EVENTS IN N.Z.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2257, 17 September 1914, Page 6

EVENTS IN N.Z.

MAORI VOLUNTEERS TWO HUNDRED ACCEPTED FOR EGYPT DOINGS AT THE CAMPS £2000 FROM BIBLE IN SCHOOL LEACUE. ■ (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) Palmerston North, September 16. | The Mounted Rifles at Awapuni camp will bivouac at R-angiotu on Friday night, and engage in extensive man- ' oouvros with attack and defence tactics. The artillery are now fully equipped in three batteries, the required additional 100 men being quickly enlisted. Tlie Patriotic Committee has established a special committee to devise a scheme for greatly augmenting the fund. Tho donation, of £500 to the local regimental fund, and the need for a still larger' donation to the corresponding fund for the Dominion has made the necessity for. greater effort apparent. The intended contribution to the latter fund is on the basis of £4 per head for 8000 troops. Local proposal include monthly contributions, Which Mr. Allan Strang has opened with £10 per month! Recent donations to the fund, which totals £720, include £100 from Messrs. Abraham and Willjams. Mr. Harry Lauder, whose concert hero on Tuesday is understood to have produced .£450, visiited the! Highdien F,state at Awahuri earlier in the day, and gave a couple- of Scotch songs to 1000 soldiers manoeuvring there, and also gave a patriotic address from the top of -a tree l stump, to which the men hoisted him. The men gave him a most enthusiastic time, and Mr. Laudor was o\"identiy proud to be present, for he. olfored £D to the Patriotic Fund if anyone would photograph him there anil send, him a copy. • Unfortunately there was. 110 camera. To-night's concert.at the Opera House by members of the camp is under, the management of Chaplain Captain BushKing and Lieutenant Rogers. AT TAHUNA PARK. AN ENTHUSIASTIC' GATHERING. (By Telesraph—Press Association.) Dunedin, September 16. A civil entertainment given to-day at Tahuna Park to the Otag-j and Southland section of the Expeditionary Force proved an eminently successful affair. A half-holiday had been announced to mark, t'ho occasion.^.and so' many people availed themselves of t'he opportunity to bo present that it is safe to'assert that seldom, if ever, has such a large Dunedin crowd been gathered together at one time as was present to-day. The enthusiasm of the people and tho patriotic 'tone of the speeches were quite m keeping with' the occasion. As they stood in rank, the soldiers presented a fino appearance, and fully demonstrated that they have very much improved under the strict training they have undergone in camp. -, Tho band having played the National Anthem, the Rev; J. Kilpatrick, Mod-erator-'of the Presbyterian fevnod, asked tho Almighty to bestow His blessing on tho soldiers bofore ;them, who were going forth at the call of 'their country, and spare them to return to their k°Tlie'Maybr (Mr. J. B'. - Shacklock)_and Messrs. W. C. Macgregor and C. Darling (secretary of the Navy League) delivered addresses, musical items by the Liedertafel being interspersed. .Ihe speechmaking concluded, tlie, soldiers, on the call of Captain Fleming, burst forth into three hearty cheers for-the Mavor and the District Commiteee. The Liedertafel sang "Oh, God, our, Twlp in Ages Past" and'"God SavetheKing, and then the Primate, Bishop Neville, delivered the closing prayer. • MAORI VOLUNTEERS. 200 TO GO TO EGYPT. An important announcement to the effect that the Imperial Government has expressed willingness to Native volunteers from, New Zealand for sorvice in Egypt was made by the Prime Minister (tne Right 'Hon \\ . 1. Massey) ill the House, of Representatives last night. , 'i- ' Mr. J. G. Coates introduced the subject by asking tho Prime Minister | whether ho could inform the House as to whether the Government would accept the services of_ Maoris volunteering for the Expeditionary Foroe. • The Right Hon. W. F. Massey said that the matter had been before the Government for some days.' They had communicated through His Excelleney the Governor with tho Imperial authorities offering the,servioes of a number of Natives volunteering for service at the front, or anywhere the Imperial Government wished to make use of them. .In reply the Government had received a- statement to the effect that the Home Government were willing to accept the services of 200 Natives, to go to Egypt. On receipt of this the Now Zealand Government had made another suggestion to the Imperial Government, which proposal he could not refer to at present. The matter was now in the hands of the Defence Minister, who would no doubt call for volunteers for service in Egypt. The Hon. A. T. Ngata - (Eastern Maori District) asked whether the Government would allot a certain quota of the force to each Maori district and thus make the force as representative as possible. Mr. Massey said that this matter had already been considered _ by the Government, and that it was intended to make the force as representative a« possible. Tlie matter had been referred te a sub-committee of the Cabinet, consisting of the Minister of Defence and the Hon. Dr. Pomare. There was every desire to make the, contingent a representative one, as it might lead to greater thing-sQin the not distant future. Ho was sure that the Natives selected would do every credit to New Zealand. (Hear, hear.) THE TROOPS AT SAMOA. SUMMER SUITS. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) was asked by Mr. J. H. Escott in the House of Representatives last evening, if the New Zealand troops at Samoa-were to be supplied with summer clothing. The hot weather, the member for Pahiatua said, would render their khaki uniforms uncomfortable. The answer of tho Minister was: "Provision has been made, and the clothing will go away by the boat this week." PAY OF RESERVISTS. Mr. G. Witty asked the Minister of Defence in. the House of Representatives last evening if he would see that reservists who were going to tho front wero paid at the same rate as the New Zealand troops. "I understand," he added, "that the reservists only get 2s. 6d. per day," The Defence Minister's reply was brief. It fan: "So far as roservists are concerned' who have wives and dependent!!, thin has been done wcoks ago." Members: Hear, heart

