NEW ZEALAND'S BISLEY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 209, 2 March 1912, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND'S BISLEY.

THE SERVICE MATCHES. AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT. By Telegraph—Press Association. Treatham, Lasx Night. The Trentham rifle camp presented an animated appearance this morning, when the competitors mustered at the squadding posts for the individual matches, to hear an announcement which it had been understood Col. Collins. Chief Executive Officer, was to make. Among the 325 competitors were the present champion, D. Roots and ex-cham-pions G. Hyde, R. J. King, W. S.King, Milroy, Ross, Duncan, and Halliday, also Rifleman James, champion 'of Wairarapa, Moss, champion of Southland, as well as most of the prominent shots of Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago. Of the champions who have won laurels on the Trentham range only Ballinger, Ching and Irvine were absent. Col. Collins, in his address to the men, referred to the cause of the dissatisfaction among shooters at the small attendance. This, as has been explained, was due to the establishment of the Territorial forces and to the fact that matters were in a transition sta','e. All things considered, the attendance was good, being 325. Rifles having been withdrawn from the Territorials, these had small opportunity for practice. The meeting, he; said, reallv only commenced to-day, the previous two days devoted to practice matches, and it showed th,e deepi interest taken in them that yesterday there were 700 entries in those eyents. A great improvement had been made in regard to service matches, and the men would know the result of their shots as fired. He thought that there would be no trouble in securing an alteration in the constitution of the association, in the direction of allowing competition to have a voice in the election of the executive. Arrangements were being made to further encourage rifle clubs. ' Although the prize-list was, reduced on account of the reduced attendance, the amount provided was higher in ratio than previously. He believed that this meeting would be the forerunner of great meetings in the future, and he expected at-.the next meeting to secure; 1000 entries. The men then marched in a heavy rain shower to the Collins' and Somerville ranges. At the former, snap shooting at 300 yards was taken, half the men taking part in this, while th© other half went on with the loophole cover match at 500 yards. In the snap-shoot-ing match, the men had to fire at a khaki figure target representing the head and shoulders of a man, exposed for four seconds, seven times. An innovation was made, every shot being spotted, or, the exact position of it shown, and the improvement turned what has formerly been something of a farce into earnest shooting, and made, the men take far greater pleasure in their task. Eight of the men got all their hits on the target, Mayhew (Feilding) and Floyd (Tauranga) each getting six bullseyes. Twen-ty-three got six hits, and a huge number five hits. This showed a great advance of formers years. The loophole cover match, at 600 yards, presented great difficulties to those men who fired in the first batch. The figure was of a light khaki color, which hardly showed at all against some of the patches of clay on the hill. Besides a steady, warm rain created' a nasty haze, and at times utterly obscured the target. As a result of this, the scores were uniformly bad, but those who. fired later on did' much better, McCalmont (Opaki) getting 9 hits, and Melville (Waikato) and W. P. King (Opaki) 8 hits. The rapid shoot-' ing match, in which the. competitors fired ten round sat a 6ft: by <sft.,figure target, at .500 yards, produced excellent results. The last match of the day was the slow practice competition, at 600 yards* This, like the. others, was at disappearing targets, but the men were allowed lots of time to aim. To-morrow the individual service series will be completed; The following are the principal prizewinners:— i j

Snap-shootii?. 300 vards. 7 shot".— Mayhew (Feilding) P.nd Flovd (Tauranga), each 35, will; 0 bullseves, £3 10s each; Evnns (Wellington Suburbs) 35, with 4 bullseyes, f.i. Loophole Cover/ Match.—McGalmont (Opaki), 45, with 1 bullseye. £4; M»l----ville (Waikato), 40. l bnllsf.ve. £2 ICte; R. 'J. King (Opaki), 40, with 1 bullseye, £2 10s. " ,

Slow practice competition, 600 yards, figure tarsret. 7 rounds, 1 shot each exposure.— Sharland (Nelson) 32 , £4; Gitehnan (Patea) 32, £3; Carey (Patea) 31, £2. . '

Rapid shooting match, 500 yards, figure target, ten rounds.—Fellows (Karori) 46. £4; Facer (Port Chalmers) 44, £3; Morgan (3rd Regiment), Russell (Petone), and Caldwell (Karori) each 43, £1 Os 6d each. '