The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-03-11
MILITARY MATTERS,
STATE RIFLE RANGES AND TAR
 GET PRACTICE
Discussed by the Legislative Commit.
 tee-New Haven officers Testify.

tee-New Haven Officers Testify.
 Hartford, March S.-The committee on military affairs gave a hearing Tuesday afternoon on several bills The first was a bill authorizing the ad- jutant general to establish suitable rifle ranges for the use of the Con- necticut National guard at an expense not exceeding $15.0OO.
 Adjutant- General Cole advocated buying land for a range in New Haven and one in Hartford and, per- haps, third range in the eastern part of the state. He wished the command ing officers of the First and the Second regiments to explain their views. The extreme range of the present arm is 4,OO0. yards and the distance desirable for practice is 1000 yards.
 The ranges should be sufficiently wide to permit butts at 200, 400, 600 and 500 yards.
 On the spring field day the state pays the troops and on the other practice days the men take their own time at their own expense. They even pay part of the expense of the ammunition which they use, General Cole said.
 General Cole said that he was ob- liged to make an annual report to the general government of certain matters connected with the ammunition and the rifle practice. .e..s . Colonel Sucher of the Second Infan- try explained that il some years he had had men practicing as early as a. m. If the state made an appro- priation as called for in the bill Con- necticut would have reason to be proud of the results. ?: .....
 Captain Ernest II. Isbell of Com pany, D. Second Infantry, was captain of the team which represented the state at Fort Riley. If the state maintains a militia, the soldiers should have an opportunity to practice Captain Isbell told about the United States magazine rife recently introduced which makes it imperative for the men to practice at long distances First of all sufficient backstop is needed or plenty of range land in the rear of the butts at the 1000 yards.
 Company D purchased reduced am- nunition and many of the men pract- iced at $ a. m. and qualified, but the scores were rejected because the charges were not full service The light charges were used because the range was short. Captain Isbell was !, bath tramping over land near New Haven and he believed that land could be purchased in the locality and all ex- penses met, at an expense of $5,000 or less.
 Colonel Schulze of the First Infan- try declared that it was an absolute necessity that the regiment have a. different range The magazine rife with it's great velocity and it's extreme range has made revolutionary chang es, }'~
 < Lieutenant Arnon A. Alling, Com pany D, Second infantry, desired that the act should take effect from its passage, so that the military could re- ceive the benefits as soon as possible. He said about 35 per cent. of the en- listed men in the Connecticut National Guard leave it every year, as the term of enlistment is three years. This fact shows that the benefits would be ex- tended to a large number.
 Lieutenant Alling explained the new rife which can be fired from the breech and from a magazine. The government reollireS a practical school and new work is required, among the novelties being "slkirmish run"
 Major W. w. Bullen of New Britain said that the government loaned the rifles for a purpose and that otherwise wooden guns were as good as the rifles.
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