Defence.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2100, 3 May 1898, Page 2

Defence.

WarriNG; to the Auckland Herald last week Oapt Johnson late Instructor 80 th Regiment says:—Ngftv that a revival of interest has set in with regard to volunteering, it may bo opportune to make a few well timed remarks on the subjecri It will bo generally conceded that a defeider, whether volunteer or regular, should be a sure shot And a good judge of distance. Therefore, permit me, through your columns, to ask the ques* tion, are our men sufficiently trained in the theory and practice of musketry and of Judging distance 1 All the drill ever 'invented will not makeTTman other than an encumbrance Ip his company unless he is a marksman that can be, in the presence of the enemy, re* lied upon. A man may be an excellent: shot at a fixed target at known dis* . tances, aad yet fail miserably when called upon to fire at various ranges; that are unfamiliar to him. This hasbeen frequently proved in action, more©specially during the Boer campaign of 1880-81. I In that short struggle our men lost in Jkilled and founded over 800 of their comrades, whilst theBoers, armed with the short Weslley Richards rifle, suffered a loas of only 43 killed and 53 wounded.

Tho old system of rifle practice at. standing targets at known ranges is right on >ugh as a preliminary teat on which t£ ..weed out. inefficient but it' will not makq men certain of the f e opposed to them. I would, therefore, suggest that those men who have, gone through the prescribed musketry course with credit / who have, indeed, scored sufficiently, Gas to be .distinguished as first-class, : shots, are then drilled in judging distance, and a fterwards unite tog*ther • to Torm whab may be termed reform, rifle companies, such to be organised for the pu pose of ensuring that more . attention should bo paid to active-, service conditions- thain has been done , in the past. For instance, practice for-’ the D&rgai Gap prize (individual- deliberate fire) will represent the fire of selector sliots on oupost duty firing, at an enemy's patrol the approximate range having been discovered by the range-finder. Distances within .800 yards, six rounds to be fired in two . minutes at a target representing three; standing men , position,- lying down and taking, advantage of ; all possiblecover, 2. Abu Elea prize, for rapid * firing. To instruct a soldier to load rapidly, and fire as he would have to do against'an enemy at ranges stated-.. 1 by the company officer ; position, kneeling or lying ; seven rounds in 70secs; targets, kneeling, hits to-count, five points. & Skirmishing prize, forindividual firing at various unknown ranges, representing picked shots; skirmishing; 10 to be fired within 10 minutes from certain pointsafc unknown distances, whils< advancing,, between 800 y ards and 500 yards - position, any ; targets representingmen kneeling and lying down each. -I hit to count five pointer "A. IJluudn.' prize, for rapid volleys at an' iiiiknoWhi rang® ; representing firing against well-exposed masses of che enemv seven volleys to bs fired in 70 seconds: at an unknown distance, between 7.OGv yds and 390yds j position, front kneeling, rear standing, against targets; standing. Let the country encourage riflepractice by offering substantial rewards to all first-class shots and firstclass judges of distance; let a registerfee kept o-f the addresses of these men, " so that in case of trouble they may be called upon to form up and repel by skill in marksmanship any force likely to be- landed on our comt. A hitiidred cool and accurate shots will be worth, should danger arise, a coupleof thousand aimle>B trigger-pullers, no matter how well drilled, uressed, and disciplined the latter crowd may be.