DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 12

DEFENCE NOTES.

(81-EohkosJ No tnrfhet announcements .of & doSuit® nature will bo made with regard' to the operations of the new Defence Act until after Field Marshal Viscount Kitchener has left New Zealand., Although the ; distinguished soldier's observations on the defences of this country ore not likely to affect the principle of : the' Act, they will certainly. determine, broadly, the methods wherewith that principle is to bo applied. One of the questions which "will offer themselves for consideration is that concerning the control of the forces —whether by a council of defenoe or by a commandant—and in the light of his' re-' ported observations upon the Australian system in .this respect—that there should be an individual controlling authority— hia report upon.-the New Zealand system should be of vital 1 interest. .

.The South Island Eiflo Association has definitely decided to,postpone,the opening of its meeting until Saturday, February 26. On the first day-the North . Canter:, bury Government grant will be fired for, as 1 well. as'. the Loughrey, Cup, to .which latter contest tho South Island Association has voted £5. Cadot matches', teams' matches, and riuisory match'will also be fired on Saturday. On Monday the real 'business of, the South Island meeting will commence, 'and will' be so arranged that it will be all 'completed on Tuesday, in time to ; .enable those, who wish to ' get away for - Trontham.' It is reported that Sergeant M'Calley, of Sydney, intends; to" visit both the South Island, and Trentham meetings this year.

An important nfle meeting is thoi held annually aipreytownimm<xliately' preceding the big Trentliam meeting. Tie Wairarapa. Association meeting ; will attract a large number of Treainam; o?m----petrtor^; who find the range. at Putiki a practice, ground whereon,to get their' hands in for; the major event. There are . 6even.. open matches -on the programme, ranging from ..'SOO £o 900 yards, and as there are. 27 prizes in.each, even the tyro should hare a chance. As the Greytown meeting' dashes • with the South Island meeting this ; year, those ' Australians who want to practjso in the' New Zealand eight, "not being able to take both meetings, will be almost 6ufe to go La Greytown rather than, to' the southern, fixture; The Wairarapa meeting will open on February 28, and will conclude the following day.' ' ""

Aii attempt is; being-made .(states the. London ."Standard") 'to make. it .worth while, for boys to, join- corps by ..assisting them - to employmont. 'It is suggested-, that every association -, should. initiate ■■ an /employment/register or bureau for boys who have - earned a, good; character. and proficiency certificate in a - cadet corps under, tho conditions to; bo -set by, the War; Office. Too bften. boys -drift into "dead-end" occupations, soon as ,van .boys, messengers, ;and- telegraph 1 boys, for., the sake ,oi the small,wage,. but .such, work leads to nothing,, and. when, they cease to bo . boys they . are .unemployed. ... If they. join a cadet corps,' and the Territorial JForce Association:finds; them' work, they will naturally enlist into that force even-, tually. There'is a probability. that the' scheme would'be supported by the Labour Bureaux shortly to be established. . In large towns the registry branch of associations might, also deal with apprenticeship and emigration. These efforts, would react on the Territorial Poroe, and, if wisely operated, .the scheme'might become Imperial in its scope; . ;;

: The : official - statement v of; tha - National, Rifle' Association: that-.:tho .council' -has •decided : >tou ; figure : t4rget: rffflcw the* target, ■ in■*. the 1 'King"s Priz'e Competition; at 500 yards, has again opened, the question of the respective, value; of the' Service pattern, andthe bull's-eye -pattern." -The,'two 1 schools' .have -long iheld controversy on the sub-; ject, -and. the decision of the . council ■of tho National Rifle, Association has come as a great; surprise in -shooting : circles. The new ■ target, will; be of. the class • used !. in' the. 'Tiiley •;. m atch at 'Bisley'. It '.will be coloured. grey; with - tho '.loweT half ! Breen."': The"' : scoring; values'; remain'■ as before. Therefore, the bull, is 'still there !to'-be, hit, • only the competitor v has' a figure to" at instead .of a circle." There is, , however,-'; one ■'•disadvantage • which soems'to have'been overlooked; it seema rather unfair that a man should be asked, to shoot at the, same figure in (ho evening, after other competitors Eave; had. the advantage of; the full light of midday on the very indistinct colour schemo.. So. far, it is' seen ; that' the. scoring value at 500 yards remains unaltered. Tha bull's-eye,: though , unseen, 1 will nevertheless be present,.-.. • About, two ' years ago—to bo exact in October, 1907—the War Office directed in an official : memorandum l that artificial aims, or- anything - bordering on their use,; were to be discouraged. : This was laid' down in a very decisive; manner.' At the. last Bisley meeting '.'inuoh .interest was aroused by the challenge,issued by Major. Richardson, • for. a, match. between teams, composed of. "bull's-eye". shots and "Service" shots." : '. Naturally ."such' a competition, having • for - its' object .the purpose; of testing the rival schools,; aroused .a : great .'deal'of controversy." Many; well-know officers gave; .their opinions regarding", tho conflicting-' theories. . -The. general', opinion was I that bull's : eye shooting was 'an'absolute Necessity in order to: train men to faco the, 6tern conditions of warfare.; Many officers believed that the had the German system ' of. musketry, training'. too prominently ;'in; view,' and; this, was hdd to; be vastly in-; ferior. , ".■• ■; The system, as practised in the American Army, was strongly advocated...There the ..man .starts with.the bull's-eye, and: later, when proficient'in;tho,use of his rifle, experiments' can 1 be made with other forms, of. targets. - This.', is held to give jnei confidence in' .their abilities, and - to' render them efllcicnt to; faco the realities of actual warfare. The essence .of Major; Richardson's challenge lay. in the fact that iiU good marksmanship is built up undef ,bull s-cyo?conditionf, and that .it followe that the men who have been tra.ined on a bull's-eye target, will;'in any forin of.com-; For a. soldier to proceed to practise under any conditions. , Dnless. a man .is able to see where his shots are; going.; there "is; little room for, individual improvement.; I'or a soldier-to proceed to practice under l Service 'Conditions before ho has become ;a competent.:bnll's-eye,;shot, .and is.,thoroughly' conversant; with the. peculiarities; of his rifle, is to accomplish nothing but: ;a. waste .of ammunition. ■ A good '.bull's*; eye shot will readily adapt himself under l new conditions.: That ,a compromise has been "decided- Tipon has for the present, .somewhat allayed tho strifo 'between, tho' two.schools. ■ ; ~■: ..., -■ ",-'.j■