272 
MILITIA ARTILLERY COMPETITIVE PRACTICE, 
9. —The limit of time should be reduced, as soon as the efficiency 
of the gun squads warrants such reduction. 
10. —It might be taken into consideration whether the allowance 
for time for smoke in the casemates could be abolished. It is distinctly 
a service condition and some means might possibly be found to counteract 
this cause of delay, when using the D.R.IYs. 
11. —The employment of P.S. sergeants and sergeant-majors as 
G,0. is not advantageous or desirable. They are certainly available, 
but are not as quick as the young officers; they could be best employed 
in general duty on the gun floors to prevent accidents, etc. Being 
absent for months together from regimental duty, they are out of 
practice and much behind the times. 
12. —The forts henceforth will be properly equipped and organised; 
the regimental efforts to make communications and obtain control will 
now be superfluous and marks for the same can be abolished. 
13. —I recommend that each company during training should 
have three extra instructors drawn from other militia regiments and 
the regulars—this would be an economy, as the maximum of instruc¬ 
tion should be taught the militiamen during the period of payment; 
time is lost at present for want of instructors. 
That this competition does good also indirectly, must be inferred by the 
attention it claims from the public in the counties. Thus on arrival of 
the winning regiment at Limerick, all the townspeople and neighbour¬ 
hood met it with their bands and escorted it amidst cheers to the 
barracks. The cup was exhibited for some time in shop windows. 
This public recognition must give help to recruiting of men. Officers 
will also join where really defined work is to be done, and honour 
obtained in the doing it. 
BESTJLTS 
OF THE 
Competitive and Comparative Statement op Marks Gained. 
Drill series 
Practice series 
r>. 
u 
1 
1 
Time j 
Laying j 
3 
fi 
Discipline 
Hits 
j Time 
I Allowance fo 
| R.M.L. 
j Total 
Gband Totals 
r 
1 
10 
20 
18 
18 
216 
20 
320 
Average company figure of merit... 
... 218-16 
2 
9 
20 
18 
ISO 
20 
267 
I 
'Communications. 
101 
'o * 
II- 
3 
6 
20 
16 
10 
180 
10 
252 
o 
Ph 
Arrangements for control . 
10 | 
J3 
4 
9 
20 
14 
20 
108 
0 
71 
3 . 
a ’ 
Power of control. 
1 
in 
i 
5 
7 
19 
16 
20 
216 
20 
298 
! 
[ Regimental specialists . 
0| 
6 
10 
15 
16 
20 
103 
30 
199 
2 1 
! 
[.Practice reports and criticism 
Grand total. 
20 J 
... 298-16 
