DISCARDED NEW ZEALAND RIFLES

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 511, 19 May 1909, Page 7

DISCARDED NEW ZEALAND RIFLES

■Tli© fact of discarded New Zealand riflos boing in tho hands of the daring hill-tribes of North-AYcst India is not a cheerful thing to contemplate when ono is aware of the continual watch which has to' bo kept.on these hardy, malcontents, who havo nover been brought into subjection, and who take advan 7 tago of the slightest relaxation to raid the lortilo frpntier: lands.' Yesterday a Dominion representative held convorso with one of a syndicate of three gontlemen who purchased ! most of tho arms offered for sale bytho Do- ! fonco Department nearly two.years ago. He states that in .connection with tho transaction nothing was done that was'not in nccordanco with tho conditions of salo. Certain papers,wore turned up, showing that of the. arms ,purchased, .255 cases woro 'shipped' by tho liakaia, 150 cases by'tho Mamari, and 93 cases by tho lonic, all of which woro purchased by. : a Birmingham Jirm, and thoir shipment was watched by the Defence Department. Another lot of papers, pinned together,. were filled with nothing but columns, of figures, the numbers of all tho rifles .bought.. A copy of those numbers, ho understood, had been forwarded to the Army authorities at Homo. by the Defence Department. "All the arms purchased. on that occasion,"said our 'infoimant, "did not,leave the country. Tho Lee-Remington and somo of the Martini-Henry rifles aro still bero, and I could.show you a stack of bayonets in this town that belonged to tho Sniders. If something has happened that should not, you may stake my word th» fault is not at this end."