THE PATRIOTIC FUND.

Evening Star, Issue 111548, 6 February 1900, Page 4

THE PATRIOTIC FUND.

PATRIOTIC CONCERT AT HENLEY. A patriotic concert waa held in the Henley Hall on the evening of the 2nd inat. Mr J. Stevenson was in the chair. An eloquent address was delivered by Mr J. Allen, W.H.R , on the objects of the meeting, and this, with the recitations of Mr Parlane and the patriotic muaic and songs of Misses M'Kegg, Craigie, Rosa, and Grant and Messrs King, Forsyth, and Grant, was the means of rousing the audience to a high pitch of enthusiasm. Three cheers were given for Messrs M'Kegg and Palmer, each of whom have a son in the First Contingent. The collections and admission monay will amount to over £3O. The local fund now stands at £6,547 7s od. The latest contributions arc ;F. J R. Cumine, £5: Dundas street Primitive Sunday School, £3; Airs K. Gilkison (Clyde), £2 2s. An enthusiastic meeting in aid of the fund at the Purakanui School on Monday resulted in a total collection of £25 Is sd. Mr M'Tamney made a very persistent “ beegar.” NOTES FROM WELLINGTON. [Special, to the Star ] At the meeting of the More Men Fund Committee yesterday, the Mayor' in the chair, it was decided to pay to the Government £I,OOO as a 6rst instalment toward? the expenses in connection with the encamp ment.

Tht*? Rough Riders who are not expected to get away with the Tnird Contingent will probably rot be ready for embarkation tiil iha Fourth Contingent is organised. The Committee reported th»t 134 men had been provisionally eel. cte I, and that r iuety go into camp to-morrow. Two men preferred to completely iquip themselves and puy their passages; cne to provide a horse and foil tquipment; sevenly-'hree to provide horses. £275 in cash was also promised by the men offering. The total value of hones and equipments will probibly be £1,230. The Committee decided that the men offering to pay their passages and provide horses and equipments should be allowed to enter camp without a preliminary examination by the Selection Committee, taking their chances of ultimate approval or r> j -.otion. '• It was further resolved to pn-mute an open-sir concert on the wharf in aid of the fund.

A lehgram was sent to the Mayor of Wairarapa, as follows: —“Presume all moneys collected in the Wairarapa will be handed to the Central Committee as numbers of men from the Wairarapa have applied here and have been provisionally selected.”

It is understood that the pay of 4s a day will begin from the day of enteringthe camp. The Mayor expressed the opinion that this should be included in the £75 for each man. Offers were received from Drs Gillon and Godfrey as surgeons with the Rough Riders. Regarding the nurse?, the Committee decided to inform the ladies that they have no funds available for sending nurses to South Africa, and suggest that ladies meet, ts.ke independent action, and raise a separate fund. A member of Ihe Committee remarked : “ L’a the men we are after.” The Mayor: “Rut the women are after the men.”

Colonel ITnton returned to Wellington on Saturday and proceeded to Wanganui to inspect tho encampment there. He returns to Wellington on Thursday. Nothing definite is arranged as to who is to have charge of tho encampment here. The Wellington section of the staff of the New Z aland Bid ways has handed a fourth sum of £3.7 to ihe More Men Fund, making the total cimtr b ition to date £l5O. firing to the number ot men who c fiber to find, iheir own horse?, it is believed that the citizens will not be required to furnish mounte. The following paragraph appears in the ‘Post’:—"lt is currently reported this r.iir.ruorm that a difficulty has arisen between the Government and Executive Committee, who have charge of the arrangements for sending away the local section of the Rough Riders Contingent. Notwithstanding tho Premiers tel.gram of last week stating that the Government would have no objection to taking charge of the men and horses, provided that the funds subscribed by the public were handed over to the Government for this purpose, it D stated that to-day the Defence authorities dt dined to take any responsibility mHI he rren and berets wtre handed over at the ship’s side. Tnis plates the Committee in a somewhat awkward fix, as, unless the department relents, no provision has been made for rationing the men, who are to go into camp forthwith. The local Committee simply requested the Government to take over control of ihec-mp, all expense being borne by the general fund. A cheque for £1,(00 was tendered, but on learning the decision of the authorities b. was not handed over. The Committee are now in comm u > ertioa with the Premier on the subject.’ Min slera being in Catenet, I was unuile ’0 obtain access -o the Pitmier, but from inquiries in o' her quarters I am led to belie ve that the j aragiaph in Do ‘ Post ’ is substantially crrrtc: ; in which case an awkward leadlock will be created. One circumstancei ends color lo the * Post’s ’ statement. ToJiy I made repeated inquiries ot the Defence Office as to the arrangement* for tomorrow’s er O-empnient, and as r<> « ho will be in charge of the cunp, at which 134 men who have passed the preliminary examina ion for enrolment in the corps of Rough Riders will be muttered. In each instame the reply to my question was ambiguous. All I could gather was that nothing has been diGuitily arranged. Thtie is som, thing behind all this which at present is u mys ery. It is notorious that there was much friction between several of the military authorities at the encampment of the Second Contingent. Ic, is hinted to me by me who is behind the scenes that the Premier as Minster of Defence adopts the view of the D teice authorities that it is a waste of time and money to r ncamp, teat in shooting, riding, and physical tiuiens as many as 134 men when only twenty-five are required. I applied to day fora pass forthecamp.butwasinformed that no pass would be granted until the camp has hj en formed, which may mean that no camp will be pitched to-morrow! Meantime Colonel Pole Peuton, commanding the forces, has gone lo Wanganui.THE FUTURE FIELD OF OPERATIONS. The Pre?s Association’s Special with the First Contii gent pays that there is a demand for fifty remounts. He believes that Lorn the larg- numbers of reinforcements arriving at R-ndsburg it will he along tho railway route to Bloemfontein that much of the moat i ff.ctive fighting in the war will take place. Mr R. Caton Woodville, who is attracting so much attention with his picture of “ the gentlemon in kharki,” and which i-s to be impersonated to-night by Mr Wallace Brownie w, is a com-in of Mr W. W. Shelmerdine, of Clyde street. There are a couple of well-drawn cartoons apropos in the Transvaal War on rxh bit in Messes Wisp, and Co.’s window. The one is entitled ‘The Near Future,’ and is prtphetic in meaning; the other ‘A Tug <f War.’ The latter is hardly complimentary to the shade of Mr Gladstone or his policy.