four oared face in which Sullivan and Captain Millar were in opposition boats, when the former’s crew went down. The worthy skipper informs me that it is ten years since he went in thoroughly for aquatics, and he rowed his last race at the Jubilee regatta. It would be specially interesting to know how many Volunteer companies in the colony were under the minimum strength at the end of April last. The following are the Auckland delinquents :—TeAwamutu Cavalry, Ponsonby Navals, “O” Battery, Victoria, Whangarei, Newton, and Royal Irish Rifles. How many companies who are not on the above “ little list” qualified on paper? -The Ponsonby Navals, now a “tip-top” corps, struck off their roll last January no less than 48 names ; and this probably accounts for their being under the minimum two months since. Captain Millar did not believe in keeping so many men on his roll who were either boys or “ dead heads,” and the result has been a great improvement in the company. Corpl. ,F. Kearsley, of the *• A” Battery has been promoted to the rank of sergeant vice Sergeant Budd, resigned. Kearsley now holds two military positions, and has the unusual honour, of donning either a sergeant’s or an artillery drum-major’s uniform at his own will. I might suggest that he should also accept the Vacant Lieutenancy ; he could possibly fill the three positions a? easily as the two, and, besides, he would look remarkably well in the uniform.

The “A” Battery fire on Saturday for Capt. Geddes’ annual prizes. Instead of the usual handicap, the members are divided into alphabetical classes according to their estimated ability, and both reserve and honorary members are included in the lists, and are qualified to fire. The usual half-yearly practice with the big guns at Dunedin seems to have been very successful. The Permanent Artillery, under Capt. Morrison, fired three shots from the 64pounders at St. Clair and Lawyers’ Head, and one each from the 6 and 7-inch guns at the central fort. White Island was the target, and every shot was a bull’s-eye. My remarks in our issue of the 18th ult, with reference to the ladies of Hamilton fulfilling their promise to present a.-gold cross jtp the volunteer who should win theJiHamiltbn Light Infantry Belt two years successively, appears to have been made to some purpose, for those ladies have now formed a committee of six to collect subscriptions for the purpose of presenting Volunteer Pearson with the trophy which he has won, and to make the participation in the object general the subscriptions are limited to one shilling? ?’ Sergt. “Jack” Budd has sent me the following communication: —“A statement appears in one of the weekly papers that my reasons for resigning from the “A” Battery was on account of Gunner Lipscombe being promoted to Quarter-master Sergeant. I wish to positively deny that statement. My reasons for leaving the battery were in no way connected with Corporal Lipscombe’s promotion, but were from several other and totally different causes, although had'the Quarter-master Sergeant’s position been offered to me at the time I would have accepted it.” The most interesting shooting match we have had this year was fired on the Mount Eden Rifle Range on Saturday, the teams being picked from members of the “A” Battery on one side, and members of the rifle companies on the other. It has been a disputed point for the past two or three years which would prove the strongest team, and the result would still appear to be in doubt, for the Rifles only won after a close and exciting match by the narrowest possible majority —one point. The long ranges were taken first, and at the close of the 500 the battery had obtained a lead of 7 points. At the 300 yards both teams tied with 212, while at the short range the Rifles gained the requisite 8 points to win the match. There were several of the “A” Battery’s best shots absent from the team, including “ Alick” Henderson, and they attribute their defeat to this. They must recollect, however, that the Rifle’s team could also have been improved by Stirling’s presence. The wind was very choppy, and consequently no exceptionally brilliant scores were made. The following are the

We have much pleasure in referring our readers’ attention to the advertisement in another column announcing the fact of the opening of the first licensed retail wine establishment in Auckland, by Mr. C. J. Moses, in Karangahape Road. It will be useful for householders to be able' to buy pure New Zealand wines at a separate establishment than the ordinary hotel, and we commend the effort to introduce the French and Australian system here. The room is tastefully fitted up, and the whole business conducted on such right lines that it will be a wonder if it is not a pronounced success.

scores : — Names Captain Tobin RIFLE CORPS. 200yds 32 Tl. 78 5OOyds ... 18 300yds 28 Sergeant Craig ... 17 27 29 73 Private Fairs ... 17 23 31 71 Private McCarthy ... 18 22 29 69 Col.-Sergeant Skinner ... 14 23 28 65 Lieutenant Dormer ... ... 13 24 26 63 Private J. Preston ... ... 16 20 24 60 Private Chatfield ... 16 14 26 56 Private Osborne ... 13 16 26 55 Private W. Preston ... ... 15 15 23 53 Totals ... 157 212 274 643 “A” BATTERY. 200yds. Names 500yds. 300yds. Tl. Gunner Taylor ... 23 21 29. 73 Gunner E. Buchanan ... 22 22 26 70 Sergt. Parslow ... ... 19 ' 23 26 68 Sergt.-Major Doughty .. 27 15 25 67 Corp. Webster ... 15 20 31 66 Sergeant Kearsley ... ... 14 22 29 65 Gunner McCallum ... ... 17 21 29 64 Sergeant H. Doughty ... 12 24 26 62 Gunner Hazard Q.M.-Sergt. Lipscombe ... 4 22 28 54 ... 11 22 20 53 Totals ... 164 212 266 642 Majority for Rifles--1 point.