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Red Cross Fund (headquarters, Order of St. John, Loudon) : — £ s. d, £ s, d. Wellington Red Cross Society ... ... ... 223 16 0 Hawke's Bay War Relief Association ... ... 124 0 0 Waipukurau Central Agricultural and Pastoral Association ... ... ... ... ... 200 0 0 547 16 0 Prisoners' Relief Fund :— Hawke's Bay War Relief Association ... ... 339 3 5 Waipukurau Red Cross Society ... ... ... 5(1 0 0 Mrs. J. Earles, Wanganui... ... ... ... 5 () o 394 3 5 nritish Navy Relief Fund :— Hawke's Bay War Relief Association ... ' ... ... 56 0 0 St. Dunstan's Hospital Fund :— Wanganui-Waitotara Patriotic Association ... 100 0 0 Overseas Club Tobacco Fund:— J. Herbert Hank ins, t'almcrston North ... ... ~.. 300 0 0 £11,181 8 3 In addition the following amounts have been remitted through the Defence Department :— Regimental Fund :— England ••• ... ... ... 50 0 0 New Zealand Comforts Fund: — Egypt ••• ... 5 0 0 £11,236 8 3 The usual remittance under the Government's scheme for relief of the poor in Belgium has not been made for April pending receipt of further information from London respecting the possibility of satisfactorily applying the money under present conditions. Arthur M. Myers, Acting Minister of Finance.

No. 21. New Zealand, No. 161. Siß,— Government House, Wellington, 20th June, 1917. With reference to your despatch, No. 990, of the 18th December last, y.and to your despatch, No. 34, of the 3rd March, relative to the grant of permanent commissions in the Indian Army to officers of the Expeditionary Forces from the dominions, I have the honour to enclose the accompanying "copy of a memorandum on the subject which was addressed to me by the Acting Prime Minister, and on which my telegram of the 12th instant was based. I have, &o, LIVERPOOL, The Right Hon. Walter H. Long, M.P., Governor. Secretary of State for the Colonies.

A.-2, 1918, No. 11,

Enclosure. Prime Minister's Office, Wellington, 11th June, 1917. Memorandum for His Excellency the Governor. The Acting Prime Minister presents his compliments to His Excellency the Governor, and with reference to code telegram, to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated the 30th May, 1917, and to Government House despatch No. 1259/17. begs to request that the Indian Government may be informed that- arrangements have now been made to nominate from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force seven officers for temporary and seven non-commissioned officers for permanent commissions in the Indian Army next and each subsequent July, and seven officers and seven noncommissioned officers for permanent commissions next and every January following, making a total of twenty-one permanent and seven temporary commissions per annum. Tt is regretted that a more even distribution of nominations throughout the year cannot be arranged, as it would conflict with the desire of the War Office for immediate supply and with workable and satisfactory system of selection. .T. At.t.rn, Acting Prime Minister.

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