3

H.—9

2.—REPORT ON WOBKS AND ARMAMENT. 1. WOEKS. A detailed report on the works both completed and in construction, together with recommendations on this subject, will be found in an accompanying strictly confidential return. For the purpose of this report it is unnecessary for me to say more than that most of the works were either put up or designed during the scare of 1885, when in many instances the best available sites were taken for the 7in. and 64pr. R.M.L. guns then in the colony. Forts were also constructed to mount most of the 6in. B.L. guns, and two Bin. B.L. guns (at Ripa) at the same time. These \ works are generally of bad design, the guns being too crowded together. This fault is so intensified in the work on Ripa Island that I have decided on recommending that two of its guns should be mounted on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour, thus bringing them into action and relieving the present congestion. The gunpits more recently constructed are excellent specimens. Generally throughout the construction of the emplacements for the H.P. mountings of the B.L. guns has been very good. There has never been any difficulty in training these weapons. The 7in. R.M.L. and 64-pr. R.M.L. guns are nearly all on wooden drums. The woodwork put up in 1885 has stood wonderfully well, but now begins to show signs of decay. lam reducing as many of these guns as possible, in order to save expense of alteration. For several of the most important works there are no range-finders. As the efficiency of the defence very largely depends on these articles, a supply of the proper mark should be immediately ordered. 2. Armament. -The armament consists of guns distributed as shown in the confidential return. The Bin. and 6in. B.L. guns are mounted on H.P. disappearing carriages. The guns and carriages have been kept in excellent order; but I regret to report that the Ordnance Committee have decided that it is unsafe to fire the 6in. B.L. guns in their present state, and that it will be necessary to send them Home for chase-hooping, after which the guns will fire different charges from those at present in the colony. The cost of sending the guns Home, having them altered, bringing them out, and remounting them, together with the cost of changes in ammunition and sights, will be about £700 per gun, or £9,100 in all. I recommend that this change be made gradually, so that the total cost of alteration may not fall on the colony in any one year, and have distributed the amount over three years—£3,soo for the first year, and £2,800 per year for the two following years. I may here state that blame cannot be attached to any individual in regard to these guns. At the time of manufacture they were looked upon as quite sufficiently strong. It is only from experience that we have learnt the fact of their weakness. The 7in. R.M.L. guns are mounted on iron carriages on tr aver sing-platforms. The elevating gear is obsolete, and requires alteration. It is extremely difficult, and takes an excessive amount of time, to lay the guns with the present gear. As before stated, lam reducing a large number of these guns. The 64-pr. R.M.L, guns are mounted on iron overbank-carriages on traversing-plat-forms. They are in good order. The 64-pr. converted R.M.L. guns are on wooden garrison-carriages, which are generally unserviceable. These guns are not mounted in any work of defence. They should be withdrawn. There are ten 6-pr. Q.F. Nordenfeldt guns on pillar mountings with recoil-gear, in good order. There are ten 6-pr. Nordenfeldt guns on travelling-carriages, in good order. In store there are two 6-pr. and one 3-pr. Hotchkiss guns, and one Maxim gun, taking the -45 cartridge, of which there are 11,000. There are six 12-pr. R.B.L. guns, which have been in the colony since brought here in Mercer's Battery. These guns, with their limbers, are unserviceable. Eighteen 9-pr. R.B.L. guns are distributed amongst five field batteries of Volunteers. The guns are generally ill-kept. They have no wagons, hardly any equipment, no range-finders, wornout side-arms, and no small stores, nor is there any proper amount of ammunition kept for them. These weapons are serviceable, and should be properly cared for and distributed in three batteriesone at Auckland, one at Christchurch, and one at Dunedin. Equipment and ammunition should be kept up. The officer commanding the Permanent Artillery in each centre should be made responsible for their care. There are ten 6-pr. R.B.L. guns with carriages and limbers distributed between three Volunteer field batteries. These guns are unserviceable, and should be withdrawn. In various parts of the colony there are ten 24-pr. howitzers, eight 24-pr. S.B. guns, three 12-pr. S.B. and two 32-pr. S.B. guns. These weapons are serving no good purpose. They are quite obsolete, and should be returned to store. The B.L. guns mounted have a complement of 100 rounds per gun, and those not mounted have their complement in store. There should be a reserve of 50 rounds per gun in store. There is a complement of 200 rounds per gun for the 6-pr. Nordenfeldts. This is sufficient. There are 200 rounds per gun for the R.M.L. guns. There are only 65 rounds of shell per gun for the 9-pr. R.B.L. guns, and a total of but 106 time-fuzes. The complement should be raised to 150 rounds per gun, with the proper proportion of fuzes. There is sufficient ammunition for the Hocchkiss guns.

Note. — Vide special note on 6in. B.L. guns, Part 11., page i.