THE THIRD CONTINGENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2397, 8 February 1900, Page 27

THE THIRD CONTINGENT.

.VOLUNTEERS FROM AUCKLAND. ' AUCKLAND, January 30. If Auckland takes no part in the sending of the third New Zealand contingent to South Africa, it will not be for lack of volunteers. Already Lieutenant-colonel Banks has the names of 102 volunteers, including 33 men from the Auckland Mounted Rifles. Eighteen of the volunteers are willing to provide their own horses, and one or two have offered to provide the whole kit. GISBORNE WILL SEND FIVE MEN. GISBORNE, January 30. At a large and enthusiastic meeting held here last night it was decided to send at least five men to join the Rough Riders' Contingent, and £150 was collected in the room. The necessary funds for the complete equipment of 10 men are assured. DONATIONS IN HAWKE'S BAY. NAPIER, January 30. The " more men " fund now considerably exceeds £2000. Besides three men fully equipped and a number of horses, among the amounts received to-day are : — G. P. Donnelly, £105 ; and Mason, Bernard, and John Chambers, £100 each. Mr J. H. Coleman writes to the Herald declining to contribute to the fund because he has doubts as to the necessity of the. war, but sends £225 to equip and pay the passages to the Cape of four nurses. THE DATE OF DEPARTURE. THE -CAMP NEAR CHRISTCHURCH. CRRISTCHURCH, January 30. The Premier has informed the Mayor ] (Mi' Recce) tliat the date for the contin- j gent to leave Lyttelton has been definitely fixed for February 17. i The men in camp were provided with arms to-day. The camp wears a busy ap- j pearance, and the men are drilling hard. Sixty -five Martini-Enfield carbines and j accoutrements arrived in camp yesterdaj'- j morning. One volunteer, anxious not to miss the second selection, which will take place to-day, rode in a distance of 80 ! miles on Sunday. RUSH OF APPLICANTS AT WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, January 30. The Premier has received a cable from the Agent-general that the Hon. Richard Oliver has given £100 to the New Zealand rough riders' fund. Quite 550 applications have been received for service in tie Wellington section of the Rough Riders' Contingent. This morning the local committee, assisted by Lieutenantcolonels Newall and Collins and Captain Morrison, begun the selection of a number who are to be submitted to medical examination. The men, the jinajority of whom are of a good stamp, were put thorough examination as to their capabilities for riding, shooting, etc. About 50 ( will be put through the medical examination, and from these the final selection will be made. The Selection Committee sat from 11 a.m.' till a late hour at night inspecting applicants. About 3EO were got through. A good proportion had lo be rejected ; some on account of youth, but principally because of ignorance of rifle shooting. Among those passed for the present are Messrs Rolleston (son of the Hon. W. Rolleston), Guy, Williams, and Richardson (son of the Hon. G-. F. Richardson). The remaining candidates will be inspected on Friday. A large number of those passed are willing to provide horses, and some money contributions as well. The Central Committee of the railway men's patriotic fund have communicated with local committees, asking them to call meetings of subscribers to consider whether their donations should be handed over to the " more men " fund. ENTHUSIASM IN HAWKE'S BAY. NAPIER, February 1. At a public meeting at Hastings last night £332 was collected in aid of the "more men" fund. At the luncheon adjournment at the ram fail* there was a meeting of sheep-farmers. Mr T. H. Lowry gave £500 for himself and wife, Archdeacon Williams £200, Messrs W. Shrimpton, A. S. G. Carlyon, E. J. Watt, E. A. MTlardy, W. Nelson, £100 each. A total of nearly £1800 was collected on the ground. It 'was decided to raise the Hawke's Bay contingent to 50 men, there being nearly £5000 now in hand, raised since Saturday. A very strong opinion was expressed that the Premier should communicate with members of Parliament, getting their consent to l't'ise the Ne.v Zealand total to 1000 men. Mr Sydney Johnston suggested that the cost be defrayed by addition to the land and income tax. This met with considerable approval until Mr Nelson threw a damper on the proposal by suggesting that if the Premier was asked to raise a tax for a special purpose he might forget to take it off again when the special purpose no longer existed. (From Otjr Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, February 1. At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Wellington " more men " fund this morning the following resolutions were passed : — " (1) That the Premier should be asked to instruct ihe Defence department to take charge of the men and horses, 2>rovide their accoutrements, on the pledge that the funds contributed by the public shall be handed over to the Government ; the final selection of the men to remain with the Selection Committee. (2) That, ill view of the large number of .suitable men offering for service who cannot be carried by the Knight Templar, the Premier should he a&ked lo cable to the Home Government asking if they could supply transports for the conveyance of the third contingent." Late last night the mayor received the following telegram from the Premier at Dunedin :— " Arrangements for the transDorfc of Bough Eiders from the colouv have

