THE DOMINION RIFLE MEETING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1888, 24 October 1913, Page 5

THE DOMINION RIFLE MEETING.

« PLANS FOR TRENTHAM, 1914* NEW PROGRAMME. SOM INTERESTING FEATURES. Matters in connection with the arrangements 1 for tho New Zealand Bifle Championship Meeting at Trentham next March are now sufficiently far adyanced to present to expectant riflemen, who are even now looking forward to their next big oaruival, some of the jpiain features of the new programme, which has been described as the most progressive budget of events which has jret been issued by the Dominion Bifle 'Association's executive committee. Indeed, it has been declared by some who have beon privilegfid to glacq through its pages, that the new Dominion Bine Association's programme embodies, not bnly such features as should appeal to the rifle sport as a sport, hut also certain points which, it is claimed, should -dispel any lingering doubt in the minds *of the military authorities _ that the Dominion Bifle Association is not sincerely desirous of giving due attention .to the 6trictly military side of rifle shooting. Enter the Miniature Shots. In some respect the new programme 5s revolutionary in its progressiveness, if one may put it that way. For the first time in the 'history of • the big rifle carnival at Trentham miniature rifle shooting will be represented jn the event 3 of the meeting next March. (Three watches, with a gold medal championship ' aggregate competition 'added, have been provided, consisting of seven, ten, and ■ fafteen shot contests respectively at 25 yards. The prizelists for these maWhes, which aggregate in value £42 10s., are based on an entry of at least fifty, but no apprehension is entertained by the Dominion: Bifle Association tliat ■ this number of competitors wil' not be forthcoming, for indoor miniature rifle shooting this winter ha<s boomed ui Wellington and other centres. Thore has als} bceu introduced for the first time a special class for junior shots—competitors who have never won » match of over £1 at " any Bifle Association meriting." The junior matches hvill consist -of thrco ten-shot contests at 300, 501, and 600 yards respectively, and tho prise-list, including a junior gold], medal championship aggregate competition, totals £54, and the iiret prize in each is £3. This class is not to be oonfused with the ' tyro class—which still remains in the other events as ■ before —but. .is a- specially provided class ■ to encourage young riflemen'to try their prowess on the itrickiest rifle range in the Dominion. She shooting ground for the miniature events will he situated to the right of tho running-man" trenidh," towards Hogin's. ' Range Improvements. The Trentham Range Committee this year has been favoure dv.it-h a stantial grant of £200, wherewith to Bffeot improvements to then national itesting ground for marksmanship, and , this money has peen laid to the best ■possible advantage. In addition to the provision of the miniature'range rotoreel to, certain of the firing mounds have been trenched and made doer, while arrangements ar» being mado to brine; the range -telephones i iup.. to; ;a more efficient standar'd by the installation of pipe sections for the field wires. The catering arrangements. have also been oltered. The Dominion Biflo Association executive has decided to abandon the policy—inaugurated in' recent years r—of conducting .the catering itself, and for the next March meeting tenders will be called for the camp mess. Military Conditions Safeguarded. Reverting again to iihe programme, shooting men will no doubt be interested to. learn that the executive proposes to reduce the teams' service match to three —tho casualty match, field firing, and "superiority of five competition—with, of course, a teams' championship aggregate competition added, while the individual service' matobes have been reduced to five—the ckusiftcation practice match, the rapid shooting, snap-shooting, the running man, and the pudging distance , competition— with the service championship added. The events cut- out .of the last programme were those which, presented, not variable conditions for a particular competition, but different conditions for different competitors. Desirous of placing all competitors on an equal footing in the services matches, the D.B.A. decided to eliminate contests which did not apply fairly and evenly to all competitors. The service championship has also been further popularised by the inolußion of a prize for each man who fires into tho "fifty" final, 35 prizes of £1 each, and 10 prizes of 10s. each having been added to .the first five prizes of £15, £8, £5. £4, and £3 respectively. To thme King's Prize series of matches ■ has beon added the "Westland" match, and the series is prccided by an "opening match" (not counting for the belt. The belt matches, therefore, consist of eight qualifying,events, and the King's Prize match. 1 An Interesting Comparison. The aim of the D.B.A. this year has been to satisfy as far as possible the requirements of the military, authorities, arid at the same time present a progressive and popular programme of events for tho shotiug men. Btfy comparison with the programme for the New South Wales championship meeting (just concluded) the New Zealand programme is considered to_ be far in' advance'as regards its military character. Tho New South Wales programme provides two compulsory service matches only—New Zealand provides five; Now South Wales has abandoned the figure target, and gone back to the old black and white bull's-eye, while tho D.R.A. has retained the figure target, except afc the long ranges. Yet the New South Wales programme of 1013 is to represent the / last word in up-to-dateness so far as Australia is concerned. Tho military authorities in New Zealand have occasionally protested that tho D.B.A. has not sufficiently studied the military side ef rifle contests, but it is claimed by the «i'«cutive—and endorsed by shooting men—that the 1914 programme is military enough in its conditions to satisfy all reasonable requirements, and the above comparison between it and the New South Wales programme is regarded as adding preponderating evidence thereto. One or two matters remain to be disposed of before the exact date of the opening day of tho meeting can ba announced, as the Territorial camps may affect the supply of trained markers for the trenches, in the shape of the Permanent Force men. It would be next to impossible, it is considered, to conduct Buch an important meeting as the New Zealand championship carnival with civilian markers, imperfectly trained and not under military discipline. However, the question of date is expected to be settled very shortly. • Th» capture in Argyllshire of a golden eagle ind its presentation to thd new Edinburgh Zoological Gardens led to a prosecution, at Inverary, under the Wild Birds' Protection Act. The gamekeeper who caught the bird pleaded guilty to a technical breach of the law, and as he had acted for a national purpose, and not for pecuniary gain, tho case was dismissed.