New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 2, 1 May 1915, Page 5

New Zealand

SPEECH FROM THE GOVERNOR. NO FURTHER NEWS. A WORD TO SCANDAL-MONGERS. Per Press .Association. Auckland, May 1. Responding to the toast of his health at a civic dinner, His Excellency the Governor (Lord Liverpool) said they were all anxious to know the details of the doings of those near and dear to them. He regretted they had no other news than that already given to the press. The news could not be given out until the manoeuvres and strategy of the Allied troops had been completed. If anything of importance occurred, he believed he would be the first person in the Dominion to know the particulars when such news arrived, whether received by himself through the Army Council to the Minister of Defence, it would be given out on the first opportunity. He strongly deprecated tne spreading of rumours as to the casualties among the Expeditionary Force. He earnestly trusted the losses would not be severe. He thought tlje sooner scan-dal-mongers got their due, the better it would be. FOOTBALL CLUB FALLS VICTIM OF THE WAR. Wellington, May 1. Owing principally to the drain on members caused by the war, in addition to other causes, the Melrose football club, one of the senior Rugby (dubs, lias decided to disband. DEATH OF A TROOPER. Wellington, April 30. The Defence authorities have been advised of the death of Private Eugene Tanguey, 80th Southland Company, Otago Infantry Battalion, main body of the expeditionary force, on April 26, from pneumonia. His nexc-of-kin is Miss Mary Tangney, of Good Shepherd Convent, Mt. MarUeila, Hallswell. Christchurch. He was 26 years of age. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL’S ALLEGED THEFT OF GOVERNMENT FUNDS. j Dunedin, May 1. | About two months ago Lieutenant(Colonel McClvmont returned from

Egypt in consequence of alleged irregularity in connection with Government funds and of the Fourteenth South | Otago Regiment at Milton. As the result of investigations, six informations for alleged theft of about £'2oo have been laid akaiust him, and the charges will he heard before Mr S.M., at Milton, on Thursday next. I RECRUITING MEETING. THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AT DUNEDIN. 16,000 MEN AND 5000 HORSES WANTED. Dunedin, April 30. i At a recruiting meeting in the Garrison Hall to-night the Minister of , Defence made a stirring speech, urging the young men to enlist. In the ‘course of his remarks he gave some [interesting figures in regard to recruiting and the number of men that | would be required in the future. Considering the magnitude of the operations that were developing, the Gov'eminent had considered it its duty to 'offer to the Mother Country an additional number of men, and had offered another battery of artillery and another brigade of mounted men or two battalions of infantry. The battery and battalions of infantry had been accepted. On the previous night ho had referred to the fact that Now Zealand had already sent 13,000 men to the front and over 1400 men to occupy Samoa; in addition to which ‘2-50 New Zealanders in London had enlisted and joined the main body, and 62 nurses bad gone away, 50 to the order of the Army Council to proceed wherever they were told, ami 12 who had joined the Australian nursing contingent, which was going to the front. He wished'to say something about the requirements for the ‘future. Before December 12 the authorities would require 10,600 men

and approximately 3700 horses. This was in accordance with our engagement with the War Office. Then, between December 30 and April of next year 5300 men and approximately 1500 horses would be required. That was to say that between now and April, 1916. the authorities in New Zealand would require close on 16.000 men and nearly 5200 horses.

Under the new scheme of registration for enlistment, which came into force on February 15th, 1915. the following numbers have been registered: In the Auckland district 3054, in the Wellington district 1972. in the Canterbury c 1 strict 2090, and in the Otago district 844. or a total of 7960. Ho did not wish to make any adverse comment on the figures relating to Otago, .but he belonged to the place and it was generally the case that Otago was not left'behind in any movement of great moment. As he had said, 10.600 men were required before loth December, hut registration ought to be considerably, in excess of this number, as they had to allow for about 40 per cent, of medical rejects. In future this country would have to make provision so that there would never be 40 per cent, unfitted for-en-rolment again, should the necessity occur. It was our duty to make provision among the children to remove some of the defects and an effort was being made to do this now. As the figures he had given showed, between the present time and December 30th each of the four districts ought to find, inclusive of 40 per cent. for medical rejects, about 4350 men, oi a total of 17,400 men. It had been suggested that the Government should provide a badge for those who had !registered and had been turned down by the doctors, in order that these might not have their loyalty or courage aspersed, but he did not know if the Government could adopt such a badge. He wished that he could devise a scheme by which one might know those who were serving and those who could serve and were not

doing so. Mr Allen also wished to refer to some other figures of interest by way of reply to a criticism which had appeared in the Manchester Guardian, in England, to the effect, as he under, stood it, that the men who were enlisting in New Zealand were not New Zealanders, but Britishers who had come out and settled in New Zealand. In reply to that he had to say that of the main body that went away a strength of 8-117, no less than 0241 were actually born in New Zealand, while the others were born in the British Isles, or other parts of the Empire, but how long they had lieen in New Zealand he was not able to say. Those figures, however, were a complete answer to the Manchester Guardian. He thought itwas unfair of a British paper to have set itself to work to discredit New Zealand

without haviim taken the trouble to communicate with the authorities in New Zealand on the subject.