Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

RIFLE CLUB MEMBERS FOR HOME DEFENCE

To The Editor Sir,—ln your report of the remarks I made at the annual meeting of the Invercargill Defence Rifle Club about the value of rifle club members for home defence, you made a palpable mistake of 900 yards in the distance I mentioned, which was 1000 yards. I did not realize then that my remarks would be sent to the northern papers in a Press Association message. But yesterday I received a letter from a member of a Dunedin rifle club in which he stated: “The local newspapers have published extracts from a speech in which you are reported as follows: ‘I am quite satisfied if we picked a squad from our two clubs here, any enemy coming within 100 yards would get a hot time . . Otago riflemen feel sure that the distance mentioned is a reporter’s error and liable to give the public a poor idea of our capabilities.” Apparently the two Dunedin papers made the same mistake as yourselves. It seems to me, sir, that these papers must think that the defence rifle clubs are armed with shot guns. The Press Association message must have been sent correctly, as Christchurch and Wellington papers have printed the remarks exactly as I made them. It may be of interest if I say that the high-powered rifles with which the defence rifle clubs are armed are sighted up to 2000 yards and their extreme range is well over 3000 yards. I do not know of any defence rifle club in the Dominion which does target practice at a closer distance than 300 yards, even in its military service practices, and competitions are held back to 900 yards where excellent scoring is very often recorded. —Yours, etc., A. R. WILLS, President, Invercargill Defence Rifle Club.

September 18, 1940. [We regret, the error in our own report. The Press Association message, for which we were not responsible, was apparently altered in transmission at Dunedin alone, for the other papers to which it was sent printed the figure of 1000 yards correctly.—Editor, The Southland Times.]

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19400920.2.18.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Southland Times, Issue 24236, 20 September 1940, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
348

RIFLE CLUB MEMBERS FOR HOME DEFENCE Southland Times, Issue 24236, 20 September 1940, Page 3

RIFLE CLUB MEMBERS FOR HOME DEFENCE Southland Times, Issue 24236, 20 September 1940, Page 3

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert