"NEW ZEALAND'S ARMY,"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13701, 3 June 1915, Page 4

"NEW ZEALAND'S ARMY,"

TESTED AT pA'RDANELLES. COLONEL .; HUME'S TRIBUTE.

j Soriie interesting references to the ■N"ew Zealand military forces were made joy Lieutenant-Colonel J. E. Hume, officer commanding the. Auckland military •at the Auckland ; •Provincial •Farmers' ' Union's annual smoke concert, }\vheri replying to the toast of' "The J.'favy and' Army." "Some of 'us,''' he declared, "feel pretty- -downhearted at j\ot being' able to get away to the front, and sometimes friends we have not met for years wonder why we are here. . . . A good navy must be supported by" a good army. It has only been m the last ten months that we have realised m New Zealand that: we have an; $.rmy. {Hear, hear.) I think' you will agree $hat it lias proved leC Very good army. (Hear, hear.) When this terrible war comes "to a close, we" will say that we have an army that has done credit to this country, and of which we will be proud. • -■-'■• •■■■'■ , ; It looked, he continued, as if one of the most f tryihg operations had been 1 reIkerved.for; thje*'fepjon!iai; troops. (Hear, hear.) The present position m the. Dar-danelles-was perhaps, one of /the most formidable obstacles the troopd would have; to encounter. There had been casualties. • .. UndeT such circumstancesi there imust be a gi'eat numbers-he: did not think the - number had been at all Excessive. ■ The honor given to the Australian., .and New Zealand troops was, exceptional, as the soldiers had not been tested, but it showed the confidence of the Imperial authorities m -the •way. v the territorial, ai-my had .been raised and trained. .-■■■':

' On behalf of the Defence Department, continued Colonel Hume, he had to thank the Farmers' Union for assistance m very many ways, not only m connection Vith | recruiting, but m numerous other directions. He was particularly pleased with the formation of the Farmers' .Union rifle clubs? Recruiting' m Auckland had been .particularly good — it was better imwhere else— and at present they had over arid aDdve their : quota a very considerable number. (Hear, hear.) ' • The speaker added that bis synipathy went out to those who had not been" allowed to go by reason of being' an inch, perhaps, . under the requisite height. He would say he would be glad of their" assistance m a row and ho hoped that

their services would yet be availed of. Certainly 'those ' men \vere vctV anxious t6 go. It must be admitted that many v^ho could enlist did noV do so. Of course, many could not go, but thefre ought to be 'some way of persuading those who were eligible. The ladies bad great i influence "and would doubtless exercise it. He had not found it necessary to 'push recruiting' m; Auck-land-'at all and the stamp of the men offering had not deteriorated a fraction. (Hear,~heßir.'); >F * < ?> ■■■*■*'■'■"■< *■■■• *--•■■• -'■■• : -