JOURNALISTS AND THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1915, Page 6

JOURNALISTS AND THE WAR.

OVER 100 ENLISTED. THE FALLEN, (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, December 13. The journalists at present undergoing training in the military camps in preparation for service at the front were entertained by the journalists of Wellington at the Burlington on Saturday night. Mr. F. J. Earle (president of the Journalists' Institute) presided over a large gathering, which included visitors from several other centres. In the course of his introductory remarks the chairman mentioned that figures collected by the New Zealand .Journalists' Institute showed that 107 New Zealand journalists had enlisted, some of them in Britain for service an the Western front. The casualty list contained no fewer than 31 names, seven killed, one died of wounds, one wounded and missing, 10 wounded and six invalided. One lady journalist (Miss Brandon, of the New' Zealand Times) had served as a nurse at Samoa and was now with the Army Nursing Division in the Mediterranean area. The New Zealand Herald staff had sent fourteen men, of whom five had been wounded.

At the request of the chairman, the gathering stood in silence in respect to the memory of the following fallen journalists:—

Killed in action.—Lance-Corporal S. B. Montoith (Dannevirke News), Private E. J. Daniel (Dominion), Corporal F. A. Cimino (Evening 'Post), Private C. C. Yorke (Lvttelton Times), Private Alfred Harding (Taranaki Daily News), 'Private A. Wagstaff (Tiniaru Herald), Private J R. Dunn (Wairarapa Daily Times). Missing (believed to b<j.killed)—Private F. L. Viekers (Hawke's Bay Tribune). Died of wounds—Corporal Leslie Perry Sole (Taranaki Herald). The chairman read letters and telegrams from many prominent New Zealand journalists. He read also a letter from the 'Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. F. ifassey), who wrote: "Many New Zealand journalists have already joined our expeditionary forees; some have fallen, some will probably come back incapacitated, some will not come back at all. But those who are spared to return—and I hope this may be the case with a very large proportion—will have the satisfaction of knowing that they did their duty in the hour of their Empire's peril and the nation's obvious need. Those who have gone have shown, and those who are now going are showing, a good example to their comrades still in New Zealand, whether of the journalistic profession or otherwise. I am quite sure that while they desire that New Zealand should be well and properly represented in this great war they feel, as Shakespeare says: He who hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made And crowns for convoy put into his purse: We would not die in that man's company That fear s his fellowship to die with us.

I don't think there are many anti-mili-tarists among newspaper men. My experience is that while, speaking generally, they are gobil fellows, tliey are always ready for a scrap, and such being the case they will be cordially welcomed in the firing line." The toasts were: "The King," proposed by the chairman; "The Guests—Our Soldier Confreres," proposed by the chairman and responded to by Captain Shand; "Our Confreres in the Firing Line," proposed by Mr. R. V. White (president of the Wellington Journalists' Union) and responded to by Captain Vine.

During the evening several musical numbers were rendered. Particularly en: joyable were some songs contributed by Mr. M. Lestrupp, a Danish vocalist, at present resident in Wellington.