THE MAORI CONTINGENT.

Evening Star, Issue 15758, 23 March 1915, Page 6

THE MAORI CONTINGENT.

WELLINGTON, March 25.

Owing to the fact that Major Peacock, officer commanding the Maori contingent, was put ashore ill at the first port of call. Major A. H. Herbert, who sailed with the third reinforcements, has been selected to succeed him in eommond. Major Herbert is a well-known resident of Eketahuna.

MEETING OF WOMEN. RESIDENTIAL CANVASS ■ PROPOSED. In the Octagon Hall yesterday a meeting of ladies, convened by the Mayor, was well attended. The meeting was called with the object of considering ways and means of affording systematic relief to the Belgian nation. The Mayor, who presided, pointed out that an effort had been made by the Otago Patriotic Association to induce the Government to contribute £25,000 per month to the Belgian fund, but the Government had declined to entertain the proposal. He went on to refer to a recent conference and its results, and said that the Government could not sec their way to carry out the recommendations made, but had announced that they would give a monthly donation of £5,000, and would subsidise public subscriptions up to the extent of £5,000 per month. In. other words, if the public subscribed £5,000 the Government would augment it by. a similar sum, in addition to a straight-out gift of £5,000. Otago and Southland were expected to find one-fifth of the sum required, and it was felt that no time was to be lost in setting to work to raise the money.

The Rev. Graham Balfour emphasised the great urgency and need of the Belgians. He referred to the large sums required per day to support those Belgians who were outside their own country in consequence of the war. The speaker made a strong appeal to the womanhood of Dunedin to rise to the occasion and assist the effort about to be made to collect. At the close of Mr Balfour’s remarks Mrs Lindo Ferguson moved—‘‘That an executive be sot up to give effect to the proposal to form a large body of collectors to undertake tiie work of a systematic canvass of the residential areas of the city and suburbs.” This was carried unanimously, and the following were elected an executive: Mesdamos Lindo Ferguson, Jackson, J. B. Gallan, jun., A. G. Fenwick, Barningham, Hutchison. Misses F. Denniston and Runciman, with Mr J. A. Johnstone as chairman. In connection with the details arranged, the city and suburbs have been cut up into 198 blocks for canvassing purposes. The business portion of the City has already been canvassed by members of the Men’s Committee, but close on 1,000 lady collectors will be required to complete the residential collection.

All the ladies present at the meeting expressed their readiness and willingness to act as collectors, but these will fall very far short of the total required to carry out the work thoroughly. The hope was therefore expressed that any lady prepared to assist this most urgent and deserving object would send in her name to_ the chairman of the Public Appeal Committee, care of the Town Clerk. Dunedin, not later than next Wednesday, ns a meeting of the executive is to ho held the next day to allocate the districts. the: cry from Belgium. In addition to what has already been chronicled on behalf of West Taieri, a concert on Friday evening last resulted in netting about £2O for the Rclgian fund. Amongst those assisting with the programme wore several well-known Dunedin artiste. A lecture in aid of this fund will be given by Mr Bedford in Outram Hall during April, and a garden fete will also be held at an early date, in the West Taieri manse grounds. North Taieri residents will hold a concert and dance on April 16. The preparations for the Taieri carnival are going on apace, a.nd notwithstanding the wet day the ladies responded by attending in large numbers to the Mayoress's appeal yesterday, and arranged devils for the stalls, which will be erected inside the hall, and also some details for the fete to take place in the Recreation Grounds. The meeting was most enthusiastic. A second meeting was arranged for next week. The collectors of produce,, who intend holding a sale in Dunedin shortly, are meeting with great success, and the day of the sale promises to be quite an event in itself. The football and hockey clubs of Mosgiel are arranging for an afternoon’s special event in connection with the carnival, and the bowlers arc to give a special day in about a week’s time, when admission to the grounds will be charged for. and the sum thus collected placed to the grand total of this Taieri effort. Wo have received 2s 6d from John King and 2s 6d from Ann King for the Beehive fund. "Busy Bee’’ scuds us 2s 6d (second contribution) for the Beehive fund.

DON’T BE TENDER-HEARTED. It is only recently that the Gormans have openly taken over the command of the Austro-Hungarian troops, but at the very outset of the war the Germans had induced their allies tr. adopt their views ns to how war should be waged so as to be properly effect ive, There have come into the possession of the Russian Headquarters Staff a number of copies of the secret instructions distributed to each Austro-Hungarian soldier before ho started upon active service. These instructions start by saying that the men are about to invade a yonntry inflamed with fanatical hatred of them, so that it is useless to think of treating the civilian population with any humanity ; on tile contrary, the utmost severity must be shown towards them. Hostages mustbe seized everywhere, and hanged wholesale at the slightest sign or even suspicion of hostility. Any civilians found lurking about the, countryside are to he .shot on sight, “for they have been hiding arms probably, and a regiment cannot he continually wasting its time to verify acts of which such people may he suspected.'' Special mention is made of the fact that- the women are as had as, if not worse than, the men, and the soldiers arc warned not to let themselves bo “ tenderhearted” towards them. English exchange.

FLEET THAT WON'T FIGHT. In a candid confession concerning the Navy, the German people have, been told that -the fleet- must bo preserved or Germany is ruined (says the Rotterdam correspondent of the ‘Daily Mail’). Grand Admiral Von Rooster said in a speech : “Germany relies, as on a rock, on the fleet. If the fleet were destroyed it could not be replaced, even during a. long war. The navy must not be lured into an engagement in which it might be, beaten. In case of a sea battle to-morrow, and supposing for every German ship sunk one of the enemy was also sunk, the position would be that Germany would no longer have a fleet, and England would attack ih-o German coast, and no town would be spared. Attempts to lam] troops would also probably succeed. 1 herefore, the German fleet may only accept battle if it- has a chance of success.”