RIFLES FOR CADETS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2005, 12 March 1914, Page 9

RIFLES FOR CADETS.

LAST CONSIGNMENT ARRIVING

By the s.s. Cairnp.Wss, which is due in Wellington from Montreal to-day, the last consignment of the 15,000 "dollar" rilles, purchased by the Minister of Defence (the Hon. Jas. Allen) from the 'Canadian. Government, will arrive hero. This consignment numbers IoDO rifles, and. when they have been distributed to the cadets, that, branch of the Territorial, forces will have close on 25,000 strfiids of arms. This number includes 10,000 rrffes purchased from Kiiglaiid; and distributed in this AVe-l-linptoii district. The arming of the cadet corps has been proceeding I'Or seme menths past, and the Wellington district is no* - fully equipped, Auckland nearly so, Of-ago- t'ompletetl, while ■ Canterbury is awaiting this shipment' from Canada* The weapons are .U.S.A.. rides, and are in escellci.lt condition. •

When it became known that the Minister of Defence had purchased the rifles on «uc.h sHlvautaiseoU-s term.;* (4s. 2d. each), a-jiplieatioiis • were made by various rifle clubs for permission to purchase any surplus ones after the cadet forces had been supplied. Riflemen will now learn svitb. regret that there will be none available for sale—that is, unless the Mi-bister can secure, another bargain,

_ It is intersstinjj to recount lww these rifles came to tie on the. market. It was thouglrt at first that they would prove dantaged and useless, but such has not been the case, and they are equal in every respect to the riflts pu.rchnsed from the BirmittKham SmaH Arms Company hi England, at a cost of ever SOs. The reason for their disposal is that Canada desired the ftirnjtnghaio Small Arms Company to cwtef into ii enntrart to sfepply 38.000 riles per annum, and to erect a factor}' for their constrnetion in Canada. ". Tlfo IJ.S.A. Oempanv w v oulti oiily agree to supply 1,a,000. rifles a year. Sir John R-aSs then made ovcrtwres 'te tho Oaii,v dian Goieriiiiicist to i'afm a CQinpany iii Oauiula to construct the rifles. His eftVr was accented, and. the Canadian Gflvorimient tifieidetl to re-arm their forces with dvb/ Ross iiiles, at the r«te of 30,000 per aunniii. When the Hw>. J'niirfi.s Allen was in -Canada last year anumber of the rifles wepe offered to hinii, and this offer he accepted.