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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4110, 23 September 1884, Page 2

The annual report on the Volunteer Force of Now Zealand has been presented to both Houses. The report states that tho new regulations which came into force on the Ist January, 1883, appear to have-worked satisfactorily. The returns show that under tho new regulations out of a force of all arms amounting to 4332 members, 3394 fulfilled the conditions and became efficients during the past year, as follows:—Cavalry,-ffj!)) <->f vriiora 2S-5 are returned as efficient and 04 non - efficient; naval artillery, 530, efficient 419, non-efficient 111 ; artillery, G34, efficient 513, non-efficient 121: garrison rifle, IG2I, efficient 1363, non-efficient 258; country corps, 11GS, efficient Sl4, uonefficicnt 354. Samples of Morris's tubes, a recent invention largely patronized at Homo for assisting volunteers to carry out a courso of musketry instruction in their drill-sheds, have been forwarded to the several districts, which, if generally adopted, should bo a great convenience to tho volunteers, as enabling them to carry out their practice in all weathers at convenient times, and obviating the necessity of members having to travel long distances to their severalrangos, with tho chanco of being interrupted by bad weather. These tubos, carrying a miniature cartridge, are oasily adjusted to any broachloading arm, and only require a range of 30 feet; the usual sighting is used, and tho ordinary extractors act precisely in tho samo manner on the tubes as on the arm without the tube. An additional advantage is that, although giving an equal result in tho practice, tho ammunition costs but onefourth of tho ordinary Snider ammunition. Return of small arms and ammunition is as follows: —Rifles, in store and on issue, Snider (all sizes), on issue, 5019; in store, G422 ; Enficld, in store, 25G. Ammunition—Snider, in store, 939,785 ; Eiifield, in store, 107,355. Cadet arms—Carbines, muzzle-loaders on issue 245, in store lfj. The cavalry are strongest at Waiuku, the naval artillery at Auckland, the artillery at Wellington, the rifles at Auckland, and tho country corps at Rangitikei, in tho North Island. In the South Island each branch has Dunedin occupying the first place. The strength of the cadets is as follows:—In the North Island 470, in the South Island SG4, or a total of 1334. The ordnance is—l 40 pr. Armstrong, G 12 prs., and 10 G prs., 10 24 prs. Howitzers, while there arc 11 seventon guns and 11 G4 prs. guns in store, ] 1 four three-fifth mortars, and 15 iron guns various.