346 
COMMENDED ESSAY, 1897 . 
Proposed 
scheme for 
practice. 
headquarters are elsewhere this would be impracticable, and an arma¬ 
ment major or district officer would have to do the work. 
At present there is considerable diversity of system in different 
districts in regard to the armament charge of the forts. In some cases 
company majors are accountants, but are responsible for more works 
than their companies could possibly man. This is a serious matter if 
the works are long distances apart. Sometimes the company majors 
are in armament charge of works which would be manned by Volunteers, 
and have nothing to do with the works which their own companies 
would man. In other cases again company majors are not accountants, 
but are given a general supervision over several sub-districts. This 
arrangement has the serious disadvantages that the master gunners have 
to serve two masters, and that there is a divided responsibility for the 
condition of the armament. 
Unless a company major can have sole charge of his own forts he 
cannot be held responsible for their efficiency, and there is no guarantee 
that the armament will be kept in the best possible condition for 
fighting ; and unless his charge is limited to those forts to which his 
company is allotted for war, he cannot properly train his men for their 
duties in war. 
If our present system were extended to the Field Artillery, each 
Field battery at home would have charge of the equipment of half-a- 
dozen Volunteer Field batteries, not all collected in one gun-shed but 
distributed over a distance of several miles and standing in the open ; 
and even then the Field battery would have an advantage over the 
garrison company, for the officers of the former are mounted and could 
go from one place to another without much loss of time. 
Of course it may be said that the district establishment is not 
numerous enough to properly look after all the forts belonging to the 
Militia and Volunteers, and that it is therefore necessary to utilise the 
Regular companies for this purpose. If so, there is an opportunity now 
of increasing the district establishment; but if there were no increase 
in contemplation it would be better to have some of our forts in a 
thorough state of readiness for war as regards both the armament and 
the training of the men, and to let the other forts slide, than to run the 
risk of finding none of them really ready for an emergency. 
Having dealt with the general question of preparation and training 
for practice, let us now turn to the question of “ practice ” itself, as the 
word is generally understood at the present time. 
We have to deal year by year with companies largely made up of 
recruits and young soldiers, and very often with young and inex¬ 
perienced officers ; and it is essential therefore that a certain amount 
of ammunition should be utilized every year for purely instructional 
purposes. The larger the number of rounds that can be made available 
for this instruction the better. 
Specialists must have the opportunity of seeing tke effect of their 
range-finding and predicting ; layers must learn by experience the 
necessity of good laying ; quickness and accuracy in reading dials and 
passing ranges must be brought home to all concerned ; but above all 
officers require practical experience of judging how shots are falling 
and of making the necessary corrections quickly. 
Light guns are just as good as heavy guns for these purposes and light 
guns should therefore be used, for their ammunition is cheap and a 
sufficient number of rounds can be expended at a small cost. 
