SPOILING FOR FIGHT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 130, 23 November 1911, Page 5

SPOILING FOR FIGHT

NEW ZEALANDERS AND TRIPOLI. By Telegraph—Press Association. Cbristchurch, Last Night. Sydney files to hand show that the offer from New Zealand of a troop or a Bquadron to fight in Tripoli against the Italians'emanated from Mr. Cook, Comma.ndant of the Legion of Frontiersmen. Interviewed on the subject, Mr. Cook sa-id that his connection with the matter was more or less of a jofce. "Several fellows wanted to go over to Tripoli," he said, "and asked me if I would send a cable to Sydney if they provided the funds, and the funds being forthcoming, I cable as stated. .My action was not taken as a number of the Legion of Frontiersmen, and the fellows who asked me to cable do not belong to the Legion. At the time I cabled, the announcement calling on British subjects to maintain a. neulral attitude in the war between Italy and Turkey had not been published, and as soon as it was published the whole proposal fizzled out. Of course, I would uoi have had anything to do with it as soon as 1 found out that it would be illegal to do so. There are some fellows here and in other parts of New Zealand who do not care whom thev fight so • ong as it is .not against the British. I could get thirty or forty men in New Zealand to go to any part of the world for active service. Jt would not matter against what nation so long as it was hot England, and thev would tumble over one another to get the chance to go. Atony of these men have seen service in various parts of the world, and some of them are South African veterans. If anything had come of the olf?r to help Turkey I should, of course, have been obliged to obtain permission from the New Zealand defence authorities."