CANTEENS ON TROOPSHIPS WILL BE BUN JiY SHIP MASTERS. A few days ago a question was raised In the House of Representatives about the letting of contracts for canteens on troopships. The Hon. J. Allen (Minister of Defence) promised to inquire into the matter, and last night ho made the following statement in the House: —"When the question of dry canteens was raised the Department decided that as the running of. these would ontail a very large expenditure, it would bo advisable to try to get the shipping companies to provide them. As the risk of being left with a large stock of stores 011 arrival in Europe was greater than some of the companies cared to undertake, they refused to have anything to do with the business. For the same reason the Department was anxious to keep out of the business, and the masters of the vessels were approached as to running the canteens. ■Ultimately the;? agreed to do so, and I believe ■ practically all of them came to an arrangement with Levin and Co. to supply whatever goods were required. After this arrangement .was made cigarettes were cut off articles to be sold, and the prospects of any profit 011 the canteens is very small. "When the matter had been fixed up the Canterbury District informed the Department" that they had. collected the necessary money to run canteens for the transports from Lyttelton, and asked that they be allowed to do this. As the masters of the vessels had got their .stores on board the vessels, the committees were informed that if they wished the.v would take over the stores at cost price, but it would not be fair to ask the masters to take these stores off the ships. The cost oi supplying these two canteens rail into between £5000 .and £6000, and as Canterbury had collected only £600, they 'replied that they could not raise the necessary amount. "All articles are to be sold at New Zealand prices, and owing to the number of gifts the prospects of profits are very small. There will probably bo a large surplu? of stores loft over on arrival in England. No contracts have been let for canteens, so far as the Defence Department is concerned." COMFORTS FOR THE COAST TROOPS. Once more the energetic little band of ladies has taken possession of the Mayor's room and its adjuncts to continue the ,jood work in connection with making the troops comfortable. Their present objective is to provide' the men of the Coast Defence Force with woollen jerseys, socks, overalls, and towels, and already bulky parcels are being made up, and transferred to the proper quarter for distribution amongst the men (some 360 in number) who guard the city's, gates.