Army Methods.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 36, 12 February 1904, Page 4

Army Methods.

jfc- CARTRIDGE AT A SHAM W~ t FIGHT. I?C' Our Aruiy authorities have just Ji given another instance of their re- [ niortoble methods. A grand mili- ' tary parade was going on at Alderr 'Bhot, one feature being a "Sham 8- Fight." As this proceeded it began fe 'to be noticed that every now and y°- then a soldier dropped in most re'2't aKstic fashion, as if badly wounded. ■' j Tins was quite a novelty in meloi' .dramatic realism, and elicited much &. -, applause. But when it came to be rj,- ascertained that the wounds were iSfc- real, and that one inon, at any rate, .?_ was shot dead, while various out- \ ;;9tdersnot concerned in the sham t~ . .light, including a harmless old wo- - man, had received a share of the „.* "peppering " a good 'deal of annoyance was felt. Nor was this mitigated when it came out that the mishap had occurred through a number of ball cartridges inuring been . distributed among the blank car- • trudges issued for the sham .Ight. It has often been doctored most desirable that "the conditions of ac- '. J tual warfare - ''should be reproduced ' in these mimic struggles, but We do • not suppose the advocates of the plan ever went so far as to suggest the use of a proportion of ball cartridges among the blank ammunition used in practice. This might be deemed carrying a good principle a - shade too far !