SOCIETY - OF MINIATURE RIFLE CLUBS. [To Tao Eorroo Or
Tas Sracmon."1
Sin,—It was my privilege to announce a few days ago that her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to present to the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs, of which I have the honour to be the president, a challenge cup to be competed for annually by teams selected from miniature rifle clubs in each county.
To carry out and to give full effect to her Majesty's generous intentions it will be necessary that an Association of such clubs shall be formed in each coirnty to superintend the selection of its representative team and to arrange all necessary details. May I express a hope that Lords-Lieutenant will co-operate with me in the formation of these Associations, on which the success of the contest must to so great an extent depend? A few County Asso- ciations of Miniature Rifle Clubs already exist, others are in the process of formation; and as the contest will not take place before September, there are still several months in which to organise. The full. conditione will be published later on, and at this moment it is only necessary to state that—
(a) They will be framed on the most simple lines possible.
(b) A member of any club affiliated to the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs, as also to its County Association, before July 1st, will be eligible to qualify for his county teases. (c) Any Association, which may be deemed by the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs to be repreientative of a county, will be entitled to enter one team of ten men.
(d) There will be but one distance of twenty-five yards. (e) Only open sights will be permitted.
For the first year at any rate, until further experienee is gained, the conditions must be of a tentative nature ; and, with the object of reducing to the lowest possible figure all expenses connected with the contest, the first stages of the competition will take place within the limits of the county to which the competitors belong. And the Society will endeavour to find some convenient centre where the teams which have qualified to shoot in the final stage may be assembled. - Jam in hopes that "Flee Queen's Cup" will give, an immense impetus to miniature rifle shooting. What now remains to be done is to start, on a proper basis, the machinery necessary in each county for the successful conduct of the several competitions.
I.Wet are delighted to publish Lord Roberts's appeal, and trust that the movement he seeks to inaugurate will prove eminently successful. His appeal for the co-operation of the Lords-Lieutenant is most reasonable, and we sincerely hope that it will bear fruit. The help suggested would come appropriate from an office which was founded to lead and organise the military forces of the country.—En. Spectator.]
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