BEHIND THE SCENES.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1917, Page 6

BEHIND THE SCENES.

INTERESTING NEWS AND VIEWS. BUSY IIIGII COMMISSIONER. The Dunedin Star ha? been permitted to make the following extracts from a recent letter from Sir Thomas Mackenzie:— I call this a Chirstmis 'etter? Time passes rapidly ..-mil many events have occurred since I received your welcome lettei, contents of .vliijli I read with nuiili interest. Perhaps you would 1)0 interested if I weie i:i 111/ reply to give a few incidents 'n >ny life h.-re. At tlie beginning of \ugust 1 was 'unusually .busy. There was th; opening ceremony at the hostel for New Zealand soldiers on furlough. That institution will be of enormous ussistancc tn out men, inasmuch as they are ,net on arrival at the railway station, and after good baths arc provided" with nice fresh clothes and comfortable opartjnents at a moderate rate., The anor is rpen day and night, and a kindly welcome extended by many willing helpers. The following day I went down to Cambridge, where I had the honor of addressing about 100 students on "I.and Tenures." I must confess 1 was somewhat i.oncerned at meeting and speaking before the professors, but I found the learned dons and students easy to get. on with, and the lecture was followed by a very bright ami animated discussion. Two days later I addressed, at Glasgow, a meeting composed chiefly if trade unionists, and had an experience never enjoyed before—namely, on the conclusion of mv remarks the audhnce :rose and

ciiecrcfl. Then, as I had to investigate the distribution of the funds generously given by Highlanders and others in New Zealand for the relief of distress in the Highlands, I visited a good many parts, and obtained a. fair idea of the condition of affairs. I stayed for a time at Inverness, and then went on to Brahan Castle, the set of the Scaforfh Mackenzies. From Colonel Stewart Mackenzie I procured many interesting family histories. It was Colonel aMckenzie's great-grandfather who raised the Scaforth Highland Regiment, and the family still lives in the historic castle which was the abode used by Wade after the 1745 rebellon. That general in order to reduce the fortress, blew olf the tcver and two or three stories 'ot tlie edifice, but it is still a noble pile. Mrs. Mackenzie, the eolonei's wfe, runs a home of 40 wounded soldiers 011 the estate. I was pleased to be able to tell the chief that .1 called a bsautiful river in New Zealand, discharging into the West Coast Sound, t:is Seaforth, and named a fine rugged range of mountains after the castle. From Brahan Castle I proceeded to Ullapool, on the west coast of (Scotland, which is alio in the Mackenzie Country, livery other man there is a Mackenzie. I vas called upon to deliver an, address ori New Zealand. It was from Ullapool th.it some of the Highlanders sailed who founded the Waipu Settlement.

I was hastily called back to tewn to attend a meeting of the P.oyr>.l Commission on the Dardanelles. Pining the journey bsjck I heard, on Perth r ail\vay station ,a most interesting discussion between two Scottish 'ads. booksellers, which amused me greatly. It. was interesting to observe the fray tie two argued. There was an entire absence of abuse or discourtesy. The debaters stuck to the point, and spoke in the broadest of Scottish dialects. Eventually one had to leave. He tool; ofT Ins cap, and with a lord.,' bow, said: "I must gang now. I am rioht in the argument, but hae your way." You probaoly read st> much in the iow»papers about the war that I will not repeat any news, beyond saying that just now we are rather uneasy about Eoumania. But our worst on the western front is giving us g.'Mt satisfaction, and from all accounts the men w''io a;e taken prisoners show that a certain amount of demoralisation has set in'with the Germans. AH the same, it is a mistake to consider that the Germans arc other than still powcful antagonist.#. I am sure you will be interested if I give you the contents of a letter in connection with ouv troops which I received from one of tht best British authorities, lie said:

