THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 1908. SHOOTING STRAIGHT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9048, 14 March 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 1908. SHOOTING STRAIGHT.

We quite agree with Sir Joseph Ward in his remarks at the presentation of prizes at the close of the Trentham rifle meeting, when he said that "one of the first considerations of the Government must be to have available a good number of rifle shots quite irrespective of volunteer training." It is to such men tha country must look for assistance for defence in the time of nesd. This being admitted it behoves the Government to assist by every means in its power the rifle clubs of the dominion, and to encourage every man and youth capable of holding a rifle to practice the art of "shooting straight." Much has been done in recent years in this direction, but more can yet be accomplished, and we have no douLt the increasing popularity of the New Zealand Bisley meetings, and the marked success which has attended these gatherings, will stimulate the Government to further action. As the Premier truly observed, the praotice of rifle shooting tends to make good citizens, because a man to have any chance of success in the annual rifle competitions must be temperate in all his habits. There is a demand in certain quarters for the curtailment of scientific shooting in favour of shooting under service conditions, and there is no doubt that that demand has much \o commend it, for sharp-shooters would be the men to be reckoned with in the event of war occurring; but there is no reason why scientific shooting should be altogether set aside. The study of the effects of j wind upon marksmanship must constitute an important factor in service conditions, as well as in ordinary target shooting. These conditions,

however, have been recognised by the Defence authorities during the past three years, and rapid-firing matches have been made a conspicuous, and to a certain extent a compulsory feature of the Trentbam gatherings. Apart from the value of stationary target shooting as a means to an end, it would not do to abolish it, because it would largely detract from the popularity of the Defence Forces meetings, and the gatherings which for seven years have become increasingly large would become increasingly small. The rivalry at the standing target is greater and more interesting at present than at the dummy targets, because the individual shooter comes more to the front, and a multitude of good shots under any conditions is better than a few such under restricted obligations. A reasonable mean has been reached for the time being, and the present state of things is sufficiently satisfactory.

Another instance in which the hard and fast character of the Arbitration Act in regard to labour awards may work disadvantageously to employer and employed has cropped up—this time in Wellington. The Inspsctor of Factories proceeded in the Magistrate's Court against the licensees of the Grand Hotel with having failed to give three waiters a half-holiday one week in January last. The facts, as disclosed inthe evidence were, briefly stated, as follow :--The waiters were allowed tha half-holiday, but owing to the hotel being full and assistance therefore required, they were told by the head waiter that if they cared to return and work during the evening dinner hours eanh would be paid 5s extra, this being the award for casual labour for a dinner. No compulsion was used. Two of the waiters returned and worked from 6 to 8 p.m.,i and then went off again. The other did not return. Mr Riddeil, S.M., in delivering judgment pointed out that the law was specific on the point that every hotel assistant must get a half-holiday, and must take it. There was no provision'in the Act empowering either employer or employee to enter into a contract outside of the Act, and therefore neither could do so. The Magistrate had accordingly no option but to convict, remarking at the same time that the employees were as much to blame as the employers in entering into the agreement. It is probable that the case will be taken to a higher court, and if so, some interesting arguments should be forthcoming, and probably some further light will be shed upon the working of section 20 of the Act of 1904, and section 3 of last year's amending Act.

The Government has wisely decided to dispose of the steameVs Janie Seddon and Lady Roberts as being unsuitable for defence purposes. These vessels have been costly toys, from the outset. They co3t a good many thousands of pounds to procure and a large sum of monay has been spent upon them for crews and upkeep, though for all practical purposes they have been useless. They, however, served very well for pleasure excursions for Ministers in the days of the Seddon regime, and more than once when the Janie Seddon was required to convey members of the Permanent Artillery and Volunteers to the forts at Wellington for the annual practice or encampment, she was not available because Ministers and their friends required her for picnic purposes. There are lots of costly toys in connection with the pub|ic service of the dominion which might well be dispensed with. The disposal of the steamers mentioned, and the substitution of a couple of more serviceable oil launches may be the beginning of a new and better order of things.