The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 1910. RIFLE CLUB REGULATIONS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 27 July 1910, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 1910. RIFLE CLUB REGULATIONS.

Tiik great importance, of rifle clubs is a subsidiary arm of the New Zealand Defence Forces has been nocogn.ised 'in a very much greater degree during the last tow years than was the case previously, but '.there is need for further encouragement and support to be extended to them. There was ii time during which rifle dubs were regarded as being "neither fish, flesh, fowl nor good rod herring;" then came a period of disdainful toleration by the Defence authorities; and at last, by slow degrees and I'ought-for processes, the right of the riflo clubs to full recognition as an effective arm of tho defence service was established. Tt was thought, when this .stage was reached, some two or three years ago tha't the vicissitudes of tho rifle clubs had'endied; hut instead of this being tho case, it was found that only the nature of the troubles bad been changed. In the older 'times the rifle clubs had nothing effective allotted to thorn in the defence operations; to-day they are expected *a> do a groat deal. But like the afflicted brickmakens of Ancient Egypt, they are kept lamentably short of straw. To drop the metaphor and be plain, it nvay be said that >a good deal of preparatory work in the shape of class firing is required of tho riflemen, and only a very small grant of ammunition is made to them with which to do tho firing. There are numerous otflier expenses which rifle club members are put to. They have to buy their own rifles and pay costs of renewing worn out barrel Is; yet they get no capitation allowance such as tho riflo clubs of Australia do. The disparity between the treatment accorded to Australian rifle clubs 'by the Com- [ monwealiflh Defence Authorities and that which New Zealand rifle clubs have had to put up with during recent years was well set out in some particulars read in the House of Representatives by Mr W. H.. Field, M.P. for this electorate, and .reprinted in a rectnt issue of the Horowhenua Chronicle. Mr Field, it may be mentioned in passing, lias worked for tlbe uplifting of rifle clubs, in season and out of season, with a persevering and dogged purpose that itoas at length made it generally evident that something must be done to meet their clamant needs. A proof of this was acord'ed in Wellington last week when in answer to a call of members of Parliament to arrange a depntation to Sir Joseph Ward regarding this matter nearly thirty meia-

■bens put in an .appearance. It was arranged tilra'b tho deputation would wait upon Sir Joseph during the -present week, and. we have no doubt that the reasonableness of the Premier, and his quick capacity -for swing and acknowledging tho merits of any good case presented to him will result in the rifle clubs of New Zealand being placed upon an. improved footing in regard to free am munition grants ami <an enlargement of the amounts to he sold to them at nomin>al charges, «s an incentive to the practice that makes perfect. Whether the Government will see its way at present to make any capit.ait.ion allowance to rifle clubs, we feel a doubt; and to speak candidly we must give our opinion that no great hardship will be done to them if they have to defer for ,i funther year or two their present claim to tin's, in the interests of some more pressing needs which the dominion exchequer will have made upon it. But on the questions of increased grants of ammunition and of reduced charges for new rifles and the replacement of worn-out ban-ells wo can give a hearty and unqualified support to all those wilio are belu'ud tho movement for rifle clubs betterment.