I "I have just come bade from a visit ! to the front, whole I have been staying with several of my old friend? commanding the armies, and I feel it only right and proper to tell you what I learnt out there about the New Zcahnde'-s. Ilav•ing been an old warrior myself, T am on ° intimate terms wit!. practically nil the i-oldiers out there, and I was parti cularly interested in the question of the value of our troops from overseas. And this was the universal opinion: The New Zealanders are far and away the best better disciplined, better lij'liUTS, and the keenest soldiers they have in tin. British Army. Australians .Mine next and Canadians third. I was given an instance where the New Zealand troops, after having had a good deal of pounding ir the trenches, wen; b.-ing left in comparative -peace while the ioiccs on their left were making an attack, whereupon they begged to tie allowed to join in. This, too, after some very severe fighting in which they had only lately been engaged. I tliouiv.it you would like to know this, for l"am quite sur" it must be gratifying to vou to hear how well your compatrbtis ar-; doing out there." is still. dark and dangerous, mhough we feel sure that the i.i ppulin menace has largely been met. Indeed, it is claimed that we are a'.moit sure tc get all of them now, by reason of the chemical that is used in attacking. Young- Robinson, who brought, down a machine, is a frequent visitor to our homo. T spent a brief but m?.ss delightful holiday at Salcombe (as far as it miMit be called a holiday, but- it took three hours every day to deal with mail matter), and stayed an old home, the i "rounds surrounding which ciutnincd a fine collection of New Zealand plants, such as oroadleaf, clematis, cabbage tree and flax, also veronica, maple? and totaras. The house was the birthplace of General Birdwood, and Tennyson spent much time there—in fact, it was in the grounds which overlook the entrance to the beautiful bay and lmrbor that Tennyson wrote "Crossing the You will perhaps lie interested in reading a short account of my visit to Bristol, during which the most important function was the conference, at which Bristol merchants put their case regarding overseas trade. T.iere is no doubt that in future there will >;e much rooir for a wiflei' distribution of outproduce, and an opportunity to free it ■ from some of the charges that :;re now levied against it. The merchants were , particularly intwrsted to I°-!™ t"*t had taken up fiie question of vjolialung . the 215. *fi.llowance> on sheep, ftlucfc, as |

perhaps you know, is a cusbw which bar, been in force in London :<>i many years, and does not prevail on the west coaiJ. This allowaiuu is not only a loss to tiie farmer, but is tha means of giving London an advantage over other ports, such as Bristol fc to the extent of about Is to Is Oil per sheep. Whilst in Brisiol we visited two hospitals, where we s::w some ot our soldiers, who were being treated, and were in excellent spirits. Our visits to the schools were most interesting. % presented a New Zealand Flag to the girls' school, '"h'cli institution was founded bj a philanthropist named Colston. Connected \i it!: aim is a rather interesting story. He was one of the early sailor adventurer.;. A storm arising at sea, he vowci that if he reached land in safety fie would devote the whole of his means to good objects, and the Colston School, which has been in existence for some hundreds of years, is a result of the vow he made. These girls and young wvmen from 1? to IS years are trained in useful occupations. It was a most inspiring sight to see them doing splendid woik. We also visited, a boys' school, w icre I gave an address. TJse Lord Mayor of Brijfol was invited by the Mayor of Wells—an ancient city with a .b ?atifn! cathedral—to take us there. He sallifd forth in his old lace, etc., and we drove quite K0 miles through beautiful country and down a famous gorge called Cheddar. For its size there is nothing finer in any part of the world. The gorge possesses famous limestone caves iike the V/aitomo Caves, but in miniE.ture. Ad Wells we were veceivd by the Mayor, aldermen, and corporaIjoji, entertained ;-n their famous hall to a most generous luncheon, and oftcr•vards taken by the dean t« see the caih'/dral, which he described to us at length. .The Bishop and his lady afterwarjfc -•n'ertainod us to tea. The Bisho'j's ialaee is a fine type of Norman arel.; lectin®, surrounded by a moat, whic\ is still filled with water. Portcullis and drawbridge also exist, as in oldcii I'mes. A singular thing is the manner in which the swans ring a bell when tiicy require food. Thit. interested Sir James Carroll immensely. The Bishop, ive disco* cred, was a connection of my wife's. On Sunday morning we attended chureli with the Lord Mayor and ':is entourage, and a fine sermon warf preached. Aintrleys attitude in reference to sir* murines is perplexing. In The Times a short time ago 1 read that American destroyers moved away to allow a German Fuiriiiurine" to sink British and neutra' ships. If that account be true, what : esiit.'ast it presents to the attitude taken up by Great Britain when the A merieans were at vm' wilh Spain, and wher I he- Gi,' mans intended to take a hand ii l the afla'r but ;n.l in tI)C interests oi the Americns!

