LETTERS FROM NEW ZEALANDERS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2267, 29 September 1914, Page 6

LETTERS FROM NEW ZEALANDERS

ENGLAND, IN WAR TIME Letters from England and America tliat have arrived.by the last mail are particularly interesting in view of, the fact that when the mail left London war had been declared for just a fortnight. . , . A very well-known Wellington business man, writing from i London on August 18, states:—"l shall probably bo back in New Zealand before December. -This is no; time for holiday-trip-ping, when,the whole nation is making sacrifices for tho sake of giving its natural enemy such a beating that peace will reign for.m'any.-years hereafter. The ivar has had a marvellous effeLu her<v I and has brought all classes of the community, together. It seems to be the' unanimous opinion that the Government did the right thins; in declaring war against the 'Gorilla, , as the French papers call the Kaiser. It is quite certain that tho Germans were cocksure that Engl/md would not fight, and;all their plans, have been upset by tho active British fleet' and the successful landing of 130,000 British troops at. Boulogne, iCtc. Everything at present points to the downfall of i Germany and tho release of tho world 'from German, arrogance. Should it be otherwise, .the.' Germans would be'unbearable. Our own. little experience in the Eotorua on the way Home proves this. We received a ivireless from the' Admiralty at 2 a.n. ,on the morning of tho sth, when off Cape Verde Islands—'England at war with Germany—avoid-trade routes.' You can imagine our feelings and expecta-j tions. When we arrived at TencriuV ive found eeveii: German merchantmen, three French, and six or eight English Bhips, also a cablegram telling us to await further instructions. One of. the French ships was from Senegal, with 700 soldiers ,on board. For three days none of us except.some small English, cargo boats left port. Then two British cruisers, the Cumberland and the Carnarvon, dashed ' into Santa Cruz and saluted the Spanish /lag. The Carnarvon eignalled to. the French troopship to come out, and away went the. tricolour convoyed by a British cruiser I It made one feel proud to think that Britannia ruled the waves, and we said as much, to the annoyance of the Germans who an hour before had been giving us the 'Watch on the Rhine,' etc. That same evening we received a, three-days-old oable message, to 'proceed,' and in half an hour we were off amid the cheers of our friends and a silence that could almost be felt on the, part of the Germans. ''When we sighted, the Lizard, a British cruiser stopped us and took our name and other, particulars amidst the cheers of our' passengers and sailors, which were- heartily responded to from the warship. All the way up to Plymouth wo Were amongst torpedo boats and' destroyers, and when we reached the sound we were boarded by the naval [Kilice, who dismantled our wireless, hoisted etrange flags at our masthead, anchored us in Corsair Bay, ordered all our,- lights out, and ;told us they .would call again' at 4.20 a.m. .Searchlights from a dozen forts played upon the entrance to the harbour all night. At daylight the Navy people called as promised and toot all onr names and histories, and then allowed those who wished to land to do so—in charge of a torpedo boat. As we passed up the harbour wo saw three small German gunboats and a prize German merchantman lying inside the moles, and heard of many more captures in other ports. When we landed at the pier we found an armed guard waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Bose, two of our passengers. Ho was,tho German resident at the Caroline Islands—a charming man, coming home for his holiday,! little expecting' that ho would find his country at war. Thoy had been greatly distressed when the news readied us, and at Teneriffe they suggested leaving tho ship and taking their chance of getting home in a German vessel. The captain told them however that they were quite welcome to continue the voyage with us, and many of us : also urged them to etay, little thinking that an English prison would receive tliem. Mrs. Boso sings' ond plays beautifully,'and the passeiigors mado her a presentation tho night ofore we arrived. Wo aro all very sorry for them. The feeling in London is very bitter against the Germans, and many of them have- flod the country. Some havo subscribed large sums to tho Hod Cross Fund, but I am not sure that oven their cash will save them. Wn havo seen thousauds of troops mnicliing through - .London day niter day. No ono knows where they uro oft to. Kitchener has now asked for 000,000 recruits I"

Propnrallons in London. Following is nil extract from the Iqllor of a Wellington lady who is married (o u London linancier, and has liooti living Ihoio for several years now: "When mir was imminent we bolted hnelc from Ireland lo London, which is (|uilo eiilm mid collected, soldiers marching everywhere, Hyde Vark, oppnsiln our house, is filled with recruits drilliiif.;, and Llio round pond, where the children play, is wrclcd with tents. We had ii soldier friend in om , housefur soino days, keeping us cheery with his news and stories of iiis recruits. Ho slipped oil' ono morning and didn't I'H.iirii. One wonders where lie is. Tliero seems nothing for me to do but sit- mid sew. Our housemaid is wild to get in I o a hospital. Our children had ft young German governess, whom wo all liked oxoeedmgly, but. I suppose

wo shall not see her again. To-day I am going to Ascot to seo a family of stranded Americans—rich people who found themselves without a penny, and only the clothes they stood up in. Thero aro thousands in.tbc. same case. These people left their luggage and motor-car at Frankfurt, and hurried across the frontier at night with four children, ranging from five months to seven years. Now they are settled in tho country, and quite happy."

