THE RIFLE CARNIVAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1057, 21 February 1911, Page 2

THE RIFLE CARNIVAL.

N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING;

TO COMMENCE NEXT WEEK. [By Echelon.] One more week, and Rifleman Georg# Halliday, champion rifle shot Zealand, will either have to abdicate his place of honour in .favour of a betterman, or else beat some 600 odd competi- /'••:, tors, and reign for another year as "the,- : One." Among those who profess to.know : ; a thing .or two about bull's-eye shooting, \ it is said that Halliday has been rather • :'■ patchy in his.shooting throughout the.' current season, and though there have been occasions when he has scored after the manner of champions, there have been other occasions' when he most ..'-dis*> tinctly has riot; Halliday's "luck,", how-. ~ ever, for ho has been described by some ,- i of his clubnintes as a lucky man on the',." range, may prevail on the day of Anna-..; geddon, when the 10-shot King's match at ,'■■ 1000 yards is decided. But the concensus .'• of opinion goes to show that the "biggun" of the Karori Riflo Club, will-be spiked for sure, and by one of his clubmates at that. There is no doubt what- ■ ever that Rifleman Harry Marshall; Presi-'•" ■'■. dent of the K.R.C., has had a'most bril-. ;•■• liant run right through the season, and on his form, which is championship;'", form, and no mistake, he will-'be ,the .'■': most dangerous man on the' range at " . Trentkam next week. The great value '•'■'•' of his shooting,: in such a tremendous contest, is his remarkable consistency, :• - and if he can only hold up till the T finish at 1000 yards, the K.R.C. may again have the pleasure of felicitating one. of ." ,-.- their-.own men upon winning, the Ballinger. Belt. -However, nous;'verrons. ■; ' He who ventures upon the precarious .''■.■■;: business of "picking winners" at a-rifle.-:''.. meeting usually, has his trouble for Kir. : pains. ■"■■[' '. """" : """."t" ■■'. :: - ".- Trentham, 1911.- -' ".';.: The Now. Zealand Championship' Rifle"'"._": Meeting of 1911, compared with \that of..' the previous year, will probably/ Over-" shadow its predecessor in point of attend-.-aiice, though the "side 9hows" will be less . .•" important. / There will be no Australian ■'■;. riflemen,'no Empire match, no : Gordon Highlanders' match, incidentals•;■ which- :- : . gave to the jubileo meeting of last "year. /-•' somewhat' of a spectacular appearance. . 'ip This year's meeting will be a "solid, serious "-'.; : .-. affair. It.is fully expected that the en- '""*"'' tries will go well over 600, and adding ■■ to this number'.the'executive, the range •"'".' staff, the markers, and the camp attendants, the population ,of - Canvastowa should not fall far short of 800 souls. :' : The first thing competitors will notice on coming into camp is the fact that'- ; . the town-planner has been at work. The "town" has been lifted •bodily, and ;,set ' .;• down immediately behind the lOflO yards , VI mound of the Seddon Range.- To'the rear ' .:' of the competitors' camp,-which comprises - .- tho main "town," are the competing, of- .. ,-..'' fleers' lines, and' behind these, are 'the;;-.■ • marquees of the Karori Rifle Club, Christ- ; ' i church.Rifle Club, and' the tea and coffee, pavilion. Behind the ,1000 yards mound: '' of .the Sommerville Range is situated'the 'v' . general administrative staff, "while on the '.'•'.'■'.". extreme' right is located- the -'■ commis- '- i" sariat—the mess rooms, ; culinary depart-- f v ment, and the cooks' tents. Altogether' , ; ' two hundred and fifty tents and six.mar-'.'•". : . ■• quees will be erected. ' .;,".'': r .'. ,'..';>. New Rules and Regulations. ':;--..'