CONTINGENT JOTTINGS.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 718, 31 March 1900, Page 3

CONTINGENT JOTTINGS.

•" ' Following is the text of a telegram sent to ) the Premier on Thursday by tbe Mayor of i Wellington :.— " Reports and rumors aie so ' prevalent hero as to insanitary condition of i the s.s. Gyiueric, in which the Wellington I men are who were selected and paid for by 1 tbe publio of this district are to sail. 1 that, as Mayor of the city and chair- i man of the committee who selected and ' paid for them, I would urge upon i you the necessity of- having an inde- 1 P-ndent medical examination made on the ship at once. I would also urge that some capahle seaman or tbo Customs authorities, with an independent capable aid, should also inspect and see if enough boats are being cariied for the number of men on board. Public agitation can only be allayed by some examination of this kind. I trust you will see that effect is given to these suggestions." ln reply to the above complaints, the < following certificate, signed by Lieut.-Colonel i Sonimerville, Surgeon-Captain J. Watt, and j Surgeon-Major W. 11. Hosking, was sent to | the Premier : — " Wo hereby cci tify that the l sanitary arrangements on board the Gymeric < are now satisfactory, and that tho causes ] which led to the dissatisfaction of the men , bave been removed." j Work has been carried on day and night i in order to complete the fitting up of the ( Gymeric. It is anticipated that she will be ready to sail by to-day, when all the defects complained of will have been remedied. '. With regard to the statements to the effect " that there was great discontent in the camp at Welliugtcn, the Premier has received a ' telegram from the commanding officer stating thai there is no discontent, and that everything is proceeding satisfactorily. On Thursday afternoon the Premier wont on board the Gymeric and was conducted over the vessel. During his inspection ho asked if thore were any complaints. Only one was forthcoming, that of tbe Auckland men in the forward tween decks as to the smell from the stnblcs and to their being too closely packed, but on being told what arrangements were being made for altering the stale of affairs tbey expressed themselves quite satisfied. He suggested that all the men should be paraded and then, if any man bad a grievance, he could state it, but tho men asked him not to do so. He informed them that if adyone felt dissatisfied with the arrangements it would be far belter for him to say so now and . top behind than to go to sea dissatisfied. No one, however volunteei ed a complaint. The troopship Monowai passed Cape Otway on Thursday afternoon, and reported "All well." It is stated that the Government has decided lo keep the First New Zealanders up to to the full Rticnglb and the required number will be despatched shortly. The ' Post,' under the heading " A Disaffected Contingent," says : — " There is a strong feeling of disaffection among the men of the fifth contingent now in camp at Newtown Park; by reason of what appears to bo gross favoritism in the selection of the men. Briefly put, it appears that some of the men of the West Coast have been thrust upon the contingent after having been rejected on their tests, and this act of injustice, for which the Premier appeals to be entiiely responsible, has resulted in some of the very pick and flower of the men of Taranaki. iJawke's Bay, and Poverty Bay, after being passed and finally accepted, being thrown out. It seems certain that the fifth contingent will not be made up of the best men who have offered, and considering how deeply the honor aud credit of the colony is affected, the fact is both deplorable and reprehensible. Tbe Minister of Defence will probably answer that each district was promised its proportion of representation, and he was bound in honor to carry out that promise, but surely not at tbe cost of efficiency. Some of the West Coasters who have been included have not, we are assuicd, even passed the riding tests, and cannot, by the wildest stretch of imagination, be called ' rough riders.' On the other band, there .ar^s Hawke's Bay and Tarauakimen, who have had to give place to incompetents, who, besides "being good shots, are ready to challenge the best riders in the country or in the camp and abide the lcsult. Tbe scandal of the fourth contingent commissions was an imposition upon the generosity of the public, besides being a wrong to the men ; but the composition of the fifth contingent seems likely lo strike directly at Ihe honor and credit of the country. The Premier will do well to give at once a frank and fair statement of his reasons for his extraordinary proceeding." A cable message states that the Knight Templar disembarked tbe Third N.Z. Contingent at East London, all well. Ten horses were lost on the voyage. Colonel Somerviile, interviewed at Christchurch, said the condition of the Gymeric was that of exactly any other troopship when beinj; got ready. If the men did no* want to go tbey could leave the ship and he c;uld get 100 men from Wellington any moment. The Gymeric will be as good as any troopship that has left the colony. , The fo;d is well cooked, of a good description, and if the men cannot, put up with a little hardship they are not fit for service. The Monowai is expected to reach Durban about April 25th and will wait there for orders. She will bring back invalided soldiers of eailier New Zealand contingents, and it is not unlikely may also brini: back some of tbe Australian invalids, iv which case she will proceed to Melbourne. In any case she is expected back in the colonies in about three months.