In New Zealand.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 110, 2 October 1914, Page 5

In New Zealand.

NEW ZEALAND OFFICERS AT HOME. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The following information regarding the employment of New Zealand officers in England six weeks ago, oi soon after the. war broke out, has been received at Defence headquarters, from Major G. S. Richardson, Now Zealand representative at the War Office, London:— Colonel V. S. Smyth, lately officer commanding Canterbury Military Distrirt, has been attached to the southern command. Colonel E. S. Heard, ImpeTial General Man, late Chief of the General Staff of the New eZaland Defence Forces, has been attached to the War Office. It was expected that his duties would keep him 'there for some little time. Major M. M. Gardner was temporarily attached to the staff of tho coast defences at Harwich. Captain R. R. Smythc was at the coast on the Tyne. Captain C. W. Melville, being an'army reserve officer, had the prospect of being posted to the South Lancashire Regiment, and therefore of going with the Imperial reinforcements to the front. Captain F. H. Lampen was assisting at the High Commissioner's office in dealing with the enrolment of New Zcalumlcrs in London. Captain R. 0. Ohcsney had prospects of being called from the Staff College to the War Office in the meantime, as Major Richardson would be required for other duties than representing New Zealand at the War Office. Lieut. J. L. H. Turner, son of Col. D. 11. Turner, of the Samoan Expeditionary Force, has been posted to the 23rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, and Lieut. H. A. Davies, R.N.Z.A., to the 34th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, both with the Expeditionary Force. The two officers mentioned are therefore probably already serving on the Continent. Major Richardson, in his advice, stated that there were then indications of many New Zealanders in tho United Kingdom getting commissions in the British Territorial forces and special reserve. The arrangements made by New Zealand for the composition and equipment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, states Major Richardson, had met with the full appreciation of the War Office, their forward state being in a very large measure due to the visit made by Colonel Allen, Defence Minister, to London last year, and to New Zealand having been represented at the War Office since the early part of 1912.

BBITISH AND BELGIAN rOOR,

Dunedin Last Night. At a meeting of the Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board to-night, representatives of the Hospital Saturday Association waited as a deputation to ask that at least a portion of the money to be collected by the Association be diverted to the alleviation of distress in Britain and Belgium caused by the war. lAfter tho deputation had stated their case, the Board considered the matter in committee, and expressed its willingness that hulf the sum the Board would receive from the Association's collection s'hould be forwarded for tho relief of distress in Britain and Belgium. WAIMATE BELIEF FUNDS. Waimate, October 1. The Waimate poor relief fund stands at fIOOO for Great Britain, Ireland an 1 Belgium. The contributions also include 1543 garments ami £2OO for Belgian and Nww Zealand relief. THANKS TO BRITAIN. ' New York newspapers have been thanking Britain for keeping the seaway open, and the thanks are well deserved. There is no doubt, remarks an Australian exchange, that American commerce has been saved a good deal of delay and annoyance by the fact that British ships have cleared the seas. It is not, of course, a question of attack, since America is a neutral Sta*te. But neutral vessels are always open to the exercise of the well-recognised right of "visit and search" by any belligerent warship. And a liability to continual stoppages at the bidding of strange cruisers, which may Bend off boats and inquisitive officers to insist upon the hauling up through the hatches for examination of quite a large proportion of the vest's cargo, is not likely to help commerce much. It ib beginning to be realised that a commanding navy such as iiritain's is very much more than a costly but needed protection to the island that, pays for it, and that in war time, as in peace time, it could ill he spared by the commerce of the world. Indeed, there is not a business man outside 'Austria and Germany that it does not benefit indirectly at all times. In peace it charts ' and polices the remotest sens, cheerfully making the profession of pirate unprofitable even in its final resorts, the Persian Gulf and Chinese waters, and causing the last of the slave-traders to be very sorry for themselves. And in war time it does the same policing on a larger scale, putting more heart into the fearful trader, as he bccs cargoes arrive to time and the barometer of war risks gradually falling. A Palmorston North resident has received a letter from hie son dated, London, August 13, in which (ihe writer, who has joined the British forces, «aj»: "The horses we bave got aro quite g»oil, but are "iving a lot of trouble. Alost of them arc hunters, and, of coarse, can't understand! being tied up in iiu: lines im the open at night, "iou don't gist much slwip at night as they tie themselves* up in fearful knots. Being a corporal, I do not have any scntrv- dntv to do, but have to get up every two hours to relievo Mie guard. The regianunit has been rushed. .Before we had been here twelve hours, we luul 11(10 airtications. Our troop 1b full of New Zoahmders. My section consists of M. Abraham, Lcifiih, llindle, Geoff, D. Chennells, Perry, Pirnek-ley, and A. G. Jsu'ob. There axe ten IWanganui College i'-l boys in our squadron which 1 think is a verv n. o od record for a school. They can't take rccruife in fast enough, tnough there are dozens of reeru ling stations in London—l saw a long queue of men waiting outside yesterday. It is wonderful how everything has quietened down—(the city is quite itself again, and no one in London seems exc'ted, though they just talk all day about tho war ana watch the. soldiers. All the women all over England are hard at work making clothes and learning Red 1 Cross Work. No one knows where the Enjjlißlh Expeditionary Force of I*2o/100 men has been for the last nino days. Even relatives of -the men in it wei-o not told, and not a word has been l —>rd of them. No one fcnows what thr' fleet is doing. Rumors are, always coming ia of a naval battle, but are alwavs contradicted a few hours later. German sipies have been, giving a good deal of-trouble. 3ftpg.h»s ft&en trying

up a lons- time, and they aui\ pitied the best men who .i.:,j tie n tran^xl."

A cable' reccntfy stated that CaptainJohnston, in command of the Cressy, wu believed to have gone down with his ship. On Tuesday Major A. A. Johnston • (New Zealand Veterinary Corps), of Christohureh, received a letter dated August sth from Captain Johnston, 8.X., who is his elder brother, stating that he had received his war appointment—the ,:■' command of H.M.S. Cressy. Captain" Johnston, who entered the Navy in 1881, was a son of Admiral Johnston, who in Ifflf) visited Now Zealand in command of M.M.S. Liffey. Captain Jonnetoa visited New Zealand on two occasions, the first being when he was serving as a midshipman in H.MJS. Opal. His seniority as captain date* from December 31st, 1910. For Home time he was in command of H.M.S. Vulcan, depot ship for submarines, and in command of the submarine! flotilla based on Dundee. It is a curious coincident that his first ship since he left tiie submarine flotilla command should have been sunk by one of the Hubmarinea >