NEW ZEALAND BISLEY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 142, 11 March 1919, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND BISLEY

OPENS TO-DAY OVER 300 COMPETITORS

The annual prizo meeting of tho Dominion Rifle Association, which has been revived after a 'lapse, of fivo years, will open-'at Trentham to-iloy, and will, in all probability continue until next Saturday. The programme for to-<tay will be comprised qf service-' matches, and fifths: will commence at 8.30 a.m. Yester.day. the rango Was open for practice, when competitors .were given an. opportunity of testing .the 19H pattern magazine' rifle, .303, which is to bo. used at tho'meeting. General satisfaction was .expressed with the weapon, but somo critics wore inclined to'be cautious in expressing their, opinions of the rifle. .."Wait till tho scores start to come in," said ono-'."old'hautl,". jocosely, "then you'll, hoar ■ the . complaints. If. there are any bad. 'shoots' the rifles will, be 'bound.to bo.at fault!" • It is of interest to note that, the Dominion Rillo Association are the first body in the Empire to hold a rifle shooting meeting since tho signing of. tho armistice. .The National Eiflo Association's .meeting will not 'take place at. Bisley .until July, and the Commonwealth fixtur> has been set dowji-for October. Con.tr'ary to cxp/ctations, the. entries aro.lar larger Hum what was estimated. Over three hundred competitors •will take part, but tho bulk of the entries are from the Wellington province, Thero,are.twelve, matches set down for decision,-and the distances to be fired over are. from two hundred to eight hundred ■ yards, the executive having decided to eliminate the nino hundred yards and oho thousand, yards range. \ . The '.staff appointed to supervise the meeting is'.as follows:—Chiet Executive Officer.and Camp Commandant, Colonel' •R. J. Collins,'. 0.M.G.; Superintendent Range Officer, Colonel' R. Hughes,. V.D.; Camp Adjutant, Major AVallingford, M.C.; Camp Quartermaster, Captain J..AV. : Boon; Statistical Officer, Captain Felton; secretary, • Major V, Dunne; range officers. .Colonel .Cresswell, Major'-' Doull, Major Batten",/' Major Barltrop,' Captain Blythe, Captain Harkness.- .Lieutenants Fletcher. King, Evans, Stevenson, Snaddon, Magill, and Cooke. , ... ■ Among the .competitors at tho meeting will be .Colonel CM. Gibbon, Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. Sleeman, Director of Military Training,- arid Major C. E. Andrews, of. the Headquarters Staff. '' Many old rifle-shots are again in evidence, among them being Lieutenant• W. N.-Masefield (Sounds), who won. the championship in 1914; Rifleman George Howe (Old Navals), George Hyde (Opaki), A. J. and W. P. Henderson (Sounds), George and H. Loveday (Ohura). W. H. Mostin (Kaoo).'J. G. Yeo (Auckland City), J. W. Milroy (Nelson). F, H. James (Okawa), F. W. H. Kunimer (Opaki), S. Marenzi (Tararua),' J. Purncll (Wanganui), W. R, Williams iOhura), J. M. Shanks (Gore), D. F. Sandford (Christchnrch), J. P.abe (Old Navals), J. H.'Parslow (Aknrana), S. G. Hollard (Kaponga)f F. AVilkio (Upper Hutt), L. F. AVilloughby (Karori), Captain J. H. ("Carbine") "Ross (Wellington Suburbs), and Sergeant F. W. Ching, If.N.Z.A. It is possible that Rifleman George Halliday. of the Karori Club, an erstwhile belt-winner, will also take part. ■ Shooting will commence each day at 8.30 a.m., and will cease at 5.30 'p.m.