HORSES FOR THE TRANSVAAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11642, 27 January 1900, Page 8

HORSES FOR THE TRANSVAAL.

REMOUNTS FOR OUR CONTINGENTS.

DAILY TIMES "MORE HORSES ' FOND.

Subscriptions of One Shilling and upwards will be acknowledged daily,

The colony has patriotically supplied one contingent of mounted men for service in the Boer war, and is equipping a second contingent, while it is virtually settled that, in deference to ■ the freely expressed wishes of large numbers of our people, the Government will despatch a third contingent. The'pressing need of the British army in South Africa is mounted men. For men without horses there is no special .demand. And the vxluo of our own men as soldiers would-be seriously discounted if they were to lose their horses. That their usefulness may not be impaired it is necessary, indeed, that they should have remounts at their disposal. Horses, however, are not ' obtainable in South Africa, except at a prodigious cost, and in order that the members of me New Zealand contingents may continue to render efficient service such as the first contingent is already rendering, it .is highly desirable that they should be well .supplied with surplus horses from their own colon-. The provision of these extra horses is a- matter which the people of New Zealand sitting comfortably at their ease in their own homes, may be proud to undertake. , . ' ' .

Each contingent will be provided with a certain number of spare horses. A heavy mortality among the animals is, however, unavoidable. The sea voyage will be fatal to many, as it was to a number of those which have already been shipped from our shores. Others will be killed or rendered useless through wounds. Others will fall victims to disease. Already the officer commanding the Queenslanders in South Africa has cabled to his colony for permission to purchase 4.0 horses to replace those, which have died through horse sickness. The necessity for providing the New .Zealand contingents with a sufficient number of spare horses to secure to each member of them the certainty of a mount will, therefore, be apparent. The New Zealand trooper who is horseless is crippled. The provision for him of a spare horse renders him once more an effective unit in the Imperial army, and is, in that respect, a gift to the Imperial authorities. The Secretary of State for "War has expressed his high appreciation of the offer of horses.

111 the belief that a scheme for sending more horses to South Africa in order that our contingents may be- serviceably mounted will commend itself to tho public, we have decided to open tho Daily Times "More Horses "Fund with that object, and to ask those who sympathise with it to forward their subscriptions, large or small, to our office. A list of subscribers >-ill be published from day to nay.

Subscript-ions will be received by tho agents of the Otago Daily Times and Witness throughout Otago and Southland, and duly acknowledged. ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS. H. Melrose, A.Adam. J.B.Ca-ldei~K ?reviously acknowledged £98 0 0 M'Hroy. and Mrs Trcssadcr, ?s Cd srio Arthur Neill .. .. 015 0 each; Messrs Frank Cockburn and' V 0 ■! 0 ! A. Bail, 2s each; A friend, Messrs Samuel Corry 010 0 N- Malcolm, L. Styles, and Mrs :'o!leoU-d by Mr James Cockburu, | Ciu-miclitiel, la each 212 0 for tho Ot:i 8 o Daily Times aud .Wit- ! Brie Arthur Neill, a lad -Seven years old, ness, at Clinton: —airs Bannerman, , called in yesterday and.handed us 15s 6d 1.0----3ro»srs E. S. Muir and W. Charl- ■■ minis the More Horses fund. The amount was toil, 5s each; Mr V. Bclsham, -Is; mostly in coppers and small silver, and was Messrs jST.- Henderson, J; Gibb, T. collected by the little patriot on Thursday Henderson, A. Rhodes. A. Cockcroft, afternoon from his friends and playmates.

PORT CHALMERS NAVAL ARTILLERY.

CASUALTIES,

(Pee United Press Association-.) AUCKLAND, January 26.

-* mishap occurred nt the Western Springs •pumping station, which resulted iv tJio death of Samuel Martin, the boilermaker, ho dying this afternoon'at the hospital from burns he then received.

At the inquest on Joseph M'Carthy, whose body was found in the harbour, an open verdict was returned of "Found drowned.''