NEW LEASE OF LIFE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2263, 24 September 1914, Page 9

NEW LEASE OF LIFE

TO RIFLE-SHOOTING PROSPECTS FOR THE D.R.A. "I think this crisis is going to make the Dominion Rifle Association," said Major H. Marshall, a member of tho executive; and in command of the Defence Rifle Clubs' Reserve, when talking, to a reporter yesterday, on the prospects of the coming rillo shooting soasoh. Club rifle shooting usually begins in .Wellington the first week in October, but this ye.ar there, will'possibly bo a delay in. the prize , matches of the different clube. Major Marshall states that a number of members of the Reserve Corps have decided'to offer their services for the next 'month, to teach, the 6th' (Wellington) Regiment rifle shooting, as many memhers have been taken into the regiment from the General Training Section, and have had ■no experience with tho rifle..,' That will mean that ordinary rifle cliib shooting .will be interfered with somewhat at the. • outset, but riflemen consider it their duty to assist the Territorials at the ■present time. • ,"-.-" r ; The . formation of a. Eifle Reserve :>.Corps, .which lias been accepted by tae Defence Department, and attached to the Coast. Defence Forces,'has meant a' great ■'impetus in. the enrolling .of members to the : rifle clubs. An indication is shown by the fact that the Suburbs Rifle Club has now a membership of .100, and the-KarorrCluh 90, while their membership last year-was respectively about '16 and , .6o. From as far as Palmerstoii North, .in.the Wellington" district, comes notice, of this increase, the Lintbn',Club' having gone up from 30 to about 100. This increased interest amongst ■rifleinen-.-will un,doiibtedly benefit the cliibs-even after '•'the war has ended and it means that new life' will be. given to the. D.R.A.' meetings, which, unfortunately, have ~been falling off in entries-to an alarming extent the last few years. Very ■.necessary repairs at Treutham range are being now undertaken. Jhe Wellington Rifle' Range Committee, which was appointed to control tlie range, reports that some time ago the committee inspected the Trentham range,- :and. condemned the Collins range, ae-unsafe,': owing to the fact that .the '--'targettrench, whiclv has never been-timbered, had fallen .in, in about half; a dozen places. A tender has nott'.h'eeh'let.-.and' the contractors have.'started.to' timber the whole trench, and fit .it..with an overhead cover. It is ■ estimated; that this work will take about .tliree,ovecks: to complete. It is very importaC.t;,tbat. this range should at'once commission, as it is tho'one used by. Territorials for musketry practice;* being the only one which' has a 900 yards Colonel-R."" J. Collins, .chairman of: ■the executive of-tho D/R.A., .states that nothing, has yet been'done with regard .to the big-meeting. When', the Expeditionary Force has departed, preliminary steps will be taken... Ihe. Wellington Rifle Club's New Year, meeting has hot yet been coneidored by the. .Management Committee. '■;'.■ ,■' ' •'■