ARRIVAL OF TAHITI.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1915, Page 5

ARRIVAL OF TAHITI.

SICK AND WOUNDED RETURN. By Telegraph.—Press Asaociatloa. Wellington, Sept. 11. The second batch of sick and wounded soldiers to return to Kcw Zealand asrived by the Tahiti to-day. The troopship anchored in the stream early this morning, and the medical and record staffs were busily engaged in examining the men and arranging for their conveyance to various parts of New Zealand and paying them. With some 489 men on board, this was no small task. The total included 27 hospital eases and 59 convalescents. Later in the morning the Minister of Defence:and party visited the transport. The majority of the men generally looked fairly fit, the sea voyage having apparently done them a great deal o? good. - Scattered among them were many who bore evidence of participation in battles, such as face wounds and other injuries. Of the balance a considerable' number had not been at Oallipoli, and; ■were returned invalided from Egypt., 1 The men who had been in action were,, r.3 a whole, \ery reticent, and only with. difficulty were induced to talk themselves. They were unanimous in invins tribute to their callant ownradas

in tho trenches, and also the Amtrall- ' ;i ans who made tho famous landing ij : Gaba Tcpe. i — —: , i A SMOOTH VOYAGE. ■ i CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH. -J Wellington, Last Night. } Altogether the returned troojw lltnf • t to have had. a very satisfactory voyage j back to the dominion. Apart from two *, days' rough weather just before Albatyy - ' was reached,, the steamer has travelled >{ comfortably over smooth seas, and tolly, . < two cases of ilincsß occurred on the trip. " Twelve days after leaving Suez a mettles ' J patient was discovered, but he waß «ff»fl- ■ j tively isolated, aiuU'the day bpfori-wr- 'jj rival a man Was-attacked by pneumonia, ' 1 Such a clean bill of health is inflnltwy „fl to the credit of Captain Evans, the popll. i 1 lar master of the Tahiti, who appears / J to have personally undertaken the rigid ""'1 enforcement of sanitary precautions, > "j This task was not an easy one, for:*' i.£ largo number of military orderlies had ,'\ to bS drilled with efficiency. The fiwnV \ : that this orderly work had to be under- . - taken by healthy men, who did not g»t W as far as the front, and who have been g returned on account of various technical '« disabilities, led to some grumbling on ' "^ their part, but close investigation shows \A that while Captain Evans, acting in con- \ junction with the military and medial -J officers, maintained an admirable system ; of discipline and cleanliness there is no ; reason to believe that anyone throughout ' i the voyage suffered ill treatment or it- ft justice. Some absurd stories were tot \ afloat by idle tongues on Saturday e*V * cerning the sternness of discipline iWdl- i cated by the captain, but there appears H to be not the slightest foundation in ' i them. Of the 491 troopers aboard there 'jj wero only 27 hospital cases and 69 eon-i V valescents. i ■.-, ! ' RECEPTION AT WELLINGTON. .j Fortunately the gloomy meteorological forecast given out for Wellington on Saturday was to some extent faUUM. j The morning certainly opened badly, ■ r with heavy rain, but it was Hot long before the Bun burst through the ot»r- , * hanging clouds, and as Are weather 1 u P' could be desired prevailed for the reetption of the troops. Tiie transport *aa anchored in mid-harbor shortly after " ' midnight, and at 7.30 a.m. tho MedJtal >\ and record staffs were taken out by the , ■ 'i Janio Seddon, to go through'a lot;of ' details essential to the military adminls" • ',''. tration prior to the landing of the [ and men. The Ministers of Dcfftnca [fyn. '. y r '< Jas Allen) and Health (Hon. G. W. RtU- » sell) and the Attorney-General (Hon.-A. ,' .v 1 L. Herdmah) paid a visit in oofnpany; ■ with Brigadier-General Robin, SurgfOn- '*, General Henderson, and Licutenant'Qol- t onel Pilkingt'on, and oil their return the - preßS (limited to twclvo representatives), ■; were allowed the privilege of interview-' ,', ing those on board. The preliminary; '; arrangements for. disembarkation Were ■ '.; sufficiently well forward for the pablio reception programme to be punctually ''i out. The transport was berthed ■f. iSt the Glasgow Wharf by 3 p.m., and ( tttVr the convalescents and others had , , the opportunity of meeting relatives - and' .friends they were driven to the r•' Town Hall in motor cars, With a great ;.• display of enthusiasm on tho p4rt of -^ civic oiriaokers, to be regaled with con«' ,-'■ gratulaiory speeches by the Mayor Sjnd leading Ministers ,and also light refresh.-* { ments. The proceeding* altogether passr \ ed off mc-st |dea>a»tly to all concerned. In the evCnhtg a large number of troops proceeded by i train to Auckland, and the ( New" Plymouth and Hawke's Bay con-* tingents were accommodated with specU ; als this morning. It had originally been intended that ;the Tahiti should proceed to Lyttelton ■and Port Chalmers-to-day, but the trans* , port's departure had to be delayed until Monday afternoon. Indeed, It iajost possible that she may not be able to ' , get away until Tuesday iriornirig. Thiais not owing to any difficulty with the | firemen and trimmers, teat' because it' is ' .' inconvenient for several of the soldiers to* be hurried off tho ship. The period for which the crew Were stripped eipired ' at's p.m. on Saturday, and they were all yaid off,'but tl»e majority of them will sign on again before the steamer's departure for the south. The Tahiti will .- -, ( now remain in Hew Zealand wa4erj! untij . '. require for further military dntl«. j<' '• The tw-o New Plymouth men wlib re. 'turned from the iDardane&es—Privates W. Okiery and W. Harding—did nob arrive in New 'Plymouth last nijfht w expected, but will return by tße mall train to-night. By the special fa-atrt last ' ~ night, Privasfce McHtiirdy, of Canterbury, came to New Plymouth to stajf ptik ' j friends,