New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 13, 16 January 1915, Page 5

New Zealand

MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL. REAL NEED FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. Per Press Association. Wellington, January 16. Colonel Purely, Director of Medical Services, deprecates the opposition in some quarters 'to the proposed military base hospital at Trentham. The Government, he said, already had in hand a scheme for hospital buildings. So far they had been paying the Wellington Hospital £55 a week. The Medical Association only appealed for £2OOO which was a small fraction of the actual cost. All the equipment and personnel would be provided by the Government, and what was wanted was voluntary help to give,, extra facilities and comforts. He points out that England has asked for, and received, much voluntary, financial assistance, and no one had suggested for a moment this was wrong or unnecessary, and it had been left for Dunedin to raise such a question. There is a real need for the £2OOO. So far £436 has been obtained.

NATIONAL RELIEF FUND. Wellington, January 15. His Excellency the Governbr has received the following letter from the treasurer to His Royal Highness the ; Prince, of Wales' Fund, dated November 25 tb, 1914: "My Lord, —I am directed by the Prince of'Wales to express hik Royal Highness' thanks for the promise, communicated through the Secretary of State for the Colonies, of the sum of £12,575 from New Zealand to the National Relief Fund. His Royal IHighness is most grateful for this ! splendid addition to the funds, and asks you to be so good as.to make known to the people of New Zealand how warmly he appreciates their kindness and generosity.—(Signed) Walter Peacock, treasurer." The above has reference to the first lamount sent from His Excellency, through the High Commisioner, for the Prince of Wales' Fund from Wei. lington and Canterbury "districts.

FROM GENERAL CODLEY. REPORT ON THE DISEMBARKTION. Dunedin, January 15. Following are extracts from letters written to the Minister of Defence by General Godley:— "December 4.—We were fortunate in getting our ships through tbe Suez Canal before the Australians. Trains have been arriving all night, and troops as they arrive bivouac on the camping ground." Everything has gone extremely well, the men disembarking from" the trains hrS*mbs% orderly and methodical way. This morning I rode round the whole camp, and found all settled down satisfactorily, but the camp is absolutely in the desert, and we shall have a grand scopo for training. I was delighted with the condition and appearance of the horses. They stood the voyage very well, but the total loss of horses was 70. The Australians lost 190." On December 7 General Godl6y wrote: "We aro practically settled already, and it reflects enormous credit on everybody that we should have been iso quick. I am. delighted with the way the staff and the troops have worked. The physique of our men and the condition of the horses are most favourably' commented on by all who see them, and everything promises well for our training. The camp rs very dusty, but quite comfortable. The men are behaving excellently, and ieven at Alexandria, where they were 'cooped up in the ships pending disembarkation, they behaved very well on the whole, and only a few of them broke out into the town. Trains have been arriving all day and night, and the men were clumped down in the desert, without food or shelter, as we were not expecting them so swon, and the staff of labor is quite inadequate to keep things running; but they have aIL been very cheerful, and have kept up well. The clothing does all right for winter here, as the hats are practically as good as nelmets, and the coa"t is only hot in the midla of the day, when we go in shirt-sleeves if necessary. It is very cold at night. It is lucky we brought tents. I anticipated something of this kind. The Australians bivouac without tents, and there are none to spare in the country."

THE RESPONSE BY THE COLONIES. APPRECIATION BY THE KING. Christchurch, January 15. In opening a. flower show to-night Lord Liverpool said he saw that the St. John Ambulance Association had a stall, the proceeds from which were to go towards the Red Cross purposes at the front. In connection with this, he would like to read let. ters from His Majesty the King ana H.R.H the Prince of Wales, which allowed that they and the people of England .all the efforts being made by the colonies during the crisis. The King stated that he was struck with the splendid way the people of New Zealand had come forward with men, money, and kind, for he realised that the expense must be a great drain on the resources of the country. It was noble of New Zealand people not only to send their troops, but also to contribute so generously to the needs of the distressed and the.various relief funds at Home, which had benefitted ux&)Ms '-'2' (ri<!ir

efforts. "I apreciate it highly, and so do the people of the Old Country,''

'concluded His Majesty. The Prince of Wales' letter was in a similar strain, and Lord Liverpool said that he was glad to be able to read these messages. #whicli slinw<w*. our efforts were appreciated. (Applause.) DEATH FROM PNEUMONIA. Gisborne, January 15. Advice has been received of the death at sea, on January 10, of pneumonia, of Malcolm Campbell, a member of the Legion of Frontiersmen, with . the Expeditionary Force. He was aged 40 and was a well-known local settler. MOTOR AMBULANCES. Dunedin, January 15. About a week ago the Ota go Daily Times made an appeal to the public to provide, by the end of January, £IOOO for' a motor ambulance, to be sent to the war. Subscriptions received up to to-day total £1122. The response has been so gratifying, and several promises to assist having been received, that it has been decided to make an appeal for an additional £IOOO for a similar purpose.