(NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION MEETING.) Present State of the Arrangements. Auckland, February 16.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 38, 23 February 1884, Page 5

( NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION MEETING.) Present State of the Arrangements. Auckland, February 16.

Mii Fkank Stevens, permanent Secretary to the New Zealand Rifle Association, arrived yesterday by the s.s. Te Anau from Wellington, and is stopping at the Albert Hotel. Shortly after his arrival he was interviewed by a Stak reporter. Mr Stevens expects that 200 competitors will take part in the meeting. Thirty -live names are already in from Dunedin and surrounding districts, but the lists of names from Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, Taranaki, and Auckland have not yet reached him. He anticipates that the corps from the country districts in this province will be very largely represented. The first contingent of the Southerners are expected to arrive here by the s.s. Rotorua at the Manukau on Sunday next. This consignment will include the Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, Wanganui, and several ot the Wellington representatives. The Wellington Naval Brigade intend making a vigorous attempt to win the Carbine Championship this year as they are sending up two teams of five men each. The main body of the Southern representatives, inclusive of the Otago and Canterbury contingents and the remainder of the Wellirgton men, will come up in the s.s. Tarawera, which should reach here on Monday next. The trophies for the meeting, including the new Carbine Champion Belt — made to replace the old belt which became the absolute property of Lieut. Gordon, of the Thames, last year — have been manufactured by Messrs Hislop and Co., of Wellington. The belt is a most elaborate one, and is heavily mounted with silver. Its cost was *.33. It is to be regretted that the local subscriptions for the meeting are nob coming in so freely as might be wished. Up to the present only £130 have been collected, though it is expected loin crea&e the amou nt to £2oo before the commencement of the firing. We do not wi&h to accn&e the local Committee of lack ot interest, but we certainly had thought that in &uch a wealthy community, and tor such an object, the bum of £300 or £400 could have been rai&ed without much difficult}'. We would urge the Committee to increase their exertions ; there is still time to double the amount now in hand. Mr Steven's has with him the telephones, &c, for connecting the butts with the firing point. The telegraph office at the Grandstand will be opened during the meeting for the convenience of the press and the public. Mr. George Humphries, of the New Zealand Picks Association, and Mr Albert Cohen, of the Dunedin " Evening Star,'' will be amongst those present. Mr Christie, a Government armourer, to whom has been entm&ted the laying-off of the ground, erection of targets, &c, is making good progress with the works under his supervision. Owing to the formation of the ground, it has been found necessary to run the .short and long ranges in different directions. This Mr Stevens regards as rather an unfortunate circumstance. However, the proximity of the racecourse to town, and its accessibility, renders it about the most suitable place obtainable. There will be .sixty-four targets in use at the meeting— thirty-two six feet square and thirty two six feet by four feet. The targets Mill be frames of wood covered with stout white canvas, covered with white paper. The bulls-eyes will be represented by squares of black paper. These targets are arranged in pairs, each pair being mounted on a pivot, after the fashion of the mounting of the sails of a windmill. One of ( ach pair of targets shows over the top of tli . butts. After a shot has been fired its j ition on the target is indicated by means ci a disc pointer, and the target that has been fired at is turned downwards under cover of the butts — its fellow, of course, ' taking its place above the butts. The shot hole is repaired after each shot by the simple expedient of pasting a small piece of paper over the hole. These targets are the joint invention of Messrs. Stevens and Christie, and were first used at the Dunedin meeting last year. They are much more suitable than the ordinary Wimbledon targets, which <4ide up and down in sashes, and in the event of a ball striking the sash are liable to jam. Yesterday afternoon Mr Stevens, accompanied by Mr Edward Cooper, Secretary to the local Committee, Capts. Dignan and Payne, and Messrs. J. and W. Leigh, proceeded to Ellerslie and inspected the range. Mr Stevens expressed himself satisfied Awth the arrangements, and considers the i-ange superior to that used at Dunedin last year.