FIELD ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 415, 26 January 1909, Page 6

FIELD ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS.

RHODES CUP COMPETITION. - • D BATTERY IN THE LEAD. - The annual competition among the New Zealand Volunteer Field Artillery Corps for the "Efficiency" Challenge Shield and the Rhodes Challenge Cup for shooting is begin--rung to assume an interesting aspect. Points, for each trophy are awarded at the termina-, tioh of the annual instruction camp of each corps, and,/so far, two of the batteries—E Battery (Christchurph) and D Battery (Wellington)—have completed their work,-and, have been weighed in the official balance. The official figures for the shooting of the D Battery, which, as reported in The Dominion of yesterday's, date, carried out'its class firing, on Saturday last,'have now been mado out, and a comparison of these and the results of the E Battery, which were carried out 'some time'ago,: show that the local artillerymen have, a lead of; four marks in the competition forthe. Rhodes Cup'. ; The figures are:— Battery. EBattery. ;, ■' : -'. ■--■ -, ? '•'■' -K.:" ' :- yds.,; , / yds. . Mean.range . . ... / ...; 3350 \ 2745 ■, '■;.." ', ..'''■ min.scc.' mhi.sec. first gun .. ~.,, X ; 34 .2- 4? Action to -first time . .-■■ '.' ■::.-'• //.;.: 3 16 5 27 Action, to last gun ,'■..... 11. - 9 ■'. '■': 17 '■ 2 Total'effective, shrapnel- 50 -33 Per cent.;of:E time shell ;-. 46"•;. ,31' ■ V* Action to' the, first, gun signifies the time which elapse'd between the signal for action and'the. firing of No; 1 gun, the range having to be': approximated during-that interval. Action ; to_the,first shrapnel includes the time occupied l in coming into,action, ranging, and trial shots: IttookD Battery lmin. 34seo. to get into,action and;firo the first ranging shot. Jn,3miri;;l6sec. it was able to fire the. first time fuse, and the whole series was oyer inllmin.:9.sec. ...• ,; .Marks were ; awarded as'follow:—.' / x v--//' '■'. -:-'■''■- /'.. 'D '' v ;. E : 'i,.' ■/;.'- ... . " Battery. Battery. Fire discipline; ... ... 36 -34 ' •; Ranging ... ... ... . 7 ' 8 ;/Percent.'E.T. shell..; .... 5 .3 ;.; Per.."cent, targets destroyed 5 6 '■:■: Distribution of fire ... ... 4 6 /. Time occupied . ... ... ,8 ' 3 : i Per cent, of shell in rectangle 4 : 5. Total .'■■'■'■;. : ; ... '... 69 65 Classification:—. . .- Tactics and fire discipline .:.. Ist.. Ist ; Fire, effect.:...'. ... ... 2nd 2nd .': In conversation with-our representative yesterday,. Captain G. S. Richardson, Chief In-! structor. of Artillery, who is acting as umpire for the-' class-firing,' spoke in. high terms of ,the.;work of D Battery, and contrasted the conditions, under, which the New Zealand volunteer, artillery carries ,ont its:shooting as compared: withthe artillery in Great "Britam.: Herethe.field batteries, under the pre-' sent of training, ; have a. Tery limited time:for:instructiohal.'shooting.; lii the:case of D. -Battery, the' artillerymen arrived at Pigeon :Bush on Thursday, did some practice shooting on Friday, and.had to face their annual;test the.day after.','■■■'.' . - ■;. .;..''.Even-pn'e'rnorei day's.practice, l ' said Captain. ■Richardson, .''would have made all: the difference. V ~ Under; present'.conditions, >he , considered, that the battery had gone as far' ..up! ■ the /standard'■;,; of"'. efficiency as it could reasonably be.expected- to do, and, their performance,, this., year; was, a long way' beyond to.'dob-when they : were-taken round; to .Evans Bay tb shoot at a white can-.vasj-target, .The efforts, of the artillerymen— both m the coast: defence corps : and the field batteries-rto'. attainVtheir' 'present- efficiency was:■ considerably 'stimulated' by the friendly encouragement'., of-,the Chief "of ithe'GeneralStaff (Coldriel A. W. Robin,! C.B;),: who, all th'rough,';h'ad; readily-approved any •suggestion, which had been put "forward: for his consideration. ': : , ; ;' '.'■■■■■