' been finally settled. They will go by the Knight Templar, probably on the 17th ; certainly not later than the 22nd inst. The department would have no objection to taking charge of the men and horses and providing the camp and accoutrements provided that it be understood that the funds subscribed by the public be handed over to the Government for this purpose, and be not less than the amount already stipulated — viz., £75 for each man without a horse, and J350 for each man with a horse, all incidental expenses up to the time of embarkation to be defrayed by your committee. These are the conditions on which the Christ-church and Wanganui sections of the contingent are being organised, and from which there can be no departure. There is no objection to the selection of the men being left to the committee, provided that it be subject to confirmation by the Commander of the Forces. Applicants provisionally approved, with their horses, to be conveyed free to camp in Wellington, and returned free of charge if rejected by the Commander of the Forces in the final test." It is considered certain here that the accommodation on the Knight Templar will not be sufficient for the men coming forward, and that a troopship will have to be chartered No doubt the Premier will make inquiries accordingly. The Gas Company has donated 100 guineas to the fund, whicli now exceeds £1000. AUCKLAND, February 2. Over 200 names have now been received for the third contingent from Auckland. They comprise efty and country volunteers, ex-volunteers, and others. The process of selection will take place next week. February 5. The Government have supplied details of the equipment required, and orders are now being given to the local firms for the supply of the same. As the Government are unable to supply patterns of the uniforms at present, it will be impossible to get the contingent away on the 12 Ih, so the committee have wired the authorities in Wellington asking the probable date of the departure of the next boat. The Auckland Racing Club gave £50 towards the third contingent fund. ttISBOKNE, February 5. £753 has been collected here for tlie war fund. Ten m<"i, selected from the 80 who volunteered, leave to join the Rough Riders' Contingent on Wednesday. A farewell public meeting will be held to-morrow night, and a demonsti'ation on the departure on Wednesday. The men and horses j leave by the Elingamite. NAPIER, January 31. The more men fund now exceeds the £2500 first asked for by the mayor, and funds are still coming in freely. The Hon. J. D. Ormond and Mr L. H. M 'Hardy contribute £100 each. It was to-day decided to increase the number of men to thirty-five. One hundred and thirty-five men have applied. February 3. The Selection Committee this morning picked out 40 men from amongst the applicants to join the Rough Riders Contingent. The men go into camp on Monday. STRATFORD, February 4. A well-attended meeting of subscribers to the patriotic fund resolved to devote the money, less a small omount subscribed for the specific object, to the " more men " fund. Over 20 men offered their services. Many own horses. It was decided to cooperate with Feiiding in urging the Government to send 5000 men, as an indication of the colonists' desire to bring the war to a successful and early conclusion. A meeting of delegates of all parts of the provincial district will be held on Monday to discuss sending a Taranaki contingent. WANGANUI, February 4. Colonel Penton arrived on Saturday to inspect and finally select the local 50 for the third contingent, out of 70 odd men who have provided their own horses and have been training in camp. The shooting tests held on Friday and Saturday were highly satisfactory, the men's shooting being above the average of the second contingent at Wellington. The riding test was held this (Sunday) morning, when the commandant expressed himself delighted with the horsemanship of the men. An accident occurred, a fall resulting in the death of a horse and a broken collarbone for the rider. A church parade was held at the racecourse this afternoon, under the auspices of the local Ministers' Association. Addresses were delivered by the Rev. Messrs Bond (Wesleyan), Ryburn (Presbyterian), and others. A