WAR ITEMS

Waikato Argus, 24 August 1914, Page 3

WAR ITEMS

The men in camp at Tahuna.Qtago, number 1442. The mounteda are now over their full strength. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., aivise clients that Mr C. Hunter will receive entries of remounts nt Cainbridge today and tomorrow. These will be inspected by the Government officials at Cambridge tomorrow afternoon, at 3 o'clock. At least two young men who volunteered for service in the West Coast section of the expeditionary force are now in the hospital at Greymouth, having undergone slight operations for physical defects that prevented their passing the medical test. They are so intent on going to the front that they have undergone the operations with a hope of being able to get away with a second contingent or supplementary force should such be required from this Dominion.

Many farmers are experiencing great difficult in working their farms through their employees leaving to join the expeditionary force. In certain instances, says the New Zealand Times, the managers of stations have relinquished their positions in order to go to the front, and in some districts the situation is becoming so acute that the farmers are forming working bees and helpping each other to till the land.

The Centra! Secretary of the Panama Exposition in Wellington States that in spile of the war the Government has decided to proceed with the New Zealand display aa originally intended. Cable advice are to hand stating that the Exposition will be opened on the date previously fixed, viz., February 20, 1915.

A big crowd attended the concentration camp at Palmerston North i on Sunday, on the occasion of the \ inspection of the forces. General Sir A. J. Godley and other prominent officers were preseut. At the conclusion of the inspection the General said that the artillery Was the finest body of men he bad eeen in his 30 years' experience. He counselled all to uphold the honour of the country and the Empire. A most complete system of records is being kept in connection with the New Zealand force and the Defence Office staff, with outside assistance, is working at high pressure to have them completed. An Argus representative was privileged to have the system explained to him while in the camp on Sunday, and it affords a splendid example of organisation. So complete aro the details that all particulars of any man in the force will bo available at a moment's notice. Casualties or illness will be cabled through and at once recorded in the local office, duplicate copies being kjpt at the base and with the troops in the field. A cheque for £66 16s has been forwarded to the secretary of the Patriotic Fund (Mr J. Y. Warren) on behalf of Syrian residents of Auckland and suburbs and country towns. The covering letter is as follows: "We, the Syrians of Auckland, although few in number, are unanimously loyal to our adopted country. We have all experienced the liberty and freedom of living under British rule, and perhaps none know better than we of the honour and glory associated with the Union Jack. We aro willing to give the British Government every assistace in our power, and should our services be required in any way, we hope to show to the British nation that our patriotism to the King and country does not end in mere words."

The present is nut a good time for launching a joke, as a farmer who resides near Dannevirke discovered to his cost, The farmer referred to walked into an hotel at Dannevirke and, noticing a number of young men sitting clown, went to the bar and called for a lager beer in broken English, Raising the glass to his lips, he intended evidently to pledge the German Emperor, but had hardly pronounced the word "hoch" when he was thrown bodily out into the street. He was receiving a very rough handling, when the landlord interfered, and explained it was all a joke, a fact that the culprit was desirous of explaining had he been given a moment's respite. An abject apology being forthcoming, the farmer went his way a wiser man.

Mr J. R. Scott, secretary of the South Island Dairy Association, slates that he does not agree with the advice tendered the dairy companies, that their policy should be to consign, not to sell. The general opinion amongst southern dairymen is that they should sell their outputs in preference to consigning them. Although no buyers are operating just now there is no reason to think that they will not buy before the end of October. Mr Scott further stated that he had just received a cable advice from London firms that the war risk on produce was down to i'2 per cent.

A novel notion is expressed by Mr j. G. Harkness, secretary of the National Dairy Association, in the course of an inteiview respecting the disposal of the Dominion's dairy produce during the war. After touching on the human tendency to wax fat on the misfortunes of others, he remarked:-"The Imperial Government should commandeer all our food products, and especially meat and dairy produce, and have such goods sold by those who trade at a fair price, and thus control the market. If it were sold on the basis of last year's values, with the additional charges added thereto, the produce would thus bo insured against being sold at unreasonable valuoii, and the regular shipment of Hairy produce would be guaranteed, 'lhat is &J, policy that Bhoulrl ij° Snowed, and 0! Vnat I am certain. The issues now at stake are tremendous. We as producers should bo prepared to make sacrifices, we should not attempt to extort the uttermost farthing for our goods from the Mother Country in this present time of severe trial,"