Some three vears ago I was a guest at a small dinner, at which were present men -,viic knew the inner history of .11: impcv.-Unt incident that occurred luring the Spanish-American War. and I don't think the fo'.low'ng story has ever been told before:—lt appears that German warship?, were prowling about to see what. they eon!d secure for thc-mselves. They were like eagles watching theii tmy. The Herman Admiral went on board the Brir-h Admiral's ship, an« asked what the British Navy would do in the event of the Germans taking a '•and lr the fray. The British Admiral stated that lie was not prepared to convey sueli information, but added signifieninly *hat Admiral Dewey knew what the I'rit'sh would do if the. Germans interfered The German Admiral returned to ilia "hip, and forthwith the British Admiral weighed anchor a«d moved, t.c a position br-twesn the Germans and Hi? Ame'icrus Tl," Gormans, recognising that the "Tine w.is up, left immediately The attitude of the British no doubt saved. r .'if Amc'-cans from serious difficulties that vould have arisen had the Genitalis interfered. Those who knew this inner story paid great tributes to Britain's oenero'.ity and promptness, and said that her action had left 011 the Americans an undying impression, which in fi-tuio would call forth gratitude and reccuponse. What is the recompense? We lead that an American' destroyer moved it*vay and allowed a German boat to torpedo merchant ships of Nantucket. What a contrast! Lord Beresford said in 'Parliament the other day that she was aiding and abetting the Germans. The Amsterdam Telegraaf made the following •ibservaiion 011 the incident:— ''Would the Dutch people have tolerated that a ship of the "Royal Netherlands Navy should perform tender service, as a New York paper expressed it, in order to mak" a U boat remain within the technical limit-; of the Government's Note- by repeatedly picking up passengers and crews ivhcn the submarine sent the ships to, ihe bottom? Does the great American nation tolerate something like that 0 Docs it allow jjts Government to raise objections against the cruising of British warships along its coasts,"but. to keep silence when German submarines practise their sinister business immediately in front of its coast'; . What figure America will cut in the eyes of contemporaries or prosperity it it allows itself to be laughed to scorn at. r.erii? or Hamburg is ultimately a matter for itself, but an American warship has been an interested witness of how a great Dutch cargo ship, the Blommensd'jli, belonging to flie Holland Amcrika line wjiich cannot be less valued 0:1 the btliei side than 011 this, has been -unk clo.;-' to the lighthouse on a sandbank before Nantucket."

No doubt difappointment sometimes avisos in connection with correspondence from and to New Zealand, caused by the non-delivery of letters addressed to mc fvom the Dominion ,or of my replies to correspoii'lent;. Letters which I am illformed have bfe/i posted to me have nevtsr reached 'ue, and I know of instance s in which my letters have not .cached their destination in New Zealand. This is l'.o doubt due to many cause', one being the* torpedoing of vessels. and another the number of handlings to which the mails are subject. I would take I his- opportunity of inform-

ing my that everything placed under \ny cars or that of m office receives r,ainstaV : iiE' attention. I am very glad to receive communications from parents, relatives, aiul friends who desire to learn news of those, at tlio war. 1 address a ''Citer t» every sick and wounded soldier who arrives in this country, asking to be advised of his condition. If the soldiers will*only let mc know where ttey are, or will call upon mc, I i.1.a1l be happy to do anything possible lor them. We cannot pay too much attention to our lads who are doing so much fui King and country The New Zealand War Contingent Association arc still most active in their operations. A iplendid lot of men and women are lv-iping me. and if it were not for their help it would be impossible for me to carry out the work required for our soldieis. We have been building oeial liuta ati Brockenhurst, Hornchurch. anil Walton, the old social hall; having been taken afc the l&st-mentkmci place, for additional beds, Sling, Codford. iand Sali'burj?we have opened recreation

