RIFLE SHOOTING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3434, 27 January 1912, Page 8

RIFLE SHOOTING.

Ml® UNDERSTANDING RE DE- . FENCE SCHEME. [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.! WELLINGTON, Jan. 26. There seems to be a good deal of misunderstanding in rifle shooting circles throughout the Dominoin in regard to the Defence Department’s scheme of forming district, or group, rifle associations in the various military districts. Discussing the scheme yesterday, Col. Heard, Director of military training, said there was no desire to interfere with the sport of rifle shooting, and.existing associations should become group, or district associations, in places where the latter had not been formed. They merely had to apply to become such to the. officer commanding the district, and their programmes would have to he submitted for approval. There would be some advantage in becoming a group, or district, association, as certain monetary grants would be forthcoming in. aid of the prize lists, and all that the authorities desired was that there should be a certain amount of service shooting, as biills-eye shooting pure and simple was not conducive to military training. Rifle clubs were now part of the defence organisation, and it was necessary that the members should go through the prescribed course of musketry. Under the existing conditions it was necessary for the defence of the Dominion that rifle club men should do a certain amount of shooting, under military conditions, to keep themselves efficient. He pointed out that in England there were district rifle associations, and something of the same character was proposed for New Zealand. A draft programme had been laid down as a guide to committees. It was not to be taken as a hard and fast rule, but would serve to give the associations some idea of what was expected. Monetary grants had been made to the Southland and Gore - Associations, as their programmes had been approved, and there would be a grant also for the Auckland group association. The specimen programme which has been drawn up by the defence authorities lias been forwarded to all officers commanding districts. Service matches predominate, and a memorandum attached to the programme states that the idea of group rifle association meetings. is to enable riflemen to obtain practice for the Dominion Rifle Association meeting and any meetings held should be nine days prior to the big annual gathering at Trentham. The Director of military training, who signed the memorandum, proceeds, “I would specially ask rifle club men in all districts to help the military authorities in their'endeavof to establish service shooting as a sport, as against bulls-eye shooting. Although, ao the outset, there may be considerable opposition, yet I venture to say that just as much interest will be taken in the new order as in the old.”