THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1915. BACK FROM EGYPT.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 7, 26 January 1915, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1915.

BACK FROM EGYPT.

"We nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice."

On Friday the Troopship Athenic landed in Auckland fifty-four of tha expeditionary force that left New Zealand tor the front three months ago. Thirteen of the men were invalided home, and if they recover will be sent out again with one of the reinforcement drafts. This is not by any means a large percentage to become incapacitated by illness, and it is not reported that any of the cases are serious.

What is serious, hawever, is the fact that they were accompanied by nine men who were to be disfrom the force for misconduct, and thirty-two men who bad refused to allow themselves to be innoculated against typhoid. It is most unfortunate that our little army should have contained so mauy spineless soldiers as th 3 latter apparently are. We are not disturbed about the men who have been guilty of misconduct. After all there is only one to the thousand recruits, and that is a ver v small proportion of bad eggs. But what is to be sail about the men who refused the innocul ation? They may pos3 as "conscientious objectors" that convenient erfcuse that bo many shirkers of military duty try to Bhelter themselves behind, but we aie afraid the average plain-thinking individual will attribute their conduct to motives less creditable to their courage and patriotism than to their caution. It is perhaps as well, however, that they have shown themselves in their true colours before they had an opportunity of endangering their comrades by evincing the same sedulous care to avoid all risks from the enemy's steel as they have from the surgeon's lancet.

It is only fail to state for the comfort of country people that not one of these men was a member of a mounted regiment. The inference is thus plain enough that they have not come from the farming community.