JOTTINGS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 54, 20 October 1914, Page 5

JOTTINGS.

FIRST CONTINCENTERS FOR THE FRONT.

The fourteenth "birthday" of the First New Zealand Contingent which took part in the Boer War will be held in Wellington to-morrow, Trafalgar Day. In calling the meeting the secretary of the committee of the First New Zealand Mounted Rifles writes inter alia: "Perhaps you have not seen a list of the Firsts who are again bound for the front, so it is here given. It will gratify every "Firßt" to remember that, with two exceptions, the First named joined the old corps as private soldiers, and that every officer or non-com. named has won his preferment by sheer mprit." The names are as follow:

Major J. Gethin Hughes, D. 5.0., N.Z.S.C, Assistant Military- Secretary; Major J. H. Whyte, X.Z.S.C., Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment; Major H. Scott Orbell, Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment; Major Edwin, Harrowell, Auckland Battalion, Infantry Brigade; Captain F. A. Wood, N.Z.S.C, Adjutant Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment; Hon. Captain Alex Wilkie, Quartermaster, Auckland .- Mounted Rifles Regiment; Lieutenant P. Tivy Emmerson, Wellington Mount, ed Rifles Regiment; Lieutenant A. F. Bachelar, Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment'; Provost-sergeant W. Mahood, Auckland Mounted Riflos Regiment. Distinguished "First" officers, including Major-general R. 11. Da vies, C.B. ; Major Mudocks. II.A. ; Major H. 13. 0. Ward, R.F.A.; mid Major E. Bartlett. D. 5.0., are already in the field.

The following copy of a cablegram, dated 18th inst., received by the Department of Agriculture irom the Go-vernor-General of the Sudan, is quoted for general information:—"Owing to the outbreak of'war, Sudan exporters need new markets for their ivory, ostrich feathers, m.o.p. shell, cotton' and seed sesame, earthnuts, gum arabic and senna. I venture to request that publicity may be given, to the above statement, and will gladly facilitate enquiries from New Zealand merchants."

"We are told that the bombardment of Namur has begun, but Namur ia perfectly capable of taking care of itself for the next three months." The above paragraph is clipped from a London Times leading article published just after the commencement of hostilities, and goes to show the unbounded, though unfortunately misplaced, confidence that British military experts had in the resistant powers of the Belgian forts.