DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 544, 26 June 1909, Page 10

DEFENCE NOTES.

pt Eohmon.) SICNALLERS' EXAMINATIONS. ••' Captain J. E. Duigan, Instructor of Signalling .and Engineer Services, has addressed a circular letter to officers commanding districts, setting forth the conditions of .examination and' award of certificates for non-commissioned officers; and men of the signalling.corps attached to the various companies in tho forces. Tho tests are as follow:— . ' ... . '- First-class.Signallers.—Each signaller will read and send a service message of not less than 150 letters on (a) helio at 6 words, per minuto; (b) laree flag at 5 words per minute; (e) small Hag at 6 words per minute; (d) lamps at 6 words per minuto; (c) i semaphore at; 10 words per minute. Viva-voco questions will be asked' on theory in first, second, and third year N.C.O.'s must gain 85 per cent., and other ranks 80 per cent. to.qualify. ' . Second-class Signallers.—Each < signaller will read and send a'service message of not less than 150 letters on: (a) helio at 5 words per .minute; (b) largo.flag at 4'words per minuto; (c) small flag at 5 words per minuto;; (a) lamp at.s words per minute; (e) semaphore at 8 words per- minute. Vivavoce questions will be asked on theory in first: and second year subjects.- ...N.C.O.'s must gain 85 per cent., and other'ranks 80 percent.'to qualify. ■-'.-'. ■':'-..'■ '•. ' -■■•'■• ; Third-class Signallers.—Each signaller will read and Bend.a test' group of not lees than 78 letters or: large flag at 4;Words per minute; small flag at 5 words per minute; semaphore &t 6 words per minute; lamp -at 4 , words per minnte.' N.C.O.'s must gain ,85 per cent., and other;ranks 80 per to Qualify. Viva-voce questions will: be asked in the first' year theory subjects.; v .' . ■■' '■ The examination will take place before the end of March each year.. Signallers _of mounted and infantry • companies shall, only be required t6 pass in the instruments they have on issuo to; them, ..together with, theory, as laid down for signalling,sections.'',<' ■■ -'-i >"'.■,-' -■•;.'.' •••■■.'■■•■'. '. : .;-- .'

