THE DECLINE OF RIFLE SHOOTING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1696, 12 March 1913, Page 5

THE DECLINE OF RIFLE SHOOTING.

Sir,—l havo noticed with interest the several opinions re Trenthain, 1913. Those that know only too well the cause have predicted v the present decline. The Gov--eminent aiul those in authority can only see through' their political and professional military spectacles. They forest that ride-shooting as practised by nflo clubs and Territorial -enthusiasts is a sport of the.first water. llow do they treat it:' They claim to encourage it by introducing so-called "military value;'' into every possible competition. One hears officers from a junior lieutenant up to Iho General .Officer commanding speaking in 'able terms about-"service conditions' as the "acmc" of perfection inriile shooting.. These gentlemen prefer to play golf to learning tho real sciencc of x'iflo shooting, anil it is tho red taps, gold lace conditions framed to their liking that is killing tho sport of rifle shooting. No officer of the. Lord lfoberts type will deny that keen competition at bull's-cyo targets has littlo or no military value. The fact is that rifle clubs and rifle enthusiasts do a splendid frork toward the defence of the country in tho face ofvcontinual discouragement at considerable personal cost and little- cost to the country. - Give the rifle enthusiast's the chance of managing their own sport and see what a change there would be and a yearly increase of entries would result. They do not wish to interfere with other sports and pastimes, and would not even sug- ' gest that tlie golf experts should play with khaki or-green, golf balls to increase tho "military Value" of the game. I appreciate tlie remarks of "Old Shot" in yesterday's Dominion, and I am not at .Trenthum this year after twenty years of active volunteering and rifle club experience because Trenthum programme fails to attract inc. It also fails' to attract Australians to any extent. Again, our range is supposed to be the. "best, south of thd.line." :AY«U,:.it is w*ll. appointed; but absolutely the greatest "reputation breaker" 011 cither. side of the Line.

Experienced marksmen implored the au-thorities-to move (lie trenches oil the "Sommerville. range" -back to about 7CQ yards firing point, and extend the firing points nearer to'the railway.. We knowthat thero wore, technical points to overcome, but what a difference it would havo made to have been some distance. from those countless spurs and gullies. Here, agaiji, we were guided by. expert rangeinspectors who did not know the A.B.C. of musketry. It makes me wonder that so many enthusiasts iiro to be. found .at Trenthnm. The blame cannot be attributed to anyone ill particular or the present administration.—l am, etc.; WILLIAM HQBBS.