SERVICE NOTES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 15 November 1924, Page 20

SERVICE NOTES

NAVAL CHANGES. AN AMERICAN CRUISE. LONDON, Oct. 8The conditions of advancement of ratings while on loan to Dominion navies are to be generally similar to those in the Royal Navy. *When a rating, so lent, being fully qualified, is advanced to C.P.0., P. 0., or leading rate Ini the seaman," signal, or tele-

graphist brau'.h, or to chief stoker or stoser P. 0., oi- acting leading stoker, to Ml a vacancy caused by the death; desertion, final discharge' to the shore i>y invaliding or otherwise (except on expiration of Ro.val Navy engagement), dis'ating or reduction in rating of a Rot al Navy rating on loan, no reversion is to take place on return to the Royal Navy. This provision is to apply also to advancements to leading stoker (confirmed) of ratings lent to the Royal Australian Navy only. L'eutenant A”. D. Cairns, on the arrival of the light cruiser Adelaide — which accompanied the Hood and the Renulse in the last part of their world cruise —in home waters, has joined h°r. Paymaster-Lieut.-Commander Q. H. Lane, of the Royal Navy, will join the

Adelaide,on the 25th inst. This officer has been in the Imperial service since 1.908. 1

No promotion is being made in the rank to rea.-admiral in the vacancy c:i>.sed .by' the' promotion - of RearAdmiral the .Hon; -Hubert' Brand to T'ice-aclnii.i-al; ; in place;, of Vice-Admiral E. ,CVl}.,:wh6 lias-'retired at his ..own- request. A. comparison ,of the present ' list with that, in' February-, ,I9 I ’2 a contempb) , ai’j'),. : . : wlien' the reduction was. first aiirfbunced, shows that '"one . admiralj.iyohe . vic-e----adm.rnl, and seven- rear-admirals I .', have now teen retrenched, out of 'tlie totals of two admirals, thi-ee vice-admirals, rnd ten rear-admirals, by whom the h'st is to _be reduced gradually. On this ' showing, six more flag officers Inve still to go—one admiral, two viceadmirals, and three rear-admirals. The full reduction in establishment, when, complete, will be about 17£ per cent. Instead of three admirals of the fleet, 12 admirals, 22 vice-admirals, and 55 rear-admirals, there will be three admirals of the fleet, 10 admirals, 19 viceadmirals, and 45 rear-admirals, or a combined total of 77, as comoared with 92. Taking account of the unfilled vacancy, and excluding fihe officers lent to the Dominions, who are regarded as supernumerary, there' are now

three admirals-or,.the fleet, 11 admirals, 21 vice-admirals, and 48 rear-admi als. 9 his is exclusive of the three admirals o: the fleet promoted by O’rders-in-CoxncH for war services—Lords Je!licoe, Beatty, and Wester Wemvss — wfiose places will not, in the ordinary cm rse, be filled again. Lord Jellicoe retires on leaching ‘the ' ! age of 65 on De ember 5, but no vacancy will be cv’sed the-’-ehy. Great reductions have taken place in the opportunities for: p'-rvice of flag officers since the annisti e. The number of posts now available are: Admirals of the fleet. 1; carnivals, o; vice-admirals. 9; rearadmirals 24. These include posts at the Admi-altv, and shore appointments m- the ports, as well as in the fleet. The great majority of all these posts

-are now held for two years, or less. I yro/ided- that the estimated cost of I the fuel is approved ot bv Congress, tt.e light scouting cruisers •of the I T.ri.A.. Navy will, visit Austral.an jv.uters next >ear —probably in July, it’* course the increased cost would not ;Le very ihucli, v a s the cruise in Anti- ! pc,dean waters would take the place of ..the usual .cruise on the Pacific Coast j as' far north ,as Seattle. The’ cruisers fit piesent attached td the scputing fleet of the-U.S.A; Navy include the Richmond, Milwaukee, Cinciriatti, aqd T:enton,....which constitute No. 2 divi- ; s-on, and --the.'Detroit and the Raleigh, jt\riich at present,- form No. 3 .division, b.'.t which ; willV v he .supplemented In J i ne next by the Marblehead and the Memphis, making seven ships in all. There is very much more in this projected cruise than meets the eye. The navy of the United' States is undergoing | a very severe criticism by its. owners, l not a few of whom maintain that it is .very much below par in fighting and manoevring power—so much that it is generally in' a very poor condition, and easily outclassed and outgunned by its; only rivals,“ the British Navy and the Japanese Navy. Quite recently it was stated that hardly any of’ its squadrons was fit to take a'month’s ! continuous cruise, much less for

active service, and that its personnel n'kht, be much improved in the matter of disipliiie and race, genuine-born citizens ot the United States of America being lather in a minority. Ali this may h-e due to political "stunts,” and have liH.o foundation in fact. A cruise to the ntipodes would be a nraeticol reftJation.

T+ _ is understood that the new aufomati 1 rifle is so far advanced at the Small Arms-Sohool that a few of them should be ready early in the New Year for . experiments, under which they would be subjected to usage contingent on active service. One of th° Doints to special attention is being paid R the reduction of the weapon to a minimum weight without affecting its resistance to wear, and tear. The non-

heating of the barrel--which is heavier ■in. met-al than that of the .303 service i-*fle— — also an importantpoint, and', one hard to overcome.. Of course, the; ivann.ng of the British Army with an automatic rifle, even if only in part;.' would be a very costly process, but it the ‘‘coming war” is to coih'e -would; be cheap at any price. Other Powers are engaged in experiments with a similar automatic ride, and we cannot afford to be outclassed in rifle fire, as we were outclassed in artillery in the first year of the late war.

.Some further experiments are being made, with the stream-line, or boatshaped, belief, the advent of which, three years ago, caused such a sensation among our crack rifle shots—by the Small Arms School experts, who seem to be of the opinion that its possibilities have not yet been fully plumbed. Indeed, there are practical mem who think that, ultimately if will be possible to produce a rifle’with 300 to 400 yards’ point-blank range, and with a small elevation for anything up to ICM) yards. Whether these anticipations will materialise in a service rifle remains to be seen.