VOLUNTEER INTELLIGENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3688, 17 December 1874, Page 2

VOLUNTEER INTELLIGENCE.

The Artillery parade last night was attended by nineteen gunners out of a strength of thirty, while the band were only three members short of the full number. Major Sargood, of the Victorian Artillery, and Captain Pitt, of the Nelson Artillery, were present. As was stated in our last issue, the Waikouaiti Rifles commenced firing for Colonial representatives yesterday, tut as the weather was so bad the shooting at the last two ranges had to be postponed till to-day. This morning the weather was even more unpropitions, for while yesterday it blew a hurricane it was impossible to see twenty yards to thefiont to-day. Under these circumstances, the competitors finding that the shooting by all corps who had returned representatives in the preliminary competition must be completed by Saturday, and_ the Artillery and East and West Taieri having yet to fire, and seeing also that were they again to postpone their sh< oting till next day it would cause the detention of Major Atkinson (who superintended) at considerable expense, they decided to retire. The retirement °f Captain Orbell, Sergeant Sutherland, and Volunteer Nelmes reduces the number of representatives allowed to Otago, and from whom the final choice is to be made, to twenty-seven. Subjoined are yesterday’s scores : 200 yds. 400 yds. Tl. Captain Orbell 4444434 3343224—48 Sergeant Sutherland ... 3343334 3433302—41 Volunteer Nelmes ... 4323330 0220324—31 As the shooting must be concluded by Saturday, Major Atkinson purposes (should the wea ther be at all favorable) that the Artillery shall fire to-morrow morning, the East Taieri in the evening, and the West Taieri on Saturday. We are glad to learn that Major Atkinson has placed before the Volunteer authorities the unsatisfactory manner in which the firing has been conducted, and asked that the time may he extended to the 24th, in order to give the Waikouaiti men another chance of firing. The manner in which the firing has been conducted this year is a proof of the penny-wise and pound-foolish style of the department. For L2O the whole of the competitors could have been brought together on a Dunedin range, where they would have competed on equal t.erms as regarded the weather; whereas Major Atkinson’s travelling expenses have amounted to more than that sum, and the result is a feeling of disappointment and dissatisfaction on the part of the bulk of the competitors, who had to shoot during the height of a hurricane and in a pelting rain, while two or three men were lucky enough to fire in excellent shooting wea'her.