GIFTS FOR SOLDIERS.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 3276, 26 June 1917, Page 2

GIFTS FOR SOLDIERS.

A communication of general .'i i crest was received recently from Briga-dier-General Richardson relative to gift parcels for soldiers. Tho Mni■ster of Defence cabled to the Brig.idier as follows: "It having ••en stated that gifts for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force are not required except Red Cross goods, and that quantities of gifts such as socks, are lying at different places deteriorating, please telegraph." Brigadier-Gen jiml Richardson replied as follows: "Gift parcels for troops in the field are appreciated highly by the men, if they contain —(a) Specially appro-jinled, socks, cigarettes in hermetically sealed tins (otherwise useless, .and ire hotter supplied from England), milk, Havelock tobacco, boot laces, handkerchiefs, sweets, chocolates hermetically sealer! ; (lj) appreciated, but not essential, as can be obtained locally from canteens —soap (if in tins or cases and not exposed to tobacco or eatables), tooth-brushes and paste, writing materials, and pipes. Gift parcels β-re sent to France, and not retained in England. Personally addressed parcels should not be sent except by post. Time to reach troops, approximately five months from New Zealand."

A Palnierston soldier, writing home, advises reinforcements to hile nothing valuable with them to England. After the first kit inspection, everything but tho regulation 1 it is rejected •

A White Leghorn in a single penlaying competition in Christchurch is credited this week with laying two eggs on one day, and a total of oigtit for a week. For ten weeks the nocord for this bird is 64, an average of over six per week.

The. following tied for first and second prizes in the sheep-judging competition at the National Dairy Show last week: J. Cook L'ttlbs, J >. McKelvie 1331b 5 , M. Shop. Dixon 1331b.5, J. Balsillie 1331b5. Mrs Horn 1331b5, A. Richmond 132.Ubs. The correct weight was 133Jlbs.

In one of the training camps recently an officer instructed "one of tho men to go and fetch some empty sacks sacks. On the soldier's return, empty-handed, he was asked if he had found any. " No," was the reply to the officer.- "No, what?" the officer asked, sharply. "No sacks,' was tho complacent answer.

The New York World printed half a million copies of President Wilson's famous speech to Congress declaring war. Tho part which has been published in Germany is printed in black, and the parts which were suppressed are given in red. There are 136 lines of black and 294 of red. These pamphlets will bo dropped by aviators in Germany.

The great increase in the work of the Army Veterinary Service is shown by the statement that whereas in 1914 the service consisted of 431 officers and men. it now has a strength of considerably over 25,000. That the service is extremely efficient is proved by the fact that the wastage of horses (which in tho South African war was GO per cent.) is noM T only 14 per cent.

Speaking at Auckland, Mr Massey said that many of his speeches had been misreported in the New Zealand Press, and to quote an instance he told the following story: ' At a port en route I obtained some New Zealand papers, and reading one saw a pointed criticism of a speech which was credited to me. It was said that T had made it before the, Imperial Conference. I read the extracts from th-> speech, and recognised them, but not as having been made by me. After inquiry I found that it was a speech which I 1i;k1 heard made by General Smuts. It had been cabled as mine."

LOCAL AND GENERAL