Saving the Food Supply. A lady who lives in the country, halfway between London and Brighton, writes:—"War was declared with Germany last Tuesday, and we got over the first few dnys well. The banks closed for three days, which prevented the gold leaving tho country, and there are now, £1 notes issued—nice little tilings about oin. by 2-lin.' Bub no one is in a panic about money. Then tho food question has been well overhauled,.and wo are supposed to have enough for five months without supplies coming, so our solo question is to economise, and to.have no woste nor luxury. Kitchener has been put in charge at the War Office, and it is stated that he tore up all the. old plans he found there, as there had been a spy there for ton years—a well-kYiown man. "The East Coast towns are nil under martial law, and all the high buildings that can be usod as land marks were ab once blown up. Our railways to the const aro all lined at intervals with soldiers. All bridges are guarded,' ami tunnels especially so. The stations are thick with soldiers. The new Christ's Hospital schools at Horsham are being ; u.ssd by the Government for hospitals, suspects, etc., and Indies aro everywhere starting'working clubs to make things for the soldiers. The Government have put a price, on all foodstuffs, so there can be no fortunes made as these used to bo. All our men-round horq are being enrolled as constables. The pcoplo are keeping calm and everyone is anxious to help in some way. .'" . "The papers give lots of advice about ordinary cultivation in gardens, and this we aro following religiously, planting; all .. seeds likely to increase tho food , simply, and using. up all, spare land. ,Tlin harvest is. good and is nbvly nll-irathefed. so wo have much to be .thankful 'for. The Government lias been huyiiig to all the h<>st horses round nbout, and thousands of, cars, have bsen offered to them. As tvtlie offers.from every colony mid Dominion tbev are ciiiite overwholniine, and it thrills one all over to think one is British. . '- '■ ■•; "Of course trade is at. a standstill. No' one wants to biiv anything, but what is necessary. . However, bv the time you get this it will be better. R-— started for Paris Inst ,week t-o his two-boys from school and tnn fimi enn't get n word from him. ,Ho' is a Frenchman, but bis.home is here."

A Son on the Pathfinder. .Writing from London on August 16, a : mend of a local resident says.'.' , that "four bank holidays in ono week saved the country from . financial panic. Postal-orders are tender, for cash; £1 and.los: notes issued (funny little bits' of paper; £150,000,000 in a vote in the House of Commons without a disBentient. We have no Conservatives, Lioerals, of Socialists here now. There is only, one' party.' They 'all rose as one man. We are one,nation to a man. All party questions dropped. Nationalists^and Orange asono man. Up to now it has been nothing. but the tramp tramp of armed men. Tho Government took everything; called up all reserves,'took over railways' .arid ships,, took hprses and carts, motors, in the street. We have behind us 25,000 horses' standing in one street; all tho stablos chockfull. '.-■' Children turned but''of' schools for hospitals.' We wore up at'throe o'clock this morning to see my son's brigade go' off-,' three batteries of artillery.' He volunteered for service. The other son is somewhere in-the North : Sea,..oh the Pathfinder*.' I stand myself' to; go if they'-, will accept me at ■: my age. Thousands are enlisting. .' "One million pounds was. raised in : a week for distress funds. We havb the national reserve (old soldiers) ■ out doing ■watchmen's duty, Boy Scouts are patrolling roads, railways, bridges, and waterworks." : , ■ ••■ ' . :.' [*Note.—The Pathfinder was blown up by: a mine] ■ :../, \ A letter which has been received by a Wellington citizen who has a relative in the Navy provides a str'king illustration of the strictness of the precautions takeu by the authorities to keep the movements of the Fleet as secret as possible. In their letters to friends or relatives, officers and men are not oven allowed to mention the name of' their ship, or to say where they are, or what they are doing. Practically the only information they can give is summed up in the statement that they ar,o well and. happy, or words to that effect.

Troops Leave In the Night.

Other English letters state that the Government had taken' over fourteen of tlhe ships of the P. and 0. Cora--pany for troop mid hospital ships. The ships crowded with troops were leaving in the' night time for an/unknown dostination. Hundreds of officers were in the holds sleeping in hammocks. A letter, from Cambridge, written only a' few days after war broke out, shows that there were wounded BslGian soldiers in Cambridge even then." Tho services of one'of the science professors iTverc being requisitioned • for Xray work. , .