THE IMPERIAL TROOPS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1509, 31 January 1901, Page 32

THE IMPERIAL TROOPS.

THE VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND

MELBOURNE, January 28

Unless further instructions are received the Imperial troops \v:ll probably sail for New Zealand on Tuesday. TJMARU, January 23.

At a meeting of citizens this afterneon, the Mayor presiding, it was resolved to collect funds to give the Imperial troops refreshments when passingthrough, arranging for a march through the main street afterwards.

THE INDIAN CONTINGENT

AN UNFORTUNATE DELAY

MELBOURNE, January 28. Mr Seddon states that the Britannic, with the Imperial troops, will leave tomorrow night, but the Dalhousie, with the Indian Contingent, is unable, owing to the necessity for repairs, to leave till Wednesday or Thursday.

As she is only a ten-knot boat, she would only catch the. Britannic at Lyttelton. This would prevent Southland and Otago seeing the Indian troops. Mr Seddon has therefore suggested that the Dalhousie* should go to the Bluff, even though she should be some days after the Britannic, and that the men should be trained through to Dunedin and Christchurch.

A HITCH IN THE ARRANGEMENTS.

TROOPS REMAINING IN AUS-

THALIA.

MELBOURNS, January 29. The Imperial troops have been instructed to remain here till further orders. This is presumed to mean that they will wait till after the Queen’s funeral.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THEIR

RECEPTION

A CLASH OF AUTHORITIES

WHAT THE MAYOR THINKS ABOUT IT.

Some few days ago the Hon J. G. "Ward (Acting-Premier) communicated with the Mayor of Wellington informing him that the contingent of Imperial troops would shortly arrive, and asking him to make preparations for their reception. Mr Ward, .in the course of a long explanatory telegram, pointed out that the troops could, if necessary, be accommodated on the troopship at night, but that it would probably be more agreeable to them if arrangement® could be made to' billet, say, 1000 troops for two nights, and that accommodation, should be provided for fifty officers at the besi. hotels.

Mr Ait-ken replied that while he would gladly assist in the efforts which would undoubtedly be made to give a warm welcome to the troops, he (as Mayor) could not call upon the citizens to pay for any portion of the entertainment. His Worship pointed out that the Imperial Contingent had been invited here by the Government, and would, of course, be the guests of the Government, which would naturally be expected to provide for the cost of the contingent’s accommodation while passing through. There the correspondence ended.

We are now- able to intimate that the troops on hoard the Britannic will arrive at the Bluff on Saturday next, and that the Hon, J. G. Ward left Wellington by the Tutanekai last evening to welcome them on their arrival. Following upon this, tne Acting-Pre-mier has suggested that, as Saturday is the day fixed for the late Queen’s funeral, an open-air memorial service should he held at Invercargill. All denominations will be invited to take part in it. As soon as the service is over refreshments will he served out to the troops, and after spending a- few hours in Invercargill, the troops will proceed •by special train to Gore. There they will make a stay** of an hour ancl a half, and arrive at. Dunedin in the same night. On Sunday a memorial service will be held, at which the visiting troops will be invited to attend. On Monday they will leave for Christchurch, stopping for an hour en route at Oamaru, and again at Timaru and Ashburton. They will leave Christchurch for Wellington on the evening of the sth (Tuesday).

THE ACTING- PREMIER INTERVIEWED.

Interviewed by press represenrnMves on Tuesday, the Acting-Premier intimated that as the Mayor of Wellington had informed him that the citizens of Wellington.werb not prepared to entertain the troops, as they regarded them as the guests of the Government, the Govern-

meat, was quite prepared to do ail that was required, but, as lie bad already indicated throughout the colony, the Government wished tliis to be a people's welcome, and in consequence he was about to put an advertisement m the papers, asking those citizens of Wellington who were prepared to find room for individual members of the contingent for one night, to send in their names to Lieutenant-Colonel Porter.

The Acting-Premier went on to say that he quite recognised the light ci the Mayor,. as chief citizen, to put the responsibility on to the Government, but it would never do for the troops to meet with a cold reception. It was impossible for a Government, however anxious it might be, to give other than a formal welcome, and that would he done in the best possible way. buch a welcome, however, would not he as warm as one emanating spontaneously from the people, and that was the kind of welcome he had been anxious to secure for the British troops throughout the colony.

THE ADVERTISEMENT. The following is the advertisement which the Acting-Premier has had inserted in the Wellington paper* - ‘‘The Imperial troops will be in Wellington on the nights of 6th and 7th February, and as all available camp accommodation will be requqired for the volunteers of tlie Wellington district, it will be necessary to billet the Imperial soldiers in the city for at least one night. I feel sure that the citizens of Wellington are anxious to make*the visit of the Imperial soldiers as pleasant and memorable as possible ; and, for this reason. I am anxious to avoid anything that would be regarded as a formal entertainment of them by the Government only.. I shall therefore be glad if citizens who are willing to billet the soldiers for one night will send in their names to Lieut.-Colon-el Porter, Officer Commanding the Wellington district.—J. G. WARD.”

