LOCAL AND GENERAL
The Minister of Defence has received a cablegram stating that tho Mew Zealand Division was out of tho firing lino engaged in training until tho latter part of March. It has been reported sinco then that the Now Zealandcrg are in tho front line again.
Tho report that Mr. J. F. Arbuclde is i to contest the Grey seat in tho event of the resignation of Mr. P. C. Webb, M.P., is discredited in local Labour circles (states tho ' Christehurch "Press"), and, ; n fact, it is stated that Mr. Arbuckle himself ridicules the statement. ' In the event of Mr. Webb resigning, the seat will bo contested on behalf of the Labour Party by either Mr. ll'. Semplo or Mr. H. Holland.
The Minister of Defence states that the CI Camp at Featherston has already been the means of turning into soldiers 1100 or 1200 01 men. "1 am," said tho Minister, "impressed with the value of the training, not only in its immediate results, but upon the future of the men who go through the camp. There are good lessons to be learned as a result of this experience in the way of showing the value of physical training and the regular camp life. I was also greatly impressed with the esprit de corps of the camp. There are fow men iu it who aro not keen to become fit, and according to the last figures received, CS per cent, of those who go in succeed in reaching the Class A condition. It is a most astonishing and gratifying success. Thero are about 1100 men in the camp to-day, and a good many aro fit, awaiting their opportunity to go into the reinforcements."
Whilst engaged erecting a dam in a creek that runs near his homestead at To Tita, Mr. John Griffin observed a clucking duck in a greatly perturbed stato a few yards distant from whero ho was working, says tho "Tuatapere Guardian." Knowing that tho duck had recently lost soveral of her brood he quickly investigated, and searching in tho grassy bank, under the waterlino, he° found that a crayfish, about seven inches long, had pulled one of the young ducklings into a hole. Mr. GrifEn is of the opinion that the missing members of tho brood had disappeared in the same manner.
Tho director of the Pan-American Union, Mr. John Barrett, stated in Chicago recently that if the war continued another year, all of tho 20 republics of Central and South America would be on tho side of the Allies and tho United States. "Six," he said, "namely, Brazil (the largest South American country in area ,)iid population), Bolivia (the third largest), Uruguay, Cuba, and Costa llica, have already essentially broken off relations with Germany. Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Hayti, and the Dominican Republic have assumed practically the aarno attitude. Argentine, politically tho most powerful, is on tho vergo ot sevoriut' relations, and if she so acts she will probably carry with her Chilo, Peru, and Paraguay. Of the remaining iivo countries—Venezuela, Ecuador,' Colombia, Salvador, and Mexico—it can bo said that they all lean strong y towards the United States and tho Allies. Public sontiment throughout all South America, as expressed ,by tho newspapis overwhelmingly pro-American and pro-Ally, for 5 per cent, of thoso papers are sincerely anti-Gorman. If the 20 countries of Central and South America enter the war in a practical way, they can raiso an army of 2,000,000 of splendid fighting men, and.provo of immeasurable valno in solving tho food supply problem."
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The February issuo of tho "Telephone Review" of New York, in giving a sketch of the career of Major-Gen-eral Sqiiier, pioneer and organiecr of American Air Service, supplies the following information: "In May, 191G, with tho war two years old and the vital importance of aviation fully demonstrated, he was recalled to this country by President Wilson to reorganise the Air Service. On the 14th of the following February he was appointed chief signal officer in charge of both Aviation and the Signal Corps , , with tho rank of brigadier-general, which was increased to major-general .on October 6, 1916. During tho brief eight months since he has been in charge, the Air Service has jumped from a strength of 2000 to an authorised strength of 153,000; its appropriations have increaued from about n million dollars in five years to 700,000.000 dollars Granted in onej and a billion asked in the next; its planes and aviators have increased from a handful to thousands. The Signal Corps itself has bad to meet the needs of an army six times that of a few months ago."
A ehort sitting of the Magistrate's Court was held on Saturday morninc, when Captain Hcnnah and Mr. It. D. Hanlon. Jiißticos of the Peacn, were on the Bench. For insobriety two firstnffemlers who failed to appear had their l)i>il of 20s. each pstrntod. Adolnh Francis Johnson, for being found drunk while in oliargo of a motor-car, was fined £5.
A correspondent writes that W. L. Minoher, warehouseman, c/o Thornleigh, Bouleott Street, whose narao appeared in. tlio list of missing reservists published on Saturday, has been in canip for some months, and is now a sergeant in the Thirty-sixth Reinforcements.
