OKEHAMPTON EXPERIENCES, 1893 . 
69 
With reference to suggestions for next year, the opinion at Oke- 
hampton was that, with the exception of raising the' standard, the 
conditions should not be altered. On the other hand, some advocate 
that an artillery target should replace the column. 
The latter, although requiring careful laying and ranging, has the 
great disadvantage, that one lucky shell will do for it; and there is 
probably more luck with this target than any other. 
The difficulty of an artillery target is the old one of handicapping 4 
and 6-gun batteries. Perhaps the fairest conditions would be for the 
4-gun battery to have an extra minute, the ammunition and target for 
both being the same; the target to be a 4-gun battery (detachments 
only), as it is probably easier for a 6-gun to concentrate on a 4, than 
the 4 to distribute on a 6. 
Results. 
I have given the average results of all service practice of the last five 
years, at the same time I do not think that they afford any fair basis for 
comparison from year to year, in consequence of there being so many 
variables. Take this year, notwithstanding that targets were arranged 
as far as possible similar to those of last year, the ranges have, never¬ 
theless, been reduced by 300 yards, and there has been an extra column 
series, either of which is enough to upset the comparison; further, 
comparing average results from year to year exercises an unconscious 
influence in restricting attempts to render the practice more diverse or 
targets more difficult. The figures for those series, the conditions of 
which were similar in 1892-3, are also given. 
The effects at the guns remain steady and appear small, but one must 
remember that the ranges are long, and that the 40 dummies are 
scattered over nearly 100 yards of front. 
At guns at Glenbeigh the results are much the same, taking into 
consideration the invariable increased effect, due to the ground. Thus 
at Okehampton the percentage of target destroyed per minute at guns 
is 2*2, whilst that of all service practice is 5‘07. At Glenbeigh the 
results are guns 4T6, all service practice 8*9. The latter in both cases 
being about double the former. 
For the column competition series, I have also given Glenbeigh 
results, not to draw comparisons between the two stations, but because 
the reduction of 500 yards appears at both to have given nearly the 
same increase in effect. 
Two interesting series were fired at dummies placed in echelon to 
represent an attack on a battery. The effects were very good, and, I 
think, rather surprised some of the officers of the other arms, at whose 
suggestion the targets and time had been arranged. On the first 
occasion 15 dummies were placed at six ranges to represent an advance 
from 1700 to 800. The fire was turned from one to the other without 
a pause, a Staff Officer giving the times. The total time in action was 
23 minutes, during which time 66 rounds were fired and 74 dummies 
hit out of 90, notwithstanding that, owing to the paucity of shrapnel, 
20 of the rounds were common shell. 
In the 2nd Series, fired by the 38th, a 4-gun battery, the dummies 