The Boy Scouts are proving most useful to the Defence staff in connection with the camp at Auckland. The lads are encamped on the ground and their services are always available. OnS„of the great centres of attraction at the Auckland camp on Sunday afternoon was the fine deerhound, Rewi Maniapoto, the mascot of the 16th (Waikato) Regiment. In a remarkable'way the dog at once "took to" Captain Mac Donald, in whose charge he was placed, and followed him about all over the place. Major-General Goxlley has expressed the desire that bands should accompany both the mounted and infantry regiments with the Expeditionary Force. It is hoped that bandsmen and instruments will be obtained from Hie district regimental bands, and, as it is possible the number required will not be available from amongst these bunds, the honour may be shared by suitable applicants who are members of other bands. The scale of the battles with more than a million men upon each side, that are perhaps commencing now in Belgium will be understood, from a few comparisons, says the Timaru Herald. The total number of men engaged on both sides in the Crimeftn War was 108,000. In the FrancoPrussian struggle the French army consisted of 300,000 men, and the Prussians were 610,000. In the Susso*Japanese war each side placed about half a million soldiers in the held, and about 600,000 men took part in the Battle of Mukden, where the opposing forces are supposed to have been greater than in any other battle which the world has seen. The following letter has been forwarded to the Premier:—"August 22m1, 1914. The Right Honorable W. F. Massey,—We, members of the Society of Friends meeting in Wellington, desire to express at this time of European conflict our sense of the importance of quiet and selfcontrol. We believe war to be contrary to the mind of Christ. We would most earnestly hope that everything possible may be done to discountenance the attitude of mind which seeks to exalt our own country by depreciating or villifying other nations. This fosters a hatred and disrespect which makes the breach between the nations harder to bridge over after the war has ended. We would* urge upon all who love truth to employ the methods of friendship, 'to do good, seek peace, and pursue it,' so that throughout the world the ancient vision may be realised, of swords turned into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks.—Signed, on behalf of the meetng, Elizabeth B. Rutter, clerk." TUHIKARAMEA. The following subscriptions to the Patriotic War Fund form the Tuhikaramea district are acknowledged:— F. L. Behrent£2 2s, J. J. Ryburn £5, W. J. Gore £5, Neil Reid £5, Stewart Reid £5, E. S. Ryburn £5 ss, J. 11 Gore £6, F Binnie £5, F. B. Vickers £5, F. S. Wallace £5, C. Sing £3, 1). Finlayson £5, Owen Bros. £5, C. B. Vickers £5. C. H. E. Hope-Johnstono £5, H. Richdale £2. T. Watson £2, A. Eraser £l, Porter Bros. £1 Is, T. Karl 15s, Master Waller Reid 10s, Master Charlie Reid 10s, H. Haycock £1 Is, J. Marshall £1 Is, Lawton £l. Hitchman 15s, Bachelor ss, D. Livingstone £l, H. Livingstone £l.

this amount has been handed over to the central committee of the No. 4 Group.

ANTWERP. WHAT ITS CAPTURE WOULD MEAN TO GERMANY. Antwerp is an immensely strong fortress. By some authorities it is believed to be the strongest fortress in the whole of Europe. It is in the Hat coastal low lands, abeut forty miles Up Uie river Scheldt. As in the case of most cities on the Dutch and Flemish coast, the land around Antwerp has partly been reclaimed from tidal flats, and some of the surrounding country can now be placed under water if desired. The reason why Antwerp has been turned by the Belgians into a fortress of such strength is that the Government has always intended that this fortress should be the rendezvous of the Belgian army in the event of its being compelled by some violation of the neutrality of Belgium to retire before an enemy of superior force. This is exactly the role which Antwerp would now have to play if the Allies were beaten. What Antwerp means to Germany could scarcely be better put than it was by Bishop Long, of Batburst, in the course of an analysis which he made last week of the position, says the Sydney Morning Herald. He was explaining how everything in the earlier stages depended on whether the Teuton war lord could deal such a sledge-hammer blow upon the French within the next week as would send their airny reeling buck to Paris. "If the Germans succeed in doing thif," he said, "they will be able to entrench themselves in Belgium, and it would seem that nothing could save Brussels and Antwerp from at least ternporarv German occupation. Antwerp is a prize that the Germans would give billions of money, and probably millions of men, to gain and retain. Antwerp is destined to be probably the greatest port in the world, and with it safe in their grasp the Germans would become a great naval and mercantile nation; and it is difficult to predict what would be Britain's position. Some such result as this might follow a big German vie--tory next week. We should prepare ourselves for shocks and alarms, it is not to be expected that this big German war engine is going to break down without doing some enormous damage. 1 have no doubt about the ultimate result, but it is reasonable to expect some great achievement on the part of the enemy."