In Group 13, which had its headquarters at Dunedin, the total number of men available was 10,900, and the area was asked to supply four-weekly 117 men. Group No. 14, with its headquarters at Invercargill, had 9200 available men, and was asked to supply 108 men.
Group No. 15, with headquarters at Oamaru, had 6800 available, and was asked to supply 81 men. No. 16 group, with its headquarters at Milton, had 5300 men available, and was asked to supply 63 men.
To that they had to add 6 non-commissioned officers, allotted to the whole district. In the Invercargill group there were five boroughs with 3480 men of military age; four counties with 5413 men of military age, and two town districts with 326 men of military age.
They were going to show the number of men of military age, and show what proportion, having regard for the total they should provide to their group. It would bring home to each defined area what it should provide. It would be a simpler proposition for them, and it would show them readily how they stood with towns of a similar size.
It was expected that it would raise the spirit of rivalry amongst them, and they might be expected to watch how each other was getting on in the work, and see who was lagging behind.
Those particulars would be forwarded to local bodies in every part of the dominion.
• Writing to a friend in Wellington a soldier who is now in Egypt tells of a prohibition imposed on the nurses engaged in the hospitals there.
He says: ‘‘An order came out some time ago, issued, presumably, by the matron in charge of the nurses in Egypt, that no nurse was to be seen out with either officer, non-commissioned officer, or man, except her fiance, if he is here, or a relation. It at once branded both man and nurse as a criminal, I take it, that they can't be trusted out together. Poor nurses, they have given up a lot coming out here, and if they cannot go out with a friend when not on duty, something is wrong somewhere. Furthermore, a large firm of tea room owners evidently got to hear of this order, for, one day after it was issued, the matron was informed that the place was full of nurses, accompanied by men in uniform. She paid a visit, and the nurses heard more about it. I may say that the majority of the nurses will not sign any paper re this order. I am sure that the people of New Zealand would not tolerate such methods of handling their own nurses.''
• The work of collecting cocksfoot seed has been enthusiastically taken up by the Lawrence school children, and all likely patches of this now valuable seed are being eagerly sought by the juvenile gatherers.
Each child is endeavouring to gather two pounds of seed, and, judging by the activity displayed, the majority of them will have no difficultly in reaching the mark aimed at.
• A picnic party which left the city for Portobello, spent the day in an enjoyable and novel manner. Rain began to set in about noon, and at the invitation of a farmer the picnickers took shelter in a loft. The wife of the owner also acted the good Samaritan, and the picnic proceeded under the happiest auspices in the barn.
- ODT, 13.3.1916.
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