366

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

Representatives might have an opportunity of being present at the Napier races, which were to take place
on the intervening days; but from all that I could learn, I believe that not more than eight or ten of the
ninety-six competitors attended these races. So eager were the Representatives to commence shooting,
and to stay away from the races, that (and my orders being that the official firing was not to be commenced
until the 14th) I had to dismantle one of the targets on the range proper and remove it to a more distant
locality, where private practice was carried on, a squad officer being always in superintendence.

Now there arose a question, and it was not an unexpected one. The extra Representatives, men who
were present at the meeting at their own expense, desired to be compensated for their unwilling and con-
strained detention for these three idle days. Their desire, however, was at once gratified by the concession
made by the Hon. the Defence Minister, who decided that, with regard to detention allowance for these
three days, these extra men were to be considered as on the same footing as the Representatives who were
present at the meeting at the public expense.

At 6 a.m. on the 14th March the business of the meeting commenced, and was continued every day
until the 26th without intermission, excepting from occasional rain and foggy mornings, which rendered the
targets invisible even at the short distances; and so incessant was the firing that, although the competitors
had frequent periods of diversion and amusement, I think the squad officers who were with me will not
again desire to undertake so severe a duty.

I endeavoured to carry through the whole of the prescribed matches, so far as circumstances permitted,
by alternate branches of the service: first, cavalry, then infantry, and so on; so that while cavalry were on
the range, the infantry were free to indulge in cricket, quoits, or any other amusement, and vice versa,
but there was no such relaxation for the squad officers.

The markers from the Armed Constabulary were active and accurate in the extreme in their signalling,
but I cannot speak so favourably of the bugler, who was provided from the same force; for it would appear
that though he had been a bugler some years ago, he had not of late had any practice; and a bugler who
cannot sound is about as effective as a volunteer who cannot shoot.

In the Rapidity and Skirmishing Matches every opportunity exists (and it cannot be avoided), and I
am afraid in some cases was taken advantage of, to make fictitious scores; for when fifteen men are firing at
fifteen targets which are five yards apart, and all at the same instant, it may be supposed that two indifferent
shots will conspire to fire at one target, and so secure by such pre-arrangement a first prize for subsequent
division, to the obvious loss of the honest competitor. Such a case was said to have occurred, but detection
was impossible. Therefore, I think these matches should be discontinued; for, irrespective of the
dishonesty which may be practised in firing them, they are injurious to rifles of any description, but more
particularly to muzzle-loaders. Much more honest and real instruction was afforded by a "Match at
Moving Targets" of the skirmishing dimensions, and one which it is very desirable should be permanently
introduced at annual competitions. In this instance, by the ingenuity of Mr. Christie, a wooden tramway
was laid on to the target platform, on which were placed, at a chain apart, but secured to each other, five
wooden 4-wheeled trucks, each surmounted by a target of the size I have indicated. These were moved
backward and forward simultaneously, at the same speed, by a windlass at either end--the period of firing
being fixed at three minutes for breech and five for muzzle loaders.

I think, also, that small-bore matches in competition with Enfield rifles should be discontinued. Our
rifles of this latter description have almost ceased from long use to be weapons of precision, and the
sighting of small-bores can be so much more accurately adjusted that a competition between two such
weapons, no matter how handicapped, is unfair; besides, no judgment is required in using a small-bore
beyond that of fixing and adjusting the sights, for when this is done any inexperienced or inexpert shot
cannot attach to our service weapon, and competitions between the two should not again take place. But
I would be sorry to see small-bore matches discontinued altogether. Matches confined to arms of this
description exclusively should still be embraced in the Prize Firing Regulations.

In one match I had to disqualify the score made by a competitor, for having, when standing amongst
the men of his squad, and when waiting his turn to fire, put a cap on his rifle and discharged it into the
ground, apparently forgetting that it was loaded. The ball entered the ground only a few inches from the
feet of those who were standing near him, and had the ground been stony, the consequences would
undoubtedly have been serious. In another match, a competitor was disqualified whose pull-off of trigger
was considerably under the minimum weight.

One case of suspected tampering with a rifle lock I had to submit to the investigation of a Board of
Officers, whose decision was recorded as "not proven;" but nevertheless, whereas the score of the com-
petitor was, before the investigation, exceedingly good and promising as regarded his chance of obtaining the
belt, after the inquiry he could not by any means succeed in making his previous scores. I must do the
man the justice to say that he was himself the first to declare that some defect existed in the lock of
his rifle.

The competitors, cavalry as well as infantry, handed me the annexed proceedings of meetings held by
them to consider certain questions affecting their respective branches of the Volunteer Service at these
annual meetings, and their recommendations I must refer to the favourable consideration of the Hon. the
Defence Minister.

Clause 5, page 9, Prize Firing Regulations of 1874, directed that "no Volunteer will be eligible to
compete in the Colonial Prize Firing unless he was an efficient Volunteer of the year ending 31st March,
1873." I regret to say that, in my opinion, very many of the competitors of this year were not by any
means efficient Volunteers. Many of them were quite guiltless of understanding the meaning of the terms,
"Half-right" or "Half-left turn," or even in some cases of "Right-about turn." I think officers command-
ing districts should be advised not to be too generous in their construction of the fourth paragraph of the
Volunteer Efficiency Certificate when they affix their signatures thereto; for awkward, careless, and undrilled
men in the ranks, and with loaded rifles, are a cause of very serious anxiety to the officer who may be
moving them, if only from one firing point to another. Besides, however able a Volunteer may be to
punish an enemy in the field, it is very desirable that his friends should feel that there is no possibility of
their being made hors-de-combat by their own comrades.

I believe that the shooting of the present year will be found to be an improvement upon that of last
year; at all events, a glance at the score of the matches by which the Championship was decided will show