GENERAL NOTES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 36, 11 August 1914, Page 3

GENERAL NOTES

Mr. Lowe, resident secretary of the j Australian Mutual Provident Society, ' states that he has not yet received advice, ! as previously reported, from headquarters as to the conditions on which officers will be permitted to join tho Expeditionary Force. The Wellington Harbour Board has agreed to give £100 to the war fund and pay half wages to any of its staff lrho go on active service. A correspondent makes a suggestion, on somewhat novel lines, for raising funds to help in the equipment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, or to be devoted to the Empire Defence Fund. It is that a gold watch or clock should be set going, oeing first wound by some appointed person, and that the watch should become the property of the person who makes the closest guess to the time at which it stops. Cards, he says, could be printed, on which each person could register his guess, paying one shilling or such other sum as might be fixed for each guess. As there are sixty seconds in each minute, and as many minutes in each of the twenty-four hours, a brief calculation serves to show that the scheme, if properly carried out, would yield a very substantial return. A meeting of the staff of the Publio Trust Office was held yesterday, when it was decided to contribute to the Empire Defence Fund one day's pay for the month of August. This amount will exceed £100. The question of further contributions on similar lines will be considered later. The Education Department has decided that married teachers joining the Expeditionary Force, with leave of their education board, and appointed as officers in the force, shall be paid while on military service so much of their salary as teachers as will, together with their mili- j tary pay, amount to one and a-quarter 1 times their salary as teachers. All other teachers ioining the force with the leave of their boards are to be paid so much of their salary as will, together with their military pay, make up_ their total earnings to the amount of their salary as teachers. " Salary '• and " military pay " will be interpreted as being exclusive of allowances. The reason for the more generoiis treatment of officers is that officers are required to make certain payments which privates and non-commissioned officers aro not called upon to pay. All- branches of the Railway Service were well represented at a meeting at which it was unanimously decided to proceed urgently with the collection of subscriptions from all railway men towards the equipment of the railway contingent of the Expeditionary Force. The Department has decided to grant half-pay to all volunteers for six months, in addition to any pay allowed by the Defence Department, and also to keep their positions open. It was stated that 70 per cent, of the contingent would be second division men. There are a few members of the Honourable Artillery Company of London (generally known as the H.A.C.) resident in the Donynion. Even members of the veteran company are receiving cablegrams enquiring whether they are still physically fit for active service, while activo members visiting New Zealand aro being recalled to duty. This ancient military Body is independent of tho British Government, and providing, at the individual cost of members, their own maintenance, armc. and equipment, serve primarily th« reigtiing Sovereign, and are liable further to be called on for the defence of the Lord Mayor and the City of London. The Empire Defence Fnnd will be controlled by the Paymaster-General. All the banks are instructing their branches that all moneys subscribed for that object aro to be paid into the different accounts and the bank receipt forwarded to tho Pay master-Generai, who will credit them to the various purposes to which they are requested to be devoted. The undersigned expressmen of Court*?-nay-place and Taranaki-street have offered their services, free, of charge, to do any carting required in connection with the outgoing troops: W. Lepper, W. Greenfield, J. Graham, C. Spurway, E. Johns, F. Bates, J. Craig, R. Pearce, H. Crowchor, H. Osborne, J. Williams, M. Sinclair, D. Hunter, J. W. Jones, and P. H. Watson. Somes Island has been appointed as the place of internment for all prisoners of war, and the public arc strictly cautioned against approaching the island. Anybody approaching' within a li-mile radius is liable to be fired upon without warning. A Gazette Extraordinary was issued on Saturday night calling out the Army Keßorve on permanent service. At a 'meeting in Greytown our local correspondent) 1 great enthusiasm was shown. Donations were made in the room as follow : J. D. Hegarty £20, C. ,' Wyett .£3O, F. J. White £25,' ,N. Feast £5, H. C. Cook £2 2s, J. B. Bickrtell £2 2s, M. Maxton£l Is, W. Workman £1 Is, A. L. Webster £1 Is, W. W. Bicknell £2 10s, York. Bros, and B. Butch one horse each, W. A. Tate one) ton' of hay, and S. Thompson -100 sackk chaff. The Featherstoo Town Hall was the scene of a large, gathering of , the residents and settlers of the district on Monday afternoon, * when a. meeting was held to further the project of raising funds. Already a" substantial ' amount has been raised. The ladies met ■ subsequently to arrange # for .providing comforts for the Expeditionary Force.