Arizona republican., 1914-02-26
NEW PLAN hDR | CHOOSING TEAM
Secretary Garrison Says Hereafter at Least Ten Men With Guns Must Be ill the National Rifle Teams

When Arizona sends another rifle
 team to the national match at Camp Perry, Ohio, it will be made up of a greater representation of enlisted men, men who carry rifles in ser
 vice, than ever before. There Will
 be fewer officers of high rank and, i it is believed, more benefit will be i derived for the state guard as a
 whole, than in any previous instance.
 At the battalion cup match, held last Saturday, the entire team was con- posed of men who had never con-
 peted upon such team before. In the current number of the Arms and the Man, the National Military and Shooting Weekly, reference is
 made to the proceedings of the na-
 tional board for the promotion of
 rifle practice and to suggestions Of | Secretary of War Garrison with re- lation to the rules for the 1914 na-
 tional rifle match. The Arms and the Man says:
 i The proceedings of the national board for the promotion of rifle practice have just been passed upon by Secretary of War Garrison.
 Knowing the action taken We may, in advance of the formal order cov- ering the rules for this years con- tests, refer to some features which
 will radically differ from those of tprevious years.
 Of course the plan of divisional
 national matches is of itself an in- novation; then the requirement that
 at least six members of each team
 shall be men who have not pre-
 viously been shooting members of
 any national match team is an in- crease on the old elimination rules A further requirement in this di- rection is that at least ten shooting members of teams shall be enlisted ] men who in their organizations are ] armed with the rifle. This provision comes from the war secretary di- rect and not through the national
 board.
 Another divergence in team organ ization is the requirement that nc officer of higher rank than that of captain shall be eligible as a shoot
 ing member of any team competing in a national divisional team match ! and no officer of higher rank than
 that of lieutenant colonel shall be , eligible as team captain, coach ol
 spotter This also comes directly
 from the secretary of war. The effect of these new depart ures will be observed with close at tention It would be easy to argue for or against them. Actually the only way to determine the question is to try them out.
 One thing is certain. the compost ton of a great many state teams will be materially changed by these -rules The benficent result which will flow from this through bringing new blood into these classic events should be considerable.
 All know that the rules governing the procedure in the national divi sional matches will be based upor the Small Arms Firing Manual, 1913 it is plain this will involve som changes in details.
 The determination of the division and the selection of the ranges upol which the various divisional matche will be shot has not yet beel reached.
 No doubt the war department bull letin containing the rules and al 2 additional matter concerning the 191 ! events will be available in the nea ! future. We should say that tn ! quicker it is out and in the hands 0 { state authorities and shooting me } the better. There is much work t be done and not too much time i { which to do it.