As to the methods of checking of message* and assessing qualification, it is, laid, down that in the event or any man failing to, perform the, duty allotted to him the mesagb cancelled, and the.., man'.or men., concerned disqualified, and an explanation tered on^ tho tabulated- form. . In;checking, (the, message form,, taken from; the. sending terniinal; will first be examined to, see that the preamble "sent", column, ete., has; been correctly;, filled in. 'It'will then bo' compared with; the .receiving "V-jfprm' onVwhich.will.be noted 1 , any. mistake .either, in.signalling or the, completion of the .form; 'InJchccldng messages in the individual tests, ea'di.lettor'or.figure omitted,; added);, misread, or. missent,: as the : case' may be,'will, opunt as one mistake, except that where an' entire word or group has been entered inadvertently moro - than once, and .the extra, words Or groups have not been erased, brio mistake only will bo debited, but in [tbo case of'ah entire, word being omitted the full penalty of one mistake for,each; letter: will oe enforced. On© .mktako will bo debited, for evory separate breach of -the instructions'contained in these regulations, 'provided such breach has not. been already penalised, in .'accordance with .'the preceding paragraph; • Mistakes will be debited for. overtime in accordance with the following scale, tho number of mistakes being doubled for/each successive, minute or. portion, of a< minute, over tho, time allowed for the mbs':.'';:;v;:''"w'j;,,;--; .-;'.,;';/ . - ;Up to'oho mmutej'i'ppmt.:'//;' ' ,'.:.;'■ Up to two minutes; 2 points.',' ' , Up to three minutes,! points!;' '■'■'/. • Up to four minutes,, o pbinta,Vand so on. ;■', ■•' To ensure uniformity arid to enable a just .comparison to be Imade, messages will be prepared in accordance with the following instructions:— . '. ■, '■■ -■ ■■■".' ■'.':'■!'.; : ' (1) The same message will not bb used moro,than once betweon .two pairs..-; '(2) As far as possible all messages will be examples of those met with on service. They will.be written on : ; the servicb forms, but I the preamble will not ■bo filled,in. > (3) All messages wilUcontaiti- .150 letters, in which will be reckoned/ every.; separate letter or figure which jhas l 'to bo?signalled, no' matter whether?it/occurs-iin a. wojd or. group. All necessary';'miscellaneous-signß, answers;, arid ,check letters will be' taken into account.. The following number of let-, tors will be allowed for when preparing messages:—Prefix, 2 j code, 5; i office of origin, 2; two breaks, 1 4: V.E., 2;.R.D.,;2; answer to'above, 6; total, 23. ':;. ■■■■".:,■ > : ->'■■■ 'J' : :- :; . v,:- : ' :^;.-^ r ' : '-; ; .\' : ■-. In his .report on tWlast.promotibh exam-' inatioa. for., captains arid lieutenants, the, Di-i rector;of Military graining 'at the. War Office. states that over 18 ! pbr. cent, of .the candidates belonging to tho British Regular Forces' failed '• to j?ass. Tho show a. steady 'deterioration in_tho.sta»daid,'attaincd by the' candidates during tho.:'pist■ 'few years.,. Whereas in 1906 the .percentage of failures was only 13 per.cent.',?.it'has gradually increased until now.'.the propOrtknr of officers showing themselves iunfitte'd for advancement is nearly.'orio infive. ; Mahy. ; ;.of the papers wete. illiterate, he declares, arid the spelling and writing -were; bad. , The results Vof the examination in law, organisation, arid tactics were less' satisfactory, than those.;of the 'examinations in May last.-. One of the chief causes of the failure' of the candidates to "obtain .higher marks was that'they did not devote, sufficient study to the; meaning of the questions beforo/starting to. answer Siean or to .framing their answers, before beginning to write-l'/At the same examination a number of officers of the Canadian forces competed* with .results that compare favourably with .those, achieved by ..their brothera-in-arms; of ■tho Bri-. ■ fell Army, over 88per cent.lproving successful...:;:;- .v.'.,;;--;',/■ ,/. ■,- ; ■ /,.; : ■■■•; '.;■■ Thbvaluo of'.thepom-ppm'gun. as'a ranged iftnder lias been strongly advocated by Libut.- . General ,'Sir H. I/. tlmith-Dorrien, K.C.B.'. who has expressed an .opinion that one should be attached to each infantry brigade'for that purpose (reports : the "Military Mail").' The smull calibre and/high velocity of the present rifle bullet, makes; littlo or no dusti Triton it strikes the ground,' except under; very, favourable'orrcumsterices.'so tiiat it is oven witi strong field glasses almost imrjbssiblp'tpseo where the bullets are 1 striking, when firing at unknown distances. .This"wis demonstrated at Ash during the course of the Evelyn-Wood competitions, whole sections blazing away at ■.the plate targets set ahiid; the heather, without knowing whether their, shots ,were going short. or' over th& targets'.;. It is admitted that :_the: actual-'effect of pom-poms; in warfare_is very, small,; and.they fire.away ammunition at a terrifio rate, making it difficult to keep them' supplied. But as quick arfd; reliable range-finders for infantry, they are invaluable Ail experiment to prove their value was carried out on Wednesday, afternoon ;oa the Long Valley, under arrangements made by the General Staff, and'which, was followed with deep interest by thb Princo of -Wales. objects, such as mounds, a ltnV'bf trenches, copses, ridges, and folds ■ in the ground wore, indicated te squads of irifaintry. drawn; up on Eelmoor Hill, facing south',- and thoy were required to give the approximate distances without tho aid of mbkomoters.' A comparison of the calculations showed that not only was there.a very great difference in tho estimated distances,' but the groups dif-fered'greatly-in locating the indicated objects.'. They wore then all connected up with a light field telephone wire, and a pom-pom gun was brought'arid placed well under cover on the .west flank. There Licut.-General Sir Horacei Smith-Dorrioii indicated to tho grinlayer the object ho wished to be brought under rifle fire, and the infantry were warned to watch the bursting of the 0110-pound sthells. In.nb'Case were more than .throe shells required to got tho exact range, the distanco being telephoned simultaneously to each, separate squad; and within a minute every'rifle in tho lino was. turned on to the. required object with correct sighting. It.was a practical demonstration of the value of the'Genoral's theory that such a euri should form a component part of each infantry brigade.' •

: -By order of the military authorities, on the Kaiser's' ndvico, tea. wjll bo the' chief : bever-age-during, tlio summer manoeuvres of tho .Gorman Army. Experience lias proved that, n-hilo tho fonr.er national drink, coffee, increases thirst, and beer fatigues, cold tea during a long' niarch quenches and invigorates, while hob tea at the camp'■ supper is aroaily appreciated by tic troop*.