COAST ARTILLERY IN ACTION. 167 
of cordite cartridges, and is it within visible range of coming into more importance 
with ordinary guns? What is being done with it? I suppose it comes with the 
quick-firing guns, and you cannot expect the other for a long time; but is there 
any exceptional reason why cordite should be more important for the one kind of 
guns than for the other? 
Maysor F. G. Stone—So far as my knowledge goes at present, I am afraid that 
the reply would be that the Treasury would insist upon the existing store of powder 
being used up—the usual thing. 
Lirvt.-Cotonen A. A. SAuNDERS—With regard to the remarks made by Major 
Stone on the subject of the record targets, I think perhaps I should say—as I have 
had something to do with them this year—that of the three stations (I think it was 
three) which sent in reports on the targets under trial, one at least—my own— 
did not have one particular sort of target send to it. I allude to the Mitchell. I 
do not know now what the Mitchell targets are like. But with regard to the 
other targets mentioned by the General Officer Commanding R.A. at Gibraltar, 
my own experience was a very short one; in fact the target only took one shot 
and the whole target collapsed. That was the fate which was witnessed by many 
officers who are here present. Therefore there was no alternative but to say that 
the target was not a good one. But on meeting the Commandant from the school 
at Plymouth, at Shoeburyness last week, he told me that he had been able to get 
eight or ten shots into the target from one company alone. One salvo was fired 
and the target collapsed, sat down on the water, so that there was no doubt as to 
what sort of report had to be sent it. 
But there are other considerations which govern these record targets ; that is to 
say, the same record target can never be made to suit eachstation, I do not think 
you can have one universal pattern target because there is such a thing as storing 
the targets and keeping them, At Plymouth that big target was kept admirably 
because it was brought alongside in the Dockyard and lifted bodily by a crane out 
of the water and deposited high and dry. Down in the Isle of Wight there is no 
means of keeping that target at all, except by mooring it where it would be very 
able to be broken up; or else taking it to a very small harbour, Yarmouth har- 
bour, and putting it on the mud. There is only room for one target there, and we 
cannot beach it. Therefore the subject of storing targets is a very important one. 
A target may be very applicable in one station which would not be applicable in 
another. 
Magsor I. G. Sronz—lI think the reports that have been received bear that out. 
Lirut.-CotoneL A. A. Saunpers—I think it is hopeless therefore to have one 
pattern record target everywhere. I donotsee how it can bedone. At present the 
Ryder target seems, so far as keeping it and storing it, the most easily stored any- 
where, because it is easily beached, and can very easily be taken to pieces as well 
if you want to keep it out of the water. 
Masor F, G. Srons—I think that is the conclusion we are obliged to arrive at. 
Lrzvt.-Cotongen A. A. Saunpprs—But I think we shall never get a target 
applicable to every station. 
I am very glad to hear from Colonel Jocelyn the very good news that Colonel 
Watkin is going to give us a larger depression range-finding instrument. I look 
upon the depression range-finder as a most excellent friend to the regiment, and, 
if it could be made a little bigger, it would be quite perfect, Iam therefore very 
glad to hear that we are to have a larger instrument. 
I am also glad to hear from Colonel Jocelyn that. he positively dislikes the Ader 
telephone. My experience of it is that it is an instrument which is constantly 
getting out of order. I think that any telephone which has a wooden sounding 
board does not do for military purposes. These telephones are kept in damp places 
