THE TROOP SHIPS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15447, 9 September 1914, Page 9

THE TROOP SHIPS.

♦ OFFICIAL INSPECTION. j STIMULATING SPEECH. I BY HON. MR MASSEY. ! (.Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Sept. S. A large Parliamentary party, at tbo invitation of the Shipping Companies paid a visit, to tho troop bhips now i« port. The party included rhe Premier, tho Minists'- of* Defence. Sir Joseph Ward, tho Speaker, Sir James Carroll and Members, accompanied by General Godley, Colonel Robin, Mr Luke, Mayor of Wellington, end Bishop Sprott. Ihey wero first shown over the Waimwia as being the most typical troopship, by Captain Holmes. This steamer takes tho Auckland section, consisting of 1200 men and oGO horses. A torn- of tho vessel discloses tho amount of labour necessary to convert a cargo beat into a trooDship. sfld tho pains the authorities have b'-e.n to. to make the men as comfortable as possible tinder the circumstances. The structural alterations include a. new upper deck for exercise purposes. At the termination of the inspection of the. Waimana the party went over the At-honirt and tho Mf-ivnganui, which •»•'!! bo the flagship of the fleet, after which they were entertained at lunch by tho Shipping Companies. Captain Worrall. who presided, proposed the toast of tho King, which was drunk cnthusiast : cally to the stratus of th:> National Anthem". Mr Massey proposed tho toast of "Our Hosts, tho Shipping Companies." In doing so ho said the ships going Horns were carrying the most valuable cargo that ever lets the shores of New Zealand. Th© men were the pck of tho country's population, arid they were going to iight the enemy side by side with the English, Scotch, Irish and all our other countrymen who go to make tho Empire. Ho" had no doubt the men wore anxious to get to tho front. Many of them were sorry they wero not there now, co-operating wvtb. the British and French soldiers on the frontiers. They would not however ba too late to share in the campaigns countering the tact.cs of the Germans, an instance ot which he gave in tho cutting of the Pacific cable, which no doubt had been done by a German ship sajling under French colours. That was one of the scores wo had to wipe oft' when tho day cf reckoning came. The sinking of the Ivaipai-a was another. There was no reason to be discouraged. The war would not come to an end with the in. vestment of Pans. Jt would not end even with tho downfall of Paris. He recalled the dark days when Ladysmith, Mafelr ng and Kimberley wero invested, aiid said the position to-day was not nearlv so ominous as then.* The war would not in fact end till the Allies had reached Berlin, and when he referred to the Allies he did not merely nn-aii tho Ruis'ans, but French and British as well-. He even ventured to hope that some Now Zealanders would bo there too. Mi" Wj: A. 'Kennedy, local manager of tho Union Company, in responding, expressed regret that what was being done was necessary, but declared that, everyone felt proud of our men going to the front, and hoped they would be present at the signing of penco in Berlin. THE SHIPS' COMPLEMENTS. Neither the date of departure nor the route tp be taken by the sh.ps has yet been decided. The approximate complements which will bo taken by the various ships leaving the different New Zealand ports will be as follows: Wellington. "Maungaimi (flagship)—so officers, 500 men, and 200 horses. Limerick— 22 officers, 350 men, 300 horses. Arawa—49 officers. 1200 men, 203 horses. Orari—7 officers. 18" men, 700 horses. Auckland. Star of India—4C- officers, 500 men, 400 horses. Waimana—62 officers, 1500 men, 500 : h.crsrs. Lvttelton. , Athenic—so officers. 1250 men, 350 horses. Tahiti—3o officers. fiOO men. 2SO horses Hawke's Bay—3o officers. 400 men, 500 horses. Rurpohu—2o officers. 400 men, 300 horses.