The War In New Zealand.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 108, 30 September 1914, Page 8

The War

In New Zealand.

TROOPSHIP CANTEENS. ALLEGED EXORBITANT PRICES. EXPLANATION UY THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE. GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE DRASTIC ACTION.

By Telegraph.- I'rcss Association. Wellington, Last Night. In the House oi Representatives tonight, in reply to Mr Sykes, The Minister for Defence said that he had now heard minors that exoessive charges were being made to members of the Expeditionary i'orce at the canteens on board the troopships. He had made enquiries into the allegations. By way of explanation, he said the Defciieo Department desired to have canteens set up, but there was no time for the Department to dn it. Consequently they approached the shipowners, but tliey declined. The shipmasters were tlrm approached, but they also declined. Subsequently the shipmaster.-! came to an agreement -by will ii canteens could be established. ..They brought the proposed prices to the Cov< 'iimcnt, and as they appeared to be the ordinary retail prices charged in Wellington,, he approved. He had a report from each ship, but had not been able to critically examine it. from that repor;. he had noticed that Is per quart botlle was being charged for aerated water. That was the usual retail price. Tobacco was sold for 8s per lb., some oi" which was duty free. Complaint was also made that biscuits and cordials were too high-priced. These would be enquired into. It was not true that apples were bring sold at. 2d each, but he could not say whether they were ; being sold at the rate of Cd per lb. The charges were the same on all the ships, | except on the Limerick, on which the I rates were cheaper. i The Hon. ,T. lAUen then proceeded to | read a note from a report furnished by General Godley, in which he pointed out | that the loss on aerated waters through breakages wbuld be heavy, especially in the tropics. He also stated that money sent as a free gift to the men had not been returned, but had been used in the I camp, while the cases of apples were on (board the ships anil would he distributed (to the men on the voyage. -It was not Itrue that stamps were being solil at 2d each, whilo "salts," which it had been said were being sold at 3d per , packet, were given free by the medical I stall.

Continuing, Mr Allen said that if anything approaching extortion was discovered it would certainly result in the I closing of canteens. Jow that there was time to look into the question, lie had approached the shipowners, with the. result that live had signified their willingness to hand over tho stores at invoice prices to the Government, and let them run the cantons. The others had not agreed to do this, but if such an arrangement can be made, the proper thing to do was for the Government to take the canteens over anil run them themselves. Those who were rc>|>oiteible for running the canteens had not offered to do so. Ti.ey had been asked to do it, and he did not believe they had been exploiting the men. This much lie could say, that no ship would leave Wellington while injustice was being done to members of the force that he could possibly remedy. •Sir .loseph Ward pointed out that had tile ships gone to sea before the matter had been brought up they would have suffered considerable disability. It was time to review the question. He had heard with amazement that any profit should be. made out of the men going to the- front. The whole canteen arrangements should have been undertaken by the Government. Tin! Wellington retail prices were too high. Tobacco should Ibe supplied duty free. Goods should ha 70 been obtained at wholesale prices, and supplied to the men without profit. If the men were asked to pay shore prices they should get shore pay.

The Premier said there was no intention on the part of the Government, the Minister, or the Defence Department to make a profit out of the men. A* usual, there had been a good deal of exaggeration, lie agreed that no profit should be. made. Ho hoped to hear that the contractors would give up their contracts, anil let the Government carry them on. If not, the Government was willing to take drastic action to prevent the men being exploited.

Mr llanan hold that the Government should have taken the work in'hand from the first and prevented the complaints, which were raisin" a storm of indignation in the country.

-Mr Payne declared that it wits disgraceful that the Tory Party should allow private individuals to make a profit out of the troops. Mr. Voitcli pointed out that the position of the Imperial reservists upon tae troopships wa s very hard. With their small pay they would not he alilo to buy anything from the canteens.

Mr liobertson hoped that whatever prices were agreed upon there would be no raising of prices after the ships had gone to sea.

The Hon. J. Allen, in reply, said that the Government had no previous experience to guide, them, except the shipment of troops to South Africa, and ho hoped to do bet ten than on that occasion.

I'XA;l'Tl lOiRIBKD W!l 1 tEI. liH WcUigto, September 2!). When a young (ivrnuin named Hugo Sewald was charged on. remand with csta.blishing a wireless plant without ]x>r.mission, the. police asked for a i'urth«r remand with the object of arranging to have Sewald ]>laceil on Somes Island as a prisoner of wa\ The chief detective stated that he wished it known that any unauthorised person fmmd in possession of a wireless apparatus v.ui'.il.l immediately Ih> arretted as a .prisoner of war. Sewa'ld was further charged witii obtaining a wireless plant on false prcti hits, and was remanded. Pail was refused.

