New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 6, 7 May 1915, Page 8

New Zealand

H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND. Peb Peers Association. .Wellington, .May 6. The following letter has been received from Captain Lionel Halsey, C.B,,«by the Wellington branch secretary of the Navy League: "Very many thanks I'or your letter of January 29th. I will he glad if you will convey to the Wellington branch of the Navy League my sincere thanks for their congratulations sent by you to the officers and men of the .ship. We fully realise how much we are thought of in the Dominion, and 1 trust tliat New Zealand will always have good reason to be proud of her ship. I can only say without any hesitation that" all on hoard fully realise how the eyes of the whole of the Dominion are/ on us, and we are fully determined that, come what may, we shall do our utmost for New Zealand and the Empire. So far the ship has never been sick or sorry, and since war was declared we have always been ready for any call, which speaks volumes for the builders. When it came to chasing the Germans on January 21 she far exceeded any previous speed and no harm was done, and if necessary we are readv to try .tnd exceed that."

BRITISH SAMOA. Wellington, May 6. The Minister of Defence states that from May 1 British currency displaced German currency at Samoa. The change is a step , towards Anglicising the island. German notes and coin no longer hold good, hut they are replaced by British notes and gold and silver and copper and /postal orders. Anybody who desires to send money to a friend in Samoa can do so the New Zealand Post Office. A -branch of the Bank of New Zealand has also been established at Samoa. NOVEL SCHEME TO RAISE RELIEF FUNGS. Auckland, May 6. The Auckland Tramways Company yesterday initiated with success a novel scheme of raising money for the Belgian Fund. Every conductor was supplied with special tickets which lie sold at one penny each, and it is estimated that if every person using tram-cars each day bought one ticket tlie sum of £3OOO per week would be raised. Over 14,000 tickets were sold yesterday, and " , added 'to the Belgian Fund, The Tramway Company is bearing all costs of the advertising scheme.

THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE. Wellington, May 6. Discussing the question of recruiting to-day. the Hon. Mr. J. Allen, Minister for Defence, said: "If J had not already registered, and I saw the list of casualties circulated throughout the city to-day, 1 should fee! that a call had come to me in. most urgent terms. If I had not already done so, I should go .straight away and enlist. I do not think that the country lias really realised how tremendous is the job we have in hand, ami how we have to lose and how the lost places have to he filled up by those who are here and (it to go and who have not gone yet. I cannot believe it possible that a man who is fit to go does not want to go. The list of casualties that we have received ought to stimulate recruiting immensely. That is the experience everywhere else, and 1 have no doubt will lie the same in New Zealand.

"As for the dependents of tlio.se killed and wounded," he added, "the Government could not do more until tlte legislation already ok the Statute Hook was amended next session. Dependents of men killed would fie provided for up to the present. The Government had taken the course of paying to the dependents of a man who had been !:ill.>d the pay he had allocated to those he had left behind him. That pay would he continued for twenty-six weeks or until the pension to dependents was fixed. He thought that was a fair thing."

THE DEMANDS OF LOYALTY, At a meeting <>f the executive of the Wellington Military District the following resolution was unanimously passed: '"ln the opinion of this executive committee of the Wellington Military District the approaching crisis in the war pTiase demands from all loyal men special patriotic efforts to do their duty in obtaining a righteous victory and still more strongly securing the freedom of all subjecttsof the Empire .under the time-honored Union -lack. In order to support actively and practically the Defence Department at (his juncture it is suggested that the National Reserve throughout the Dominion off,.,- to raise at least 2000 soldiers under the badge of the Reserve, each of the military districts of Auckland, Wellington, Ch'ristchurcl, and Otago contributing its quota of 500 from its enrolled strength or by special enlistment of others of the regulation age, 20 to 10, as nationals."