HARD-UP COLONIAL SOLDIERS
■WP'T WILD DO.. "ENTERTAINING THE i-AJOR.* Cliristchurch, January 21. Private J. C. Mullins (Canterbury In« fantry Battalion), who was on the Referee stair when he joined the main < body, writing from a convalescent camp , : in England—he was rather badly wounded at Gallipoli—mention? that many people in the Old Country imagine that •; the New Zealand and Australian soldieri V have unlimited supplies of cash at hand, -J and that there >is no limit to their >j wealth. l, it is fiot by any means an ' % uncommon opinion that the New Zea- '*i landers are all sheep-farmers and ata- t tion-owners. And it is hard at times =,< to persuade peopie (a certain class) that the average New Zealand soldier is merely a working man and not *, .1 capitalist." l Apropos of this belief, Private Mul- . ; lins spins a couple of good yarns. He writes:— *
A tale is told of one of our boys who/ ' incidentally in a very well-known foot- ' bailer in the North ißland. He was « having lunch at a certain house, and, as jj per usual, was lauding New Zealand to *t the skies. Well, the question cropped ■ ;j( up between the daughter of the house A ;imt this sohlier as to what they should *"j do during the afternoon. She suggested a a motor-oar drive into the country. This ■'' did not meet with the footballer's ap- ', proval, and he expressed himself very forcibly on the point. "Do'yoii know," tl he said, "I'm heartily sick of motorcars. I've practically lived in them for (he past few years, and just before I J lei't Auckland 1 disposed of both my 1 cars. 1 had had absolutely enough of Jj tin-in, and even my doctoV ordered me ;j to give theni up years ago. Since I "| have been in the Army our colonel" bag i* always insisted on my going everywhere . ,1 with' him, and he's always got the same ■! old car. But. say, I'd like' to have a -1 ride on one of your trams. 1 have ]| only been on them about four times ill r | New Zealand and twice in England, so l> M am a bit in favor of them. We'll take ,''l such-and-such a ride." In Manchester i there is a certain line which runs prac- *3 tically right round the city, or, at any l|j rate, you can go for quite a long ride, k and land back at the same place,, witli- 'j out getting off the car. This was the | route chosen, and all the way 'ibis foot- ."I bailer explained the joys of tram-riding, ,j etc., and the beauty of everything geM- I erally, until his littlo guide really imap- '<• ined tliat she waß doing her New Zea- '•• land friend a great favor by taking him for a ride on the tram. But bo kept himself in her "good books," and now ■; wants to know if he did not work .; things very well. ''A fellow had to do ". something, and 1 only had Is Ad, so with a motor-car 1 guess I'd have had to ■' borrow, and this would not do, for I had ',' the reputation of New Zealaud in my, keeping.'' ~ / -,
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Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1916, Page 5
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531HARD-UP COLONIAL SOLDIERS Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1916, Page 5
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