WELLINGTON NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 311, 10 June 1915, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE MARAROA. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, June 7. After .swinging at anchor for many long months in "Rotten Row," thesteamer Mararoa, onre familiar to pas»- ■** isengc.rs on the ferry run .between Wei- ~ lir.gton and Lyttclton, has been taken to a wharf and placed in the hands ofthe carpenters and painters. She ia tp«, take the place of the Maheno, now the . Dominion's hospital ship, in the inter- ; colonial service. The Mararoa's long;.- [ rest among the derelict fleet in Welling- i ton hafbor appears to have been one of j the consequences of the big strik* Of 1013. The ship was spic and span, fresh" from doing duty in the passenger sor* vice, wwu she was sent to Lyttclton to do service as houseboat for the memfccrß of the new Whan Laborers' Ujiiqp, which had just been constituted'-under' the auspices of the employers. The .arbitration workers may have been T»rj \ useful men, regarded as the means., m J restoring activity-on the wharves ..soL. preventing the dislocation of the Domuf"idhV Industries: —ißirtrfchey-»mi»t- snralfcj, have town-the moat destructive ever a>s«gi'blcd on a well-appointed paa-i s'cngcV snrjr- 0 Their delight seems to' hßvtr+iS6!r-t«i'-Wie--4ncir knives on th», woodwork, which included some beautiful panelling and' other decorations.'; They practically wrecked the interior fittings of the ship during their period of occupation and when.normal conditions had been restored on the waterfront and the arbitration workers could be left to find their own lodgings, th* Mararoa tame to Wellington and took a place aftlie anchorage in "Eottcn Row." It was stated locally that the cost of repairing the. damage would amount to several thousand pounds. At any rate r " the Mararoa remained idly at anchor until the other day, while her paint grew dingy add her looks deteriorated sadly,. . There was quite a stir on the wluirve*,' when smoke appeared above her funnel and she was seen to be moving toward* a jetty on the south side of the harbor*

• THE TROOPSHIPS HEADY. J iVireV haye made their api pearaiK?' in* Wellington, and it is aid' txyul 'that' another detachment of irtton* isltoJV'AV.'' Trentliam soon for ft declination on the oiher side of the ■v„fi t i.-. t4n.tsa.fe arrival of the Fourth. lVniEttrcfJUonts, pi', amiably in Kjrvpt, v-r,s re.'o'tmvi rVtither day. The Fifth Kcinforcomi-nis, who have just distin<.ni'hed"tlieiiis("l\'.'s by remarkable successes 1 injtheir'shootirt'o- teste, are due to „■„• .• ii,.\V." and" the men are preparing for an earlv starl. •■ They lone .spent *evcr"l months in 'i'rentham, and will b« frl*ii'ot«et"ii«;ay to join their comrades k the living line. Alter the departure „r '{he Kiftlv HeiiiforivmenU- New Zealand -vi'l have de-patched approximately ]'.. e id „|li.-ers and men, and will have tn tamp at Trent ham over flOoO additional i>i-.n in training, so that the Dominion has gone half-way towards that body ci'-'iM" I '.) men mentioned by some of the advocates of an increased military contribution.' The reinforcement drafts for the future will lie at the rate ot . about KHIO a month, or W.OOO a year. The Fifili Tteinforecinents, according %9 the military authorities at Trenthp, are ready to go straight into the firing line Thev have been put through tb« fnn'coui'sc of hard training, the recruit* who showed any signs of physical weakness have been weeded out, and the men who remain are hard, disciplined and effective. Lately they have been takin" what may be described as a port graduate course of night work, trench making, etc.. and their officers are loud in uraUes of the war in which the men have responded to every, call made upon them.