OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 222, 26 February 1915, Page 3

OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT.

PRAISE FROM GENERAL CODLEY. ! I The Minister of Defence (the Hon. | Jas. Allen) supplied to a Dominion re- i porter the other day a few extracts of an interesting nature from a budget of correspondence received by him from Sir Alexander (Jodie)', Commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force now in Egypt. In one letter General (Jodie)' . snyslio thinks the New Zealanders are . doing splendidly, and everybody there Mas of that opinion, deferring to the :'...■; that complaints had been made that a number of men had been absent from -.ai-.r units without-leave, ami were staying in Cairo, the commandant wrote that - lieral Maxwell had recently stopped ■il leave of troops for 31! hours, and then there was a round-up in Cairo. ■v was only one New Zealand trooper found amongst the troops absent, break■ig have, a very creditable, fact. General Godley states that the gifts tobacco, cigarettes, plum puddings, •.-azines and papers, were coming to ■'. and their receipt and proportional allocation were noted in orders, while a record was kept of this distribution Tiii'V were much appreciated by the troops, and lie was so advising the donors, and suitably thanking them for their

vonerositv. T!ic -encral health of tin- Ih.iv.vs is ;.oo:l. Tlic. total number unlit at tlic time ■ ■;' wvitin;: was ■>•>:,. but the majority of those would ■■■mm In' lit for duty. "Writinjjf under dat,. January 17. <lvneial Cod'cy stated tliat ovorythinr; was ■ oinv; nn very wcil. Tlic men were splendid, and were doiuj,' a tremendous ■■l. of hard traiv.iair. They were Out niejit and day, on extended schemes, end in bivouacs, and the ollicers were •ho ixiu.-oyiv,:; vvv fa:.t. "We shall be '■' to lii io the war liv (lie end of next vkuvli. lust I believe now Unit before !;o- , in;: to l''rane,. we sbal! be.ve a ureliminarv brush with the Turks. I believe I theiv is no doubt that Ihey arc cniiiii:::.-' j the Turks hits since taken place, wlrn on.. Vow Zealander was killed and anI other injured. | in an' ollieial rcnorl. (hneval Clodlvv ! !::tes that the dishnlirv „„ the wind, : is ;:ood. and is steadily inijivovine'. Ki-hi j ::imi have been .tried by emud-maniai ! "ud twvuty-ono a>'c mnlf'rL'oin'.: detention ! "f I'vve," and cases of insubordination ! usuellv d.u,. to drink. ' Further, General Ciodlev states: '■[)<>■ ! food suovlivs continue ;:ooil. but in I ■".. is sli-hU'- in 'xees's of the scale j as I deem it advi-abl,. J ,o tie.",'- the Ulci 1 -i.]-y liberally, in view of the hard train ing they are at present undergoing.''