THE DEFENCES.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 98, 4 May 1901, Page 4

THE DEFENCES.

THE EMPIRE MUST BE PREPARED FOR WAR. London, May 2. Mr Brodrick was banquetted at Guildford, Surrey. Replying to the toast of his health, he declared that if Great Britain was to maintain her commercial and Imperial position she must always be prepared for battle, whether on the Nile, Orange River, Yangtse, or Indus, at whatever time, and however inconvenient .he season, whenever the flag was assailed. The Cabinet would stand or fall by its determination to re-organise the army without delay. The Government would bo unfit to govern if they yielded to the agitation against the coal tax, engineered by those interested, who had realised the largest fortunes in recent times. Sir 11. Campbell Bannerman raises the question of confidence in connection with the proposed Government scheme of army reform. He maintains [that the scheme is not adapted to the special needs of the Empire, and that it increases the Empire’s burdens, without adding to the military strength. The Times declares the scheme shows too little of Mr Brodrick and too much of the unregenerate War Office. It urges that higher rates of pay should prevail throughout the service.

Tho steamer neared the interesting French Pass, and the steward, entering the cabin, and seeing both passengers asleep, called out loudly, “We are near the French Pass, and a boat is going ashore ’’ —meaning one of the ship’s boats. But the c.t., whose dreams had probably been of shipwrecks and other disasters on the briny, grasped only “ French Passboat going ashore.” Ilis vivid imagination did the rest, and,, ere the wondering steward and his startled cabin-mate could arrest the situation, the traveller had seized a life-belt, and clad only in bis pyjamas, had travelled like a racehorse for the deck. Tho cold night-wind revived him, and the exclamations of the group of passengers admiring the scone soon made him realize what an exhibition lie had made of himself. He did not landed Nelson till all the other passengers had departed. Even yet it is hardly safe to mention “ French Pass ” in his presence. —Free Lance.

The editor of the Taieri Advocate sighs for the good old days. He writes : “ The present dead calm hi local- municipal matters is very distressing to us, from a newspaper point of view. How the councillors have regenerated (from a reporter’s point of view) since the good.old days that we remember well. All! We sigh for the grand old days when our reporter always went to the council meeting expecting to get his head punched. We long for x a revival'of ihpse lively times when the councillors used to tight, and capsize the forms, and roll upon the floor, and kick and bite, while our reporter used to stand on the table and sool them on. Ah! Those were times. Those were the set of councillors for our money. Council meetings were “interesting” in those days, and made our paper sell like hot cakes after every council meeting. We beg of the burgesses to nominate some fighting councillors on Monday. Regular ring-tail roarers who arc agin everything and everybody.” The Free Lance states: —A coterie of handsome half-caste ladies on the East Coast have just taken a step forward which is likely to .bring them into public notice. If Mayor Aitken can only put them on parade when the Duke arrives they are bound-to receive quite as much | attention as theltoyal visitors themselves, j It seems that they are the descendants of ! Ngapuhi chiefs of the north of New Zea- ! land. , They call themselves the Ngapuhi sisters of mercy, and are qualifying themselves for. nurses in the field, so that if the volunteers are called into active service again they may be able to tend the sick and wounded. They are well mounted, and are all good horse-women. Already they are receiving lectures on first aid. Their uniform is of klraki, the same as the New Zealand mounted volunteers, and their appearance on horseback in full uniform is reckoned to have quite a killing effect.