The argument of these members is that the enlistment of black soldiers in the British army would tend to improve the status and raise the self-respect of the coloured races under our flag. It is an argument which gathers some force from the value of the services that have been rendered in the fighting line by the men from the French African colonies who are included in the combatant ranks of the army of the republic. The fact that the British Indian forces composed of men of the greatest gallantry were unsuited to warfare in the climatic conditions in France is in itself, however, sufficient to discourage the idea that natives from equatorial Africa could be advantageously employed as combatants. In the opinion of Sir Harry Johnston, they would undoubtedly fall ill in winter time and perhaps die from the cold and damp combined. Even for labour just behind the British and French fighting forces in Northern and Eastern France the War Office could, perhaps, he thinks, employ negroes only on a large scale in the drier months, between April and October. They could not be of use therefore, to implement in this way the fighting force until the late spring of next year.
• Canada is giving away her rich soil in free 160-acre grants at the rate of an English county per month. Official returns just to hand show that during the month of July 1398 homestead entries were made for free land grants of 160 acres each in the four western provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, and British Columbia. As usual, the largest total is under the heading "American", there being 240 of these, the majority of whom settled in Alberta. One hundred and fifty-eight were English, 50 Scottish, and 21 Irish. The number of individuals represented in this total is 3233. Last year the total homesteads for the same month was 2032, a falling off this year of 634 which is fully accounted for by the absence of so many men with the colours.
• An instance of the kindly help which is being so freely given in many directions to returned soldiers is worth of mention. Mr H. Harris, of Onga Onga, has generously presented a returned soldier, who has taken up a section near Takapau, with the whole of the timber required for the new home.
Much indignation is felt amongst the comrades of Peter Fraser and Thomas Brindle, who are at present in custody on a charge of sedition, at the fact that these men were manacled on their way to and from the Wellington prison (says the New Zealand Times). The men on the waterfront are especially indignant at what they consider an "unwarrantable and superfluous indignity" being put on men who had not been found guilty of any offence. [Peter Fraser was convicted on a charge of advocating the repeal of legislation for conscription and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, serving the full term. In 1939 he became acting Prime Minister and from 1940 to 1949 was the elected holder of that post]. — ODT, 30.12.1916.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