At its conference on Saturday the New Zealand Poultry Association patriotically decided to invest tho whole of its credit balance of £50 in New Zealand War Loan certificates.
When the steamer Hiruitangi reached Dunedin from tho Campbell Islands Islands last week she brought six men from tho islands. The men went down there two years ago, and havo been engaged on tho sheep station. Four men were loft to carry on the work. The returned men stated that tho season at tho Campbell Islands had been a. remarkably good one. The wool clip had turned out much better than previously, which was in a measure due to tho fact that the sheep had been dipped regularly during the last two seasons. Last year 101 bales of wool were sent away, and 94 so far this year. The total number of sheep sent away last year was 700, and about the same number was shipped by the Himitangi thia trip; but a number were lost owing to the_ storm encountered after leaving tho islands. Tho whaling industry has not been carried on, as the men had no launch. The big Jauncb Korauri, which was towed from Dunedin to tho islands early last year, was abandoned owing to a mishap to her machinery. Tho loss of the . launch meant that tho whaling party could not carry on operations. Whales aro very plentiful in the southern waters now, and therefore the loss of the launch has boon severely felt.
Wβ hear a great deal of camouflage in those- days—the word, indeed, seems to have been added to our vocabulary, just as 'to commandeer" established itself during tho Boer War (states an English newspaper). Few civilians, however, can have any idwi of the perfection to which it is carried, nor, indeed, quite what it.means. Small wonder, therefore, 1 that tho few examples finding placo in tho Imperial War Exhibition havo always their surrounding group of admirers. One appears as a harmless sand dune; but from its Bheltor one sniper "bagged eighty Germans" in a day, as a laconic legend tells. There is a figure of a camouflaged sniper "in full kit," too, a somewhat fearsome-looking object here in its bare snrroundines, dressed in a shapeless garment daubed with green and brown, a hanging mask covering the face and a wonderful erection of stones and weeds and grass poised, tray-like, on tho head. Near by further evidence of skill in such make-up is given, for various types of Gorman prisoners are seen with faces wonderfully modelled and disguised by skilfully applied colouring to melt into the surrounding landscape, by the students of the camouflage school at G.H.Q.
A business man in Dunedin received by a recent mail a letter from a friend in London, from which tho following extract is mado as bearing on a matter of public interest in New Zealand:"! Beo that great complaints aro being circulated out there as to tho neglect with which our hoys are being treated when they come to London on leave for the first time. With perhaps the exception of the staff of our hostel in Russell Square, I come into personal touch, with more New Zealand soldiers than anyone. The No. 2 Hospital at Oatlands is quite close to us, and Walton is the next village. I have mado very careful inquiries at both our hospitals, and of the men on leave I meet in London. They all express their appreciation of the care for their convenience, comfort, and wants in general that they meet with everywhere. I can sneak with actual personal knowledge that if any of our lads pet 'bushed' in London, it is entirely their own fault. Prom our hostel in Russell Square men are sent to meet troop trains on arrival—day or nnmo is on tlio list. Free buffots are served by Indies on arrival. We- find out where tho boys want to go and tell t!i«m lion' to get there. I have found when trains go north and push nartips bound that way into taxis for Kind's Cross, St. Pnnoras, or TCuston. The TTnion .Took Club, a splendid place, just", outside Waterloo station, is open and rendy day and night. Our own -nl.ico -nnd'the'Y.M.C.A. huts, notablv* th« Shakespeare, are splendid samples of organisation. Bath, reading, writing, smoking rooms, information desks, where specially prepared maps of London to fit pocket-books are to bo had for the asking. Arrangements aro made for amateur guides to take parties round tho principal sights of London; I have taken sixMjr seven. In short, I don't really see what moro can possibly be done unless we shepherd the hoys like a lot of sheep night and day. Out of all my experience I havo seen only two New Zealand lads drunk, and they were 'blueys , (convalescents), who somehow had got hold of a bottle of whisky. Woo betide a publican who sells grog to a 'bluey.' You might let folk know the truth of the matter. It may caso the minds of some whose lads aro over hero. I say this, without hesitation, that, whether on leavo or in hospital, no men aro better looked after here thnn our boys are. And they know it, and show that they know it by their behaviour, both in public and in people's houses, whore they aro always welcome."
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Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 164, 1 April 1918, Page 4
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1,778LOCAL AND GENERAL Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 164, 1 April 1918, Page 4
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