rooms, and I am sure it would delight 3011 it vim could sec the way in which our soldiers enjoy the comfort of these places. The po'ice authorities in London and Salisbury tell me that they have never hud the slightest difficulty with any of our men. This excellent state c( l things may be attributed to two causes: U) tue fine qi.alitv of our lads and (ii) the pivv.'sion made fo. theii comfort (.(bet than the ordinary public-house. V,v 'laughter Helen is very busy with J gout ileal of this organisation work, and my other daughter (Mary) is still nursing at Walton, where my son Bruce was for aboi t i r i months. Dear old Clutha is dicing his part, having instituted .1 journal whi' i keeps the soldiers informed, .ini«ng.-t other things of the condition aiid situation -if their friends. I did nut encourage b'm in the venture, but it is meeting with wonderful success, fo. mere than 10,000 copies of the last issue veie sold.

A'veiy touching incident occurred in connection with Clutha shortly after his an-ive 1 in England, but was told to me on'y tlii, otlnr day by my daughter ■.risen passing the spot where it happened. cinflia was proceeding along the street, en the arm of his sister, when they met a very old gentleman, over 80 years of age. with long white hair. Whan he saw Clutha he stood at attention, s.i'uted t.im, and then passed on.

I aip very busy with the Dardanelles inqutty. My appointment to the Con? lr.ission came <l2 a groat surprise, as 1 am told v,iy name had been added not as that of the repiescntative of New Zealand, tut of the Empire. The work is very aiduous and responsible, and as a preparation for our first meeting it took me ten hours to read confidential matter in connection with the initiation of the campaign, diplomacy, conferences, memoranda, and decisions. I discovered that the woik was of such a secret and confidential nature that it would be impossiole to employ a secretary to assist, especially as so?ne of the question involved international problems of the most fkl'cate and far-reaching nature. We sit almost dai'y at the House of Lords and various witnesses tome before us. The Commission includes some remarkably able men—i.e.. Lord Cromer, Lord 'nstire Pickf.ird, Field-marshal Lord X!ohol;. : cn, Adirirnl Sir William Mav (who w.t- Scco.id Sea Lord in an Adlv.nUtra'ion), and Mr. .1. A. Clyde, K.C.. Td P., ex-Lord' Advocate for Scotland. Our most interesting witness was Lord Fishrr. Lord ITaldane has given evidence. a'so Mr Balfour, Viscount Grey, Mi. Winston Churchill, and many prominent naval and military men. Yesterday we took Dir. Llovd George, and to- | day we are to hear Mr. Asquith. This witness will dose what we call the initiation stage ol tlia Dardanelles campaign. and we slull. then come to tfis actual nerforniancc. Needless to say, the Investigations are most interesting. i notice there has been a good deal of tiseussion in New Zealand regarding the .•[■liewii i of mv tenure of office, and the matter is referred to in several letters. It seeivs »o me that we all have to plav our part in this war, and it would appear thai; my t» ehe is here at the present time net because, I am better than otheis and< more suited to the post, but because I have grown with the development of the work in all its ramifications and pioblcms, many of which are very great and require much care in handling, ft is therefore my intention to remain doing n;v work in connection with the war. so long as the Government, consider that my services are of valu# to then*.. Put when the war is over, and tlie necessary settlements arising out of it "nave «aken plr.ee, then I shall be quite ready to return to New Zealand, when I hope to enjb* rome delightful holidays in t'-'t Out'ia at Waikcvaiti. at the Laf'os, ir n'-t f resfs ,\r,l on our mountains; for I fi'-e'i thai 1 have earned a real «c,<.d holirtaT,