NEW ZEALAND.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 7, 26 August 1914, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND.

The N.Z. Force. APPOINTMENTS TO THE STAFF. iPsii Phesb Association.] Wellington, August 26. The Hon. Mr Allen has announced the following appointments to the stall of the Expeditionary Force:— Major-General Godley, in command. General Staff Officer, Colonel Braithwaite. Assistant Adjutant-General, Colonel Chaytor. Commander Mounted Rifles, Colonel Russell. Brigade-Major, Captain Powles. Commander Field Artillery, Lieuten. ant-Colonel G. N. Johnston. Commander Divisional Signalling Company, Captain Edwards. Commander Infantry Brigade, Colonel F. E. Johnston. JOTTINGS. A reminder is given of i"ie meeting called by the Mayor to bo held in the Borough Council Chambers this evening for the purpose of forming a mounted home defence corps.

At the Wellington Education Board meeting to-day, it was stated that 14 teachers and students had joined the expeditionary force from the Wellington Education District.

Wairarapa has contributed over £15,000 to the war fund, and is now raising a fund to assist in the relief of distress at Home and abroad. Farmers are arranging a shipment of produce to the Old Country.

Australian files just to hand stato that 2000 Australian troops sailed on August 7th—two days after war broke out between Britain and Germany—for Thursday Island, in Torres Strait. It is distant 30 miles north of Queensland's most northern point,Cape York, 1430 miles from Brisbane. It is a naval coaling station. Well garrisoned fortifications guard Thursday Island, and command the Straits, through which all sbips must P^ ss that approach Australia by this route.

Breaches of the Port regulations at Auckland providing that ingoing and outgoing vessels must report to the examining ship in Rangitoto Channel are becoming frequent, and scarcely a day passes without a shot being fired across the bows of some small craft whose captain fails to observe the regulations,.

At a meeting of Pahiatua farmers yesterday, a committee was, appointed to canvass the district for fat stock, foodstuffs and cash donations to relieve distress in the Old Country. The meeting was under the auspices of the Sports Protection League, and the local branch of the Farmers' Union will be asked to work with the League. Altogether five different funds in connection with the war have been opened here.

The Christchurch newspapers have supplied their quota to the expeditionary force. C. C. Yorke and R. Ritchie were members of the Lyttelton Times literary staff. From the Press J. C. Mullins left the sporting department of the Weekly Press; M. S. Hamber is the son of Mr Danvers Hamber, editor of the New Zealand Referee, and J. Rennie was on the commercial staff, and G. Brydou on the engineer's staff, of the Press Company. The Sun supplied Noel Ross from its literary staff. All these men are in the infantry, joining through the Ist Regiment.

The work of fitting up the seven troopships now in Wellington harbor is being pushed forward with as much expedition, as possible, and the alterations to "H.M.N.Z.T. No. 4" are now about complete. She has taken aboard so much coal atid provisions that she lies fairly low in the water, drawing 22ft, and by the time that the men and horses are on board she will be a very full ship. All luxurious fittings have been removed, both in the saloons and the cabins, and the promenade decks are lined with horse boxes. The smart Maunganui has a sadly-changed appearance in her coat of grey, and is also being shorn of her gay trappings and luxuries.

The Wanganui Chamber of Commerce carried a resolution affirming the importance of carrying on trade and commerce without interruption, and asking the Government of New Zealand to consider the practicability of co-operating with the Imperial Government and Governments in other parts of the Empire, in a scheme to guarantee shipowners against the risk of seizure or destruction of their vessels, such guarantee to hold good until the Admiralty' proclaims it ( to be unsafe for British merchantmen to put to sea and to cover all ships that have cleared port prior to the date of such proclamation. resolution is to be sent to the Ministers and chambers of commerce. ';