NEW ZEALAND NEWS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 114, 16 January 1915, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

FINANCIAL SOUNDNESS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 15. In reply to a request for the latest figures showing the P. and T. revenue and P.O. Savings Bank business of the Dominion, the Hon. R. Keaton Rhodes, Postmaster-General, stated to-night that notwithstanding the war the revenue for the December quarter of 1914 showed ah increase Of £14,000 over that of the December quarter of 1913. Savings Bank results were, Mr. Rhodes said, also most satisfactory. The excess of deposits over withdrawals amounted last quarter -to £433,347, as against an excess of only £73,248 in December quarter of 1913, while the excess of deposits for the calendar year 1914 amounted to a sum no less than £1,301,305, which was a record for the Dominion, the previous record having been established in 1907, when the excess ef deposits amounted to £1,226.541. A BAFFLER'S IRREGULARITY. AUCKLAND, Jan. 15. Judgment 'was .given to-day by Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., in a case in which William Matthew Russell was charged with conducting, a lottery. He had been responsible for the raffling of a motor-ear, claimed to be the last one shipped from Liege. The Magistrate said that counsel had asked for a nominal penalty, as the cause for which the raffle had been held (the Belgian relief fund) was a good one, but. the fact remained that permission to hold the raffle had been refused.by the Minister for Internal Affairs, which rendered the defendant liable to a severe penalty. Mr. Cutten added that he could net condone the defendant’s offence in view cf Ike Minister’s decision, and a fine of £5 and costs would be imposed. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL. WANTED AT TRENTHAM. WELLINGTON, Jan. 18. Col. Purdy, Director of Medical Services, deprecates opposition shown in some quarters to the proposed military base hospital at Trentham. The Government. lie said, already had in hand a scheme for hospital buildings, but so far they had been paying the Wellington hospital £55 a week. The medical association only appealed for £20.000, which was only a small fraction of the actual cost. All equipment and personal would be provided by 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. It had been loft to Dunedin to raise such a question. There is real need for the £2OOO, of which, bo far, £436 has been obtained.

LIFE IN.THE.DESERT.

OUR BOYS IN EGYPT. DUNEDIN, Jan. 15. Following are extracts from letters written to the Minister for Defence hy General Godley; December 4. —We were fortunate in getting our ships through the Suez Canal before the Australians. Trains have been arriving all night, and the troops as they arrive bivouac on the camping ground. Everything has gone extremely well, the men disembarking from the trains in a most 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 grand scope for training. I was delighted with the condition and appearance cf the horses. They stood, the voyage very well, but the total loss of horses was 70. The Australians lost 190. On December 7th, General Godley wrote: —‘We are practically settled already, and it reflects enormous credit on everybody that we should have been so quick. I am delighted with the staff and troops for the .way they have worked. The physique of our men is most favourably commented on by ah who see them, and everything promises well for our training. The camp is very dusty, but quite comfortable The men are behaving excellently, and even 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 into the town. Trains have been arriving all day and night, and the men were dumped down in the desert without food or shelter as we were not expecting them so soon, and the staff of labour is quite inadequate to keep things running, but they have all been very cheerful and have kept up well. Our clothing does all right, for winter here, as the hats are practically as good as helmets, and a coat is only hot in the middle 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 tp. spare-in the country.” ' "AtTseiof” You want “NAZOL,” the famous preparation for coughs.and colds. Can bo inhaled, or taken on

i N.2. MGTOn AMBULANCE. A S'. CCESSFi ’APPEAL. DUNEDIN. Jan. 15. About a week ago the Otago Daily Times made an appeal to the public to provide,. by the end of January, £IOOO fcr a motor ambulance to be sent to the war. Subscriptions received up t 0 to-day total £1122. The response lias been sc gratifying, and several promises to assist having been received, that it has been decided to make an appeal for an additional £IOOO fop similar purposes. . APPRECIATED BY THE KING. CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 15. ' In opening a Flower Show to-night Herd Liverpool said ha saw that the St. Jehu Ambulance Association had a Stall, the proceeds from which were to go towards the Red Cross purposes at the front, and in connection with this he would like to read a letter from His Majesty the King and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, which showed that they and the people of England appreciated the efforts which were being made by the colonies during the crisis. Tire King stated that he was ranch struck with the splendid way in which the people cf New Zealand had come forward wtfh' men, money and kind, for he realised that the expense must be a great drain on the resources cf. the country. It was noble of the New Zealand people not only to send their troops, but aiso to contribute so generously to the needs of the distressed and the various relief funds at Home! He had benefited greatly by their efforts. “1 appreciate it highly, and so do the* people ; bf the Old Country,” concluded His Majesty. The Prince, of Wales’’letter was in a similar strain, and Lord Liverpool said he was glad to be able to read these messages, which showed that .bur efforts here were appreciated. (Apclause.)