Tllls PATRIOTIC) R'\D. The following contributions have been Blade to the lately opened Patriotic Fund at liimi:—•Sorenscu livos, ilimi, £■>: Spun- family, £ 1. BKI.IiIAX nKUKt' 1'IXI). Invercargill, La set Night. To-day the sum of .C.'tOl) wan cabled from Southland to the Hifjh Commissioner in London for the relief of distress in Belgium. 1 It is understood that this | is the. first amount sent away from the Dominion for this purpose. Further sums will be dabled. later. , ■:'" wii' r'" * » '¥« 'r if ■aiiiiiMiii

THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE,

TILE DISPOSITIONS ON LAND.

Wellington, Last Night. The Wellington, Canterbury and Otago I sections of the main Expeditionary Force I now in Wellington are rapidly settling I down to hard work again. Both yesterday and to-day were occupied by the mounted units in getting into camp' at tho various places arranged round about the city, while the dismounted units, notably tho infantry battalions, which are quartered on the troopships, lavo been kept hard at work in route-march-ing and drill. The troops quartered in the various encampments are as follow: At Trentham.—Headquarters Mounted Rifle Brigade; Bth (South Canterbury) Squadron, and lOtli (Nelson) Squadron of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment; two troops of the tttli (Manawatu) Squadron, and the l)th (Wellington East Coast) Squadron of the Wellington Mounted Rifles' Regiment. At llutt Park.—Headquarters machine gun sections, and Queen Alexandra's 2nd (Wellington West Coast) Squadron of tho Wellington Mounted RiHes' Regiment; signal troop, New Zealand Engineers, and the whole of the held artillery brigade, comprising headquarters, three ■batteries, and ammunition column. Aft Miramar.—Headquarters machinegun section; 7th Southland Squadron, and 12th (Otago) Squadron of the, Otago Mounted Rifles' Regiment. At Seatoun.—sth (Otago Hussars) Squadron of the Otago Mounted Rifle Regigcnt. (At Lye!l Bay.—Headquarters machinegun section, and Ist (Canterbury Yeomanry cavalry) Squadron of the. Canterbury Mounted Rille Regiment; two troops of the lith (Manawatu) Squadron of the Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiment.

At Alexandra Barracks.—Field troop, N.Z. Engineers, and Army Service Corps, attached to the mounted field ambulance.

Although the troops have been brought ashore, and arc likely to remain in Wellington for some little-time, the headquarters of the expedition are still being maintained ou the flagship, the Maunganui. The Expeditionary Force is now entirely detached from the N.Z. lMence Forces, and the headquarters of tlio Expeditionary Force will accordingly be maintained on the Mannganui till the vessel arrives in England. .Major-General Sir A. Godley, Officer Commanding the expedition, will have for Auckland on Thursday, and on Friday and Saturday will inspect the troops in camp there. PROHIBITION OF PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION. CONCERNING MILITARY AND NAVAL OPERATIONS.

By Telegraph.—Government Memo. Wellington, Last Night. Whereas for the successful conduct of Certain military and naval operations now being undertaken on behalf of Hid Majesty, it is in the highest degree expedient that secrecy should be observed with respect thereto, and whereas His Majesty's Government has requested the New Zealand Government to take all necessary measures for securing such secrecy,

Now, therefore, notice is hereby given to all loyal subjects of His Majesty and to all other persons resident in New Zealand, and more especially to all proprietors, editors, and publishers of newspapers, and to all printers, that all such persons are hereby strictly charged ami enjoined not to print, publish, or otherwise make known, without the express permission of the Minister for Defence, any information or statements concerning any of the matters following, that is to say: — (a) The names, destinations, situation, route, arrival, departure, or movements of any transports carrying or about to carry the troops of the New Zealand military forces, or any other matters relativo to those transports. (b) The names, destinations, situation, route,' arrival, departure, or movements of any ships employed or about to be employed to convoy or accompany any such transports, or any other matters relative to those ships. (c) Any other matters relative to military or naval operations as to Which secrecy is enjoined by any notice hereafter published in the New Zealand Gazette by the Minister for Defence. Ami although for ready and willing obedienca to this order full reliance is placed o.u the loyalty of all His Majesty's subjects, nevertheess notice is hereby given to all persons that any disobedience will be dealt with by the military authorities in their absolute discretion as a serious offence against the public interest and the safety of this Dominion. Dated thi 3 29th • day of September, 1914.

J. ALLEX, Minister for Defence.