THE EUROPEAN WAR.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 242, 27 October 1914, Page 4

THE EUROPEAN WAR.

Letter From Samoa. Writing from Apia, Samoa, to his parents at Waiuku, a member of the Expeditionary Force, Ronald Allan, in the course of bis remarks, says:—"The heat is something awful. We had 120 degrees in the shade the other day. I am as brown as a nigger, and working hard. I have been with the firewood vaggon in the bush, ard it is pretty aolid work. We have had one rather serious accident in camp. A man let his rifle off and shot one poor fellow through both legs. The man is now in the hospital and getting on fine. We have had bad weather here these last few days except to-day, which is awfully hot. On Sunday night the camp was nearly washed away, aid most ol the men were out in bathing costumes digging trenches. The rain came down in torrents. Life here is getting very monotonous. There is a lot of 6ickneas, mostly pye and ear trouble and centipede bites. We have bed one case of typhoid fever, but the man is now better. I was pretty badly bitten in the thigh by a centipede, and it made me feel sick for a tira?. The mosquit-js and ants are giving me a b d time, but tfce biggent pest of all is the flics. They are just in swarm 9 ar.d get into the fcod till you can scarcJv eat it. We took eleven G.rman prisoners the other day, who came in an open boat from Pago Pajo, an American settlement 60 miles away. A few days ago we got a bit tf a scare when two German warships came into Apia harbour, but when they found that Samsa was in British hands they cleared out. The boys were just prating that the Germans would send a landing party ashore so that we could have a scrap. We have had three false alarms. Been tumbled out of bunk at all hours and burned tound the coast or down town to the trenches, but nothing came of it. At first we were as keen as rtus'ard, but this has worn off somewhat. I want to go to Europe, aid if a force is sent from here I'm going to a:k the captiin to give me a chaw, What will they think i-f us in New Zealand if we come home without doing anything?"

Lady Liverpool Work.

Mrs R. J. Eames, chairwoman of the Pukekohe branch of the Lidy Liverpool League, asks us to publish the following : "It is now nearly three mouths since the outbreak of war, aud there are signs of abatement in the feverish energy with which women threw themselves into the task of preparing clothing for our own Expeditionary Force and for the Bed Cross hospitals. The fervour and the excitement have spent themselves. The women who took up the work because they ' must be in everything,' and who were not really actuated by unselfish motives or informed by a real understanding of the seriousness of the situation, are beginning to tire of the work that they have undertaken, and already have slackened off. That was, of course, to be expected. The best of women cannot work at fever heat always, and those wtyose energy was artificial were bound to fall out pretty soon. The real test of our women has now come. Those who are worth any thing are showing their staying power. Those who have grasped the situation have settled down to steady and continuous work, aud if they keep it up we can afford to dispense with the services ot those who cannot stick at anything for long, and who set their own convenience and their own ease at.ove the needs of their country and the claims of the men who are going out in the name of liberty to defend those principles which we regard as the foundation of our civilisation. It is for us, to maintain the freedom which we enjoy, and to uphold our ideal of honour, that these men are fighting so desperately in the old world; and it is our duty and our privilege to minister as far as we can to theii comfort and well-being whilst they are engaged in lighting. " It must be obvious to all of us that the war will not be over in a few weeks or even a few months. We may have hopes, but our common sense and judgment must govern us rather than our hopes. We were prepared to *end our first Expeditionary Force away, whenover it might be required, well equipped and comfortably clad. But a second force is already in camp, and they must be equally well provided for. Aud then, like the Mother Country, we must be prepared to send another and yet another body of men if the war is not soon over. men must also be provided for, and since neither time nor work nor money will be given again as lavishly as in the heat and excitement of the first weeks of the war, it becomes even more necessary that steady, continuous work should go on in order that there may be no unreadiness whenever a fresh body of men may i berequired. We should have always in hand a great quantity of garments ahead of the present need. How long, may we suppose, will one or two, or even three, sots of j underclothing last when men are! lighting as the French and British ; fought recently—often up to their waists in waUr iu the trenches. | caked with mud from head to foot, and without a chance to change clothes for days on end. We are far from the scene of conflict, aud j theso things do not come home to us ! as they should. Groat Britain has tremendous numbers of men to pro-1 vide for herself, and it is almost '' incredible that France should be! able to cope proporly with the needs of her great army iu the matter of clothing. Already, we are told, tlio shops in Paris and the north of France are depleted. We ought not to expect either country to come to the rescue of our men. : V»*o are enjoying peace at their j expense, and we ought not only to keep our own men adequately clothed all through the campaign, , Imt to do something to help the j others as well. Therefore 1 think j we should go on working steadily J until the war ends."

How It Affects England.

The fulhwing is an extract, frcm m later from l-'ir Gorge j Makg 11, Bart, to Lay Makgill, Waiuku, and gives an idea as to I the interest aroused in the war in a country village in England:— "We have fallen into troublous times here. War came like a thunderbolt. The city is hard hit and many wealthy people are ruined. On* rich family near here find themselves suddenly penniless. I em doing what 1 can to help and 1 was enrolled as a special constable and am expecting to ba told off for bridge guardiug and patrol duty. Men are drilling in the fields. I ha»e been drilling in the ranks with the rest, for we want to encourage men to eclist. We have a pretty good sprinkling ot old soldiers and ex-territorials in the squad, so the drill is gocd. We expect to get rifles soon. lam also in charge of the lecal boy scouts, and the staff officer in charge uf the yeomanry scouts Mis me he means to use us. We had a troop here a few days I suppose A js at the front with his brigade, but we know next to nothing, the censorship is so strict. I hardly think we need fear an invasion, unless some bad miEhap occurs; tut the country is preparing to some extent, though it Eeems to me that even now the people do not realise how serious is the crisis. Oa the whole they are taking the position well, if anything too coolly. We could hear troop trains roaring through the night, one behind the other, hour after hour. I believe they sent the first troops to Bristol ar.d Bhipped them there. The repurt was that they were gong to Ireland, which was ti deceive the snies who are everywhere It is strange in an out-of-the-wsy place like this to see men marching snd drillirg, cavalry patrols riding through the quid lanes, and to reallre that it has come at last-the great event eo long predicted by Lords Roberts and Wolseley."

For Active Service. For rhe first reinforcement draft for the Expeditionary Fo-ce, Waiuku district is again well represented. At least six more defenders of the Ensile have left with keen patriotic zeal for Brtain's right ous cause and luve of freedom. In the mounted Kifl s are J. G. Bryan, H. Jackson and L. Johnson. Another member of the lecal squadron from Patumahoe. has also been accepted. H. C. Raynor has joined the artillery section at Hamilton, and T. Mason has also reported lor service. Others have also offered for the active service list.