WELLINGTON NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 253, 5 April 1915, Page 3

WELLINGTON NOTES.

HITTER .DLSCOXTEXT

(From our Own Correspondent.) "■st of the men who returned fn.'ii f. •>;., |.i,i- nth- day H.iv. l;.1v"i tie'.'' d; -.:rgcs, and one gathers that there has !>(■.: some little stir in defence ciiclrover the failure of these trained soldieis Ito volunteer for service in Europe. The | Samoan contingent formed the iirst sr.<tion of the. main txp«<!''tie>nnry Vor.ic [ and was composed of yninj; Teiritor als, the engineering branch being particularly well represented. The relief force I "now on its way to the captured island was organised primarily with the object of freeing the original eontingc.t from mere garrison work and making it available for despatch to the real front. But the men had enlisted only for service in Samoa, and the great majority of them, as has been stated already, have elected to take their discharges at once. The desire to han-lle' deferred pay, which otherwise would bo; withheld until the end of the war, may; explain the attitude, of some of the; returned soldiers, but the real trouTle' is a feeling of bitter discontent that seems to have permeated the whole ; force. It is stated that when the men; were leaving Samoa tm officer of high' rank told them publicly that they ought to Jiang their heads in shame on rca-!i-ing' Wellington, since they had "not played the game." The remark illustrates the nature of the relations between officers and privates, and it is impossible to talk with the "Samoa::s" without learning they are nursing a sense of injury. Presumably the Minister of Defence is trying to assign the blame for this regrettable state of affairs. In the meantime the Empire is losing the services of a very serviceable lot of soldiers who were rather wasted on garrison duty,, in the. South Seas.

THE TRENTIIAM TROOPS. An order has been issued that visiter, are not to be admitted to the Trontham camp without special permits. The explanation of this decision of the Defence authorities is to be found. in the misguided generosity of certain persons, who have carried liquor into the lines and so placed temptation in the way of a particularly well conducted body of young men. Many people who have found Trentham a fascinating place are sad over the new order. The camp is half empty now, many hundreds of the men having been given leave for the Easter holidays, but for months past it has been a centre of tremendous activity. The training given the young men who presently will be helping to fight the battles of the Empire is as strenuous as it is practical. The mere squad drill that used to loom so large in the eye of the soldier has been relegated to a" subsidiary position, and the trocpa are to be seen preparing for the grim work of modern war. They are bciag instructed in the system of bayonet fighting seemingly as scki.tific as boxing, they arc lean.:..;; to take cover to construct trenches, to discover hidden enemies, and, above all, to shoot straight and fast. The familiar khaki uniform is not seen when the men are at work, la? troopers and privates wear suits of duucrare" within the camp, and they ea.'n their daily bread by the sweat of their brows as surely as ever any navvy did. I Accidents of one kind or another are by, Ino means rare. More than one man l.a* received a bayonet wound in the course of a bout with a comrade linger the directing eye of the sergeantmajor; in one case at least the wound is reported to have to* fairly ser.ous. Hut it is all in the game and every day - a the recruits growing more efficient u . 'he arts, and more ready for tie at day of their trial under the guns, 'j hey are a happy, hopeful crowd troubled only by a fear that the "row" may be over 'before they get to the front. General French can hardly have realisI ed what dismay he was bringing into thousands of stout liearts overseas when he said that the war would be brougat to a decisive issue within three months.

THE "WAR CORRESPONDENT.

Mr Malcolm Ttoss has been appointed official war correspondent with tlie Aew Zealand forces, and he will leave iow •Zealand within the next few days Hie task of the selectors was a difficult onf and the final selection of Mr Ross by Hid Cabinet "from among the four men whose names were sent forward by the committee of editors is bound to produce unkind comment in some quarters. Mr Ross is the most prominent of the lieform 'journalists not holding editorial rank. Tie has long represented a syndicate of Oovernmcnt newspapers in Wellington, and it will be remembered that he was the only journalist permitted io accompany the Samoan expeditionary force. But the inevitable charge of favoritism will do less than justice to the personal capacity and the professional record of the war correspondent. _ Mr. "Ross has a wide and varied experience. He saw fighting in the Samoan vjr many years ago, he has miute many adventurous journeys and climbs in Central Ctago arid the Southern Alps legion, aiid'he was for a long period the New Zealand representative of the London Tunes. His comrades in the newspaper world will have no doubt at all of his ability to perform worthily the a New Zealand pressman. Mr. Rosws to a New Zealand pressman. Mr Rosses movements are not yet certain, but it is possible that he may be required to fro to London before he is permitted to join the New Zealand forces wherever they may be serving. It is a pity that the" Government 'delayed so long the appointment-of the Dominion's official reporter with the troops. The Australian Government's correspondent, Captain Bean, was selected in time to necompany She Commonwealth Expeditionary force ii-o 'Europe.

IRISCB.UITING. Inquiries made locally -supply clear indication that the (government can secure the neewswy number of additional recruits if it decides to follow the example of AusAirtlia and .offer another tontingent for service at the front. Your correspondent pitiU a visit to the local 10cv.iiting °"i Cl ' a '" 11 f'>"» rt 110 special efforts are being made to attract young m«n to the cohrit,. A few notices icforfing to the exjHilitionary force aredisplayed around the general post office, and "ilie newspapers -give a little attention to the matter occasionally. 'But nobody in authority, from the Minister of Heft-nee downwards, will say there is a shortage of men or that the need for recruits is urgent, and -under the eircumstanwc.s it is hardly surprising tlr.it men wia dependents or Wilding goo-.l positions -arc hesitating to volunteer. When recruits have come forward the! "wastage" 'w still considerable. Many scores of otherwise suitable applicants have been turned away in this centre on account nl bad teeth, although ;.>' average expenditure of .£5 a head would have sufficed to .have the trouble remedied I>y a competent dentist. Some strange stories are told on reliable authority in this connection. One man who had liven regular in his visits to the d.-'i-tist all his'life was told that he comd not be accepted until he h;id soemvd some artificial teeth t« take the pliic? of certain molars previously extracted. Tim teeth he possessed were all sound and were fully sufficient for tnsjstieation. but in order to get a place in the expeditionary force he lias had. to Jjuy a "plate" which will go overboard as soon ss Ms transport leaves the wharf. i*»9siff man was passed for enlistnifiAi in

spite of the fact that he had ten derived teeth, some of them in a very bad condition. Apparently there is no uniformity of practice on the part of (he examining officers. Other matters might be mentioned and it is safe to say that a really earnest demand for recruits would evoke an immediate response from thousands of men who are not being encouraged to come forward under existing conditions.