AUSTRALIAN LOYALTY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15747, 23 October 1914, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN LOYALTY.

MISSION IN PACIFIC.

SIR G. REID INTERVIEWED.

Interviewed on half of the American press, Sir George Reid, High Commissioner of Australia, said that Australia was proud of her kinship with the American democracy. Roth had a common mission in the Pacific.

The freedom conferred on Australia by the Motherland," said Sir George, " lias forged bonds stronger than those of brute force. The spontaneous response, of Australia at the outbreak of the war proved that."'

He wished to dispel the idea that Australia was unfriendly with Japan. England had given the nations of the world equal chances in her markets. Where would the future of American trade bo if the German Empire had a chance of shutting those fiscal doors? " Bismarck's blood and iron policy is 200 years late," concluded Sir George Reid. "It is hoped that the new Germany will arise from the ruins of the tyrannical aristocracy, and be a good copy of noble Germans, such as their fellow-colonists in Australia are."

HOW DR. POCKLEY DIED.

OPERATING UNDER FIRE

The German whose hand was shot off in the fight at New Guinea gives the following account, of the death of Dr. Pock lev ;—

The Germans were awaitir, the attack in some trenches, and ban sent most of the police up the trees. He does not know which party fired the first shot, but assumed that his own did so. The fighting soon became general, but very little could be seen for the timber. He says that the natives went armed with regulation German carbines, which they were very proud of, but their marksmanship was hopeless. When the Austra bans took the trench in which he was, Dr. Pockley was right up in the veryfirst party with a few ambulance men", but no stretcher-bearers. He himself was shot through the hand, and Dr. Pockley attended to him. The doctor was not in the trench but in a hole in the ground a few feet deep, made apparently by a big tree having been blown out by the roots.

He says that Dr. Pocklev spoke a little broken German, and could understand a few words of the language. He advised Dr. Pockley to get back out of the firing line, or to put up a big Red Cross flag, as the natives would not have any respect for the brassard on the arm, but might respect a big flag. The doctor said he had no big flag, and went on with the operation there and then. "Was the doctor cool?" he was asked. "Wry brave and very cool. He was a very humane man."

"Had you any chloroform while he took your hand off?" "None at all. I smoked a ciirar. and held my wrist with my unwounded hand while he operated." "How did you get away from the front after the operation ?" «■ "The soldiers made a kind of stretcher with two rifles, and carried me some hundred yards, but I then felt well enough to walk, and I walked the rest of the way to the beach, where I was taken on board the ship and well treated."

"Did you see Dr. Pocklev shot?" "No. I had just left when he was shot. He was brought on board the ship \ery shortly after I got there. I do not know whether he was shot by a native or a white man. It would be very hard to say."