." ;Competitofs will do well to note the" . various important, alterations which have: v •':'. been made in the rules and regulations ■■-.'_.: of the D.R.A. The principal of these are as" follow :—■■■ ..,'... -~■•.-. , . .il ■ > ■'- The. figure target will be used- at'soo ' and 600 -yards, being coloured in the "iip- ■■' '" per half: light • grey, :and - the -lower-half-'- / green, having centrally on it a blown, ir- '•■"■'■ regular aiming? mark."' - ■ -■'•' :--'■ v---' • Central marked by placing, disc in ceil- : - : . tfe on lower part of dummy counting 6 v' , : points and. 5 points"'.''■.': ".':-' in: competitive, and registered- -V. •'on" -" score card, or .Jboard: •■; *' -- 1 "-''' ••. v.-, ■■>.'•■— CoinpetftorFwill 7 be'dinded"into sguads ■''- '* of.not less-thari 'four men; to be drawn '''! ,by. lot. 'Squads will be numbered 1- to --O.V----"25 in rotation as drawn:' Every"2s'squa3s- f : will Be'.fold off in seetioris'lettered-from' 1 ' ;;v A onwards, each sectfoh-'will comprise 100 ""'"' competitors." .-..1. '■.'.." ;.::' "?-':'"'.';• Ranges will be allocated to sections', 'for,- •-'■-'" example, A. Colhas range: B, Sommerville range; C, Seddon.range, and so on,' the ranges being changed every day dr. ; 'oftener if-considered '" blackboard is to be placed at .such .1 an angle and in such ,a position .in the',"' '" • right rear, of the competitor, that the i" "■:'-.■ score may be easily seen by the.competi-'r "' ; tor and by those in rear as weli." -The names of competitors' and scores '■■'.: are not to be .cleaned off ; the boards or-:* interfered-with until the squad .has com--:' '-'•">.. ■pleted'.its'shootingatthe distance, and -';■:■ the scores'have been passed;as. correct by,. ••'-.. the range officers. , • '-.i rV: -~'.-.' ; :..' : ! ; . . 1 The members of each squad shall score'iV for ohe.ianother. i"Before, shooting''they : > will hand their cards to the range officer ;. : or some authorised, person, "who 'will' ..'". shiiffle.them face downwardsj.and will, • then pencil on the back the figures;l,'2, ••; 3, and.* respectively.-This is..the\ordep. ,'•'■ in which the competitors shall fire:—No. L.will shoot first, while No. 3 will score --■, on the. board, and No.l will-scora dnvthe .V' card. No.; 2 will shoot second, while No. i will score on the board, and No: 1 will !- check-score. No. 3 will.shoot third, ,whih\i •-'■■'■ No. 1 will score on the board, and No. 2 -;\ ; will chick-score/ No. 4ivillshoot-.fourth, - ■. while No: 2 will score on the .board, and.i '■. No. 3 will check-score. Any deparjure • i,fromi'.this order without permissions "of '"■" . rangelofficer, will cancel: the of .the -'.'? ' : competitor.who fired out of his turnias: 1 ; ' laid down above. In any match no single ■ •'■' competitor shall fire for a prize unless.at •;. ! least, two other competitors are present, .: ; ,: oneto score and.the other to check-score;'i< .;. This lastlrule is designed to make collu- -'■;'. •sion impossible. ■..■■■■• -; ■■ • -'|-: : ' : - .;' ~-■;. Colonel R. J. Collins, chief■executivo".''--' officer of the D.R.A., accompanied by his ; ; ■ first lieutenant,' Lieut.-Colonel Hughes; " ;: , and other members of the Executive Com-' mittee, has made a thorough inspection' ■■'■■~ of: the range and the various ments which' have,been effected by : :'the" '• Public Works Department, and expressed ' himselfas being highly satisfied with-the work which had. been done.-. On Satur- ' day next a working detachment froni-the . Permanent Force will proceed- to Tren- -" .-"., •than); to lay out the camp. ■ The range .•■-• will.be closed to local marksmoji.fromr that date till the conclusion of the cham- , pionship meeting, except for practicepur- , poses by competitors who have--entered ■-■-'■ for the meeting. ; . '■. ,•.>;,...-,