NEW ZEALAND CONTINGENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 27, 1 August 1911, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND CONTINGENT.

A SUCCESSFUL CORONATION DELEGATION* I (From Our Own Correspondent.) 'LONDON, 23rd June, New Zealand has evety reason to be proud of the reception which has been accorded in England' to the military contingent for the Coronation, and also of the manner in which the men have acquitted themselves, _ j tAs I stated before, the uniform consists of an olive green tunic, with black gnottlder straps, silver buttons, black collar with silver fern leaf, white cord breeches, black riding boots, and green slouch cap with the httia feather. The effect is unexpectedly smart. On the march, to St. Paul's last Sunday the New Zealanders quite took the fancy of tha public, and on Tuesday Lord Haldane* m his inspection, was specially struck by the smart appearance of the outfit, on which he made an audible remark to his staff. By a happy thought, four of the Maori troupe from the White City have been embodied in the contingent, afrti One' oi them Was detached for the special escort of the Prime Minister in to-day's procession, One of the Maori members, Aperaliaina Wiafi, Was also a Member of the Coronation Contingent of 1902. The others are Tiki Papakura (a brother of Maggie), (Fiti Roera, and Kereopa Hori— > all mightily pleased at the Honour they have received. When I visited the camp of the New Zealanders at the Duke of York's School at Chelsea on Wednesday, they were parading at full strength for photo.gfapfas, and Colonel Battchop, C.M.G., who has cut himself off from Camberley for a few days to see the Coronation through, took advantage of the opportunity to present t»> Corporal E. R. Husband the long service medal, "a decoration no fellow can get unless he has earned it." The -disposition of the New Zealanders for tho Coronation and the Royal progress was as follows i-~on Coronation Day (yesteftiay) the officers joked the guard of honour of oversea officers in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace, while the men were lined up with other troops from the" Dominions in Queen's Gardens, about the new Queen .Victoria Memorial. To-day the majority of the Contingent (sii officers and twenty-four Men.) Wrire detached a# an escort to the Prime Minister, marching in front of the carriage in which Sir Joseph Ward and General Botha drove. The officers were Colonel Bauchop Colonel Abbott, Col. Chaytor, Major Moorhouse, Major Gabites, and Captain Seddon. The balajice of the troop were drawn up on the line of route. Colonel R. Heaton Rhodes and Major Johnston (both of Canterbury) were selected for the staff of the General commanding the oversea troops, which wag drawn from the whole oversea force engaged in the celebrations. They will come in contact in this duty with Major W. B. N. Haddocks, R.A., who was formerly aide-de-camp to Colonel Pole-Ponton, and is still his staff-officer in command of the artillery at Malta, and Captain Makgill Crichton Maitland, brother of the officer of the same name, who is at present with the New Zealand army. LORD HALDANE'S ENCOURAGEMENT, All tho officer* of the Oversea Con* tingents were presented to Lord Saldane after the parade, and ho addressed them shortly on the prospects which the new scheme of an Imperial army opened up for them. He said that Field-Mar^ shal Sif William Nicholson, a* Chief ol the Imperial General Staff, had worked out in collaboration with the oversea chiefs a plan which it was noped Would result in a unified army of jthe Empire. "That," I» added, "means a great deal for you.- Xt me*»i« tfte ch*nc« ol distinction, power of interchange, opportunities of making yourselves acquainted with what is highest in the military system of this and other countries^, and I hope opportunities also of doing something that you will be proud of to hand over to those who come after you, and which those who come after you may carry yet further stage. These are things which give me a lively sense that we live in days that are full of hope for the Empire."