Topic: Canadian Militia
Annual Militia Report Down (1907)
Reference Made to St. John Building
Weak Points of the Ross Rifle Discussed
The St John Sun, 22 March 1907
(Special to the Sun)
Ottawa, March 21.#8212;The annual report of the militia department was brought down today. The report notes the transfer of Halifax and Esquimalt to Canada's defence. Scarcity of funds prevented militia expansion in the Canadian Northwest.
Recruiting was difficult owning to the demand for labor in Canada and enlisting for the Canadian permanent force was carried on in Great Britain. A Canadian army pay corps was organized. The branch companies and medical corps were organized into field ambulances and medical corps.
Mobilization and defence of Canada have been carefully studied. Military surveying has been done at Niagara peninsula and the country below the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers in Ontario.
There is a deficiency of subalterns and section commanders.
The condition of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery has not been satisfactory and steps will be taken to improve it.
The permanent force now numbers 3,055.
The enlargement of the present building at St. John will be a great boom for the proper housing of the increasing equipment.
Field batteries are now all armed with 12-pounder guns and the obsolete 9-pounder will be called in and not re-issued.
As the 12-pounder is being replaced in other armories with a quick firing weapon, a supply of the new 18-pounder quick firing guns adopted by the British service has been ordered from England and delivery is expected shortly.
In field defences outside Halifax and Esquimalt by the autumn of 1908 modern 7 ½ inch and 6-inch breech-loaders and 12 and 6-pounder quick firing Hotchkiss guns will be placed throughout Canada.
The weak points of the Ross rifle have been ascertained and good progress made toward remedying them. A rifle with improvements in sights, barrels, butt plates, magazine feed and extractor will shortly be submitted to the government by the manufacturers.
During the year the militia gave aid to the civil authorities at Winnipeg, Kingston, Hamilton and Buckingham. Militia expenditure amounted to $5,594,009, which was $1,644,167 greater than the year before.
Follow 