full muster of the local battalion and several thousand persons were present. The final selection of the 50 is expected to be made to-morrow, and the men leave for Wellington on Friday. HAWERA, February 1. Fifty applications have been received for inclusion in the Rough Riders' Contingent. All the applicants are good riders, and young. The committee of the " more men " movement will take a-ction immediately. The patriotic fund is now £200, and the " more men " fund £150, besides which the " Absent-minded Beggar " fund for the relatives of local troopers injured is under way, the Acclimatisation Society heading the list with £50. Several volunteers will 'supply their own hoises. FEILDING, February 1. A meeting held here yesterday resolved to ask the Premier to call a special session /of Parliament to provide means for the desj>atch of a large force, say 5000, from New Zealand, and to join with the other colonies in sending a colonial ormy to South Africa. ITOKITIKA, February 5. The 10 men to represent Westland in the third contingent, together with the rejected men, were entertained by the mayor on Saturday night. The proceedings were of a very enthusiastic nature. The men and horses leave to-day at 2 o'clock by train for Jack«ons, and intend to ride to Otira this evening. They will reach Castle Hill to-morrow and Springfield on Wednesday, in time to catch the train for Chris>lchnrch. Preparations are being made to give them a hearty send-off. The troop will be escorted to the train by a bnnd, Ihe local volunteers, and the fire brigade. The Mayors of the neighbouring towns and the county chairman have been invited to take part in the function. The troop, who are under the provisional charge

of Captain Martin, of the Totara Rifles, Ross, are all good, hardy men, and they include four or five young miners, besides a son of Lieutenant-colonel Bonar, M.L.C. The Westland troops left at 2 o'clock, and were accorded a great send-off. There was a monster turn out of the public. The town and country volunteers, with fixed bayonets, formed an escort to the railway station, where Mayor Michel delivered an address. Farewell speeches were also given by the county chairman and the Rev. Mr Wood. The gathering sang the VationarAnthem, and cheered the departing men to the echo. There was a great crush on the station, and the men had difficulty in reaching the reserved carriages. Renewed cheers were given as the train slowly moved out. A large number of friends accompanied the train to Greymouth for a final farewell. CHRISTCHURCH, February 2. It has now been absolutely decided that tlie Canterbury contingent shall leave Lyttelton by the Knight Templar on Saturday, February 17. It has now been decided that the Canterbury troops shall consist of a full company of 106 officers and men. There are at present 120 horses in camp, of which 37 are Government troop horses. The borrowed horses are gradually being returned to their owners. A correspondent sends us a letter from an aspirant to a place in the second New South Wales contingent written to his sister in New Zealand, as showing the .spirit which will have to be ridden over before our foes can touch the Union Jack. The writer was disappointed at not getting into the second contingent, after being in camp the whole time, but was hopeful of g-etting into the third contingent. He says he will not be satisfied until he pops off a few Boers and runs the risk of being- popped off himself. The writer goes on: — "If you read the papers, you will see the British are in need of help, and I think it is our duly to go to the front." The writer, who is apparently a married man with a family, says they would be well provided for if anything happened to him. At any rate, if the British do not defeat the Boers, the colonies will have to defend themselves against a foreign foe. so it is the duty of all to see that Britain nomes out on top. Mv Sandy Peddie. who left Napier "for South Africa a couple of months ago, has written to his father that he ha* joined Brabant's Light Brigade at the Cape, and left for the front. Mr Peddie was unable to secure admission to the New Zealand contingent, but he possessed the true fighting spirit, and was not long in getting on active service. Mr G. H. Moore, of Glenmark, Canterbury, has given a second donation of £100 to the war fund. Major Jowsey, who lias been appointed to the command of the Canterbury troop, was presented by the leading citizens of Timaru with a case containing a Colt's revolver of the most modern pattern, with ammunition, and was given a hearty send-off at the Timaru station. Mr G. G. Stead is appealing to Canterbury farmers to supply the contingent with feed for the horses. Mi 1 Harry Jago, a nephew of Mr J. W. Jago, of this city, has been sworn in as a member of the Napier section of the Rough Riders.