SOLDIERS FROM NIUE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2564, 11 September 1915, Page 13

SOLDIERS FROM NIUE

COOK ISLANDS CONTINGENT

TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS

'A steamer will leave New Zealand shortly and proceed direct to tho .Island of Niue, an outlying members of the Cook Group, and a dependency of New Zealand lying between the other Cook Islands and the Friendly Islands.' The vessel will there ombarlc - two hundred Natives, and will bring them direct to Aucklaud, where they- will commence military training at the Narrow Neck Camp. These men, together with fifty men from Rarotonga, will form the bulk of the Third Maori Contingent of 340 men. The remainder will be recruited m New Zealand. The second Maori Contingent is now completing its trailing at Narrow Ncck, and is expected to jeave Auckland by train for Wellington in a few days' time. If tho present arrangement is carried out the men from Nine will arrive in Auckland about the end of the first week in October, but this date is merely approximate. Since the death of Dr. Cameron, Niuo has been without a medical officer, and a, medical mail -will travel on the steamer to the Island, and see that these Natives are free from disease of all sorts before they are brought aboard. Thoy will probably travel in charge of Sergeant Holmes. An officer of lengthy military experience who has been in charge of tho Police Force at Niue for some years, and who, it is expected, will proceed to tho front with the Niuean section of the Native Contingent. As soon, as war broke out the people of Niue subscribed money to the war funds, and offered 200 men. Dr. Pomare, Minister in Charge of the Cook Islands, told tho Niueaiis that their offer could not bo immediately accepted, but on his recommendation 200 men placed themselves at the disposal of Sergeant Holmes, and have been receiving instruction in military exercises since that time. The people of Niue como of a great fighting stock. Cook had experience of that 150 years ago, and his opinion may still be found upon maps which call Niue "Savage Island." The men are strong, hardy, and big of stature, and are famous throughout the Pacific for their value as labourers. . It is thought that they will make admirable soldiers. It is expected that the fifty men from Rarotoiiga will arrive in "Wellington by the next San Francisco steamer. They come mostly from Rarotoiiga Island itself.

The matter of language may present a difficulty, but it is not regarded as serious. The language of Earotonga is practically that of the Maori, but the language .of Nuie is almost peculiar to that island. Further, most Maoris and many Earotongans undorstand English, while very few. Nuieans understand any but their own tongue. However, a number of young men of Nuio have been educated at the Government school there, where they proved to be ijuick and olever students, and it is believed that there will be sufficient of these to act as non-commissioned officers, in which positions they will also be interpreters. This third Native contingent will probably have completed its training by the end of December,- and it will be succeeded in'camp by the fourth Maori contingent. The organisation of these various contingents has been carried out by the Hon. Dr. Pomare and a committee consisting of the othor Maori representatives and Sir James Carroll. It is known that certain Maori tribes for various reasons have not sent men for service under the British flag, and of these the largest and most powerful are tho Waikatos. So far only one Waikato has enlisted, and he, unhappily, was killed in action soon after the Maoris reached Gallipoli. Dr. Pomare has now arranged for a conference'be'tween the Waikato chiefs and his committee. This will take place in October, and as a result Dr. Pomare hopes that the whole of the fourth Maori contingent will be furnished hy the V'aikatos—a thing that this numerous i and warlike tribe could easily do.