Selection of 
Competing 
detachments 
by the Chief 
Umpire. 
Record vy. 
Hong Kong 
target, 
558 COMPETITIVE PRACTICE IN THE GARRISON ARTILLERY. 
As I expected not a shot was off the line during the practice, but 
had two men out of Class (4) been taken the result might have been 
very different ; this year I had not the same luck and lost two hits 
owing to the selection of a young and somewhat inexperienced gun- 
layer. 
(2.) The obligation to keep up so many really well-trained layers 
necessitates their being changed after pretty well every round during 
the service practice ; this of course does not improve the shooting. 
There are really not sufficient rounds allowed for the number of 
layers; when the ammunition allotted for shooting with P.F. pre- 
dicting is deducted, two or, at most, three rounds per gun-layer is all 
he is able to fire before the Competitive. 
(3.) The present system of selection of layers prevents, in many 
instances, men working in their own detachments. ‘his is opposed to 
the great principle advocated in all branches of the service of keeping 
always the same men together at their work. 
In 1895 and 1896 as many gun detachments as possible had to be 
roduced, out of which the chief umpire selected four for the com- 
petition. 
This change undoubtedly increased in a company the number of men 
really efficient at gun drill, with the exception of his D.R.F. squad, his 
signallers and dial numbers, a commanding officer is now obliged to 
see that all his men are accurately acquainted with the drill of at least 
one heavy gun; moreover, he has to keep up more really well-trained 
gun-captains. 
It has the following disadvantages :— 
(1.) The element of luck again; this, however, is not nearly so 
marked as in the case of gun-layers, it is far easier training eight good 
gun-captains than eighteen gun-layers,and detachments can, of course, 
be easily equalized. 
(2.) Subaltern officers may not have their own sub-divisions 
under them. ‘This is a serious defect which can, I think, have been 
hardly appreciated when the regulation was framed. On the most 
important day of the year to the company, professionally speaking, the 
chances of selection may take away some of his own men from a 
subaltern and put him in command of others not belonging to his own 
half company. Is this desirable ? 
With regard to the use of the Record target instead of the Hong 
Kong; direct hits when firing at the former are, of course, more 
satisfactory than estimated ones when firing at the latter, when the 
judging cannot, of course, be absolutely exact. Competitive practice 
too at a Record target causes greater pains to be bestowed on the 
training of gun-layers than if a Hong Kong is used. 
“~ The larger target, however, moves through the water less rapidly and 
has consequently the disadvantage, as pointed out above, of encouraging 
the training of men at a slow objective; moreover, if struck low, it easily 
breaks up, in which case firing has to continue at perhaps only a small 