THE MAYOR INTERVIEWED

HIS WORSHIP IS INDIGNANT

Asked if he had anything to say in regard to the turn affairs had taken, his Worship the Mayor did not attemptto conceal his indignation. Mr Aitken expressed the opinion that after the interest h© had felt and evinced in the various contingents, and the prominent part he had taken, as representative of the citizens,, in furthering the despatch of troops to South Africa, and then welcoming them back again, he had been very cavalierly treated by the Acting-Premier on the present occasion ; and he made no secret of his resentment of the attitude which Mr Ward had taken up. His Worship said he never dreamed when he received Mr Ward’s telegram that he proposed to billet the troops amongst the populace in the manner now suggested; Even now' it seemed to him most unmilitary proposal, and oh_ jectionable in many respects. In fact, Mr Aitken doubted the practicability of the arrangement even if the citizens were agreeable. He refused to believe that the officers of the Imperial troops would allow their men to be scattered far and -wide in this remarkable way. The Mayor still holds that the Government having -invited the Imperials to its coasts should entertain them; and fee cannot see why the arrangement entered into in connection with the Commonwealth celebrations cannot be followed here, namely, that the troops should be located in a special camp under -direct control of their officers, as was done in Sydney, recently. Such treatment, Mr Aitken thinks, would be very much more appreciated by both ■officers and men than, the proposed haphazard and promiscuous arrangement.

MR WARD IS SORRY. Spokeu to late on Tuesday by a “Mail” reporter on the subject, the Acting* Premier said he had. not the least intention of interfering with or over-riding the Mayor’s functions in any way, and he Was sorry if the Mayor had looked at the steps which he had taken in that tight. ,f ßwt,” he asked, “ what was I to do ?”- He was obliged!, he said, to accept the Mayor’s reply to hia first telegram aus final, «uid! it was upon that b&siAlthftt h* acted. ;.Hv wa* sorry, inif feaihwi-feurfe kia friesdMr Aitken's feelings, and he would be •edy- - too glad if the latter could, see his way to co-operating with him in effecttag .an arrangement which would be agreeable to all concerned. He stated tfeat the Commandant had cabled to the •fficer commanding the Imperial troopers stating that it might be necessary to billet troops in the centres, and that no objection had been taken to ,the proposal so far. The matter rests at that stage at pre" sent.

DUNEDIN’S ARRANGEMENTS. On Tuesday afternoon the Acting-Pro* midr received the* following teleigram from a prominent Dunedin resident: “The proposal to billet the Imperial irodps with the citizens is being taken up by all the best people here, and with a little organisation every man could fee housed, the companies being grouped. Impossible, in my opinion, to find hotel accommodation, and most undesirable in view of the compulsory inclusion of all classes in licensed houses. Question will

be whether commanding officer will concur, but I think when he recognises the unusual class of hosts and the protection taken for the prompt collection of men at a given point, he will agree. The lukewarm telegram of Mayor of Wellington has rather helped the movement than otherwise. It is desirable there should be intelligent co-operation of the; military and civil heads. So far, the Mayor has had all the work, and, if possible, without irritation or breach of etiquette, he should be left to finish/’

Mr Ward also received the following telegram from the Mayer of Dunedin : “You will be pleased to learn that in response to invitation from ministers of churches last night, and also to advertisement in papers, citizens have already by written and personal application to me, expressed their desire to accommodate upwards of 700 of the troops during their stay here. Applications are still coming in freely. I have no doubt whole can be billeted in private families representative of all sections of community, under care cf Government.”

CHRISTCHURCH, January 20. A meeting of citizens was hel l in the Council Chambers this afternoon to consider the reception of the Imperial troops. The Mayor presided. It was decided that the men should camp at Addington Show Grounds. A review will be held if permissible. A strong committee was appointed to canvass for subscriptions towards the cost of entertainment, and another to arrange for the reception of the troops.

Mr Harold Beauchamp writes as follows : —There are, I feel sure, thousands of people in this city and -ts environs who would be vastly disappointed if, through lack of private hospitality, the Imperial troops were only permitted to stay in our midst- for a few hours. Very cordially, therefore, I agree with the suggestion made by Hon J. G. Ward, that citizens willing to accommodate one or more soldiers should at once communicate with Lieutenant-Colonel Porn •■»}*. To set the ball rolling, I have intimated to that gentleman my willingness to put up two of our welcome visitors for two nights. I trust that the Colonel will he overwhelmed with offers cf a similar nature.