EXPEDITIONARY FORC

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8857, 7 October 1914, Page 6

EXPEDITIONARY FORC

SATURDAY’S FIELD-DAY CONCENTRATION PLANNED A'l HUTT PARK. The mounted brigade and gun sections at the camps are continuing to do good work. Training in musketry, mounted and gun drill is being carried out in an efficient manner, and the men have settled down generally to camp life. Tho weather has been free from rain, so that training operations have been able to proceed and no inconvenience has been caused the men, whose health is extremely good. The Canterbury Infantry Brigade entrained yesterday morning for Trentham, where musketry practice was done, the result of which was highly satisfactory. MANOEUVRES AT TRENTHAM. To-day tho Mounted Rifles Regiment at Trentham will, undertake extensive field manoeuvres Colonel A. H. Russell has formulated a scheme which is to b© carried out, and members of the headquarters staff will bo present to watch operations. The scone of operations will be somewhere, within the vicinity of the Wallacovillo railway station. , THURSDAY’S PROGRAMME. To-morrow two infantry battalions will engage in field operations at Karon. A sham fight will bo in progress at about 12.30 .o’clock near the confines of Karori Park and Park Vale road. Those of the public who are desirous of witnessing the operations are recommended to take up an. observation position near the windscreen on the Karori-Makara road. SATURDAY’S ARRANGEMENTS. Major-General Sir Alexander Godley, K.C.M.G., C. 8., commanding the New Zealand expeditionary force, has issued the following order for the mobilisation of the expeditionary force on the Hutt Park on Saturday: All units of the expeditionary force (less tho battalion detailed, for musketry drill at Trentham) will attend a concentration on the Hutt Park. The Mounted Rifle Brigade encamped at Trentham will march from Trentham in time to form up at 1 o’clock on the park, and the Field Artillery Brigade are to be ready at the same time. The troops stationed in Wellington and the camps at Lyall Bay, Miramar, and Seatoun are to assemble on the Thorndon Esplanade and march via Hutt road and Petone to the place of rendezvous; the order of march being: Headquarters staff, First Squadron Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment, Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment, Field Trooa Engineers, New Zealand Infantry Brigade (less two battalions and one platoon), New Zealand Mounted Field Ambulance, train (baggage section in order of unite). The rearguard will consist of on© platoon Infantry Brigade. Every available man and horse will attend the concentration, and each will be in full marching order. The men will carry lunch, and one feed will be taken for each horse. All the transport animals are to accompany the force, and null take their respective places in the column. Tho baggage section will also be present. No man will be allowed to fall out of the ranks except by the orders of his own Officer, and no one will be allowed to ride in tho ambulance waggon except on the authority of the medical officer. Officers will furnish a report of all sick that fall out during the march. Unite will halt for ten minutes every hour, the command being given by tho officer commanding' tho column and repeated by all the unit commanders. Tho first portion of the force from Wellington is to advance from the Thorndon Esplanade at 10 o’clock, and tho last unit at 10.80 o’clock.. In order to ascertain the time taken in accomplishing the distance all staff officers will compare watches at the starting point a quarter of an hour prior to departure. CONCERT LAST NIGHT.

Another very successful concert was hid in "V" shed last evening, when a party of entertainers, under •the directorship of Mr James Dykes, put on an excellent programme for the soldiers of New Zealand's expeditionwry force. The large shed was weli filled by an enthusiastic audience, which appeared to appreciate every item. A feature of tho evpning's entertainment was the singing <>f "It's a Long l Way to Tipperary" by the performers and audience. The, proceedings were opened by a song and dthorous by Dr Norman Hales and company. Other contributors were Misses Lissack, Thelma Aitkin, Sullivan, Marie Fix, Messrs Ernst Luks, B. Russell, Norman Aitken, and Dr Hales. DIFFICULTY ABOUT PAY RELATIVES SUFFER FROM DELAY.' Mr T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) called the attention of the Minister for Defence in the<:House yesterday to a case in Dunedin of a widow who had two sons now on their way to the front. This woman had not received a penny of her sons' pay since they left home. Mr Sidey wanted to know what the Minister proposed to do in such cases. The Hon. J. Allen said that the department was retaining half of each man's pay in New Zealand. Members of the force could allocate their pay to' anyone they wished, but unless they did so the Government could not pay it over to others. It would not be legal to do so. The pay belonged to the men, but if they desired anyone else to get it allocation forms were supplied to them Further than that the department had advised the men to allocate portion of their money to pay their debts and to keep alive their life insurance policies Beyond that it could do nothing further. If the hon. member supplied him with the names in the present case he would approach the men's commanding officer, and see that allocation forms were offered to them, so that they could leave part of their pay to their mother.