CONDITIONS AT TRENTHAM.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 167, 15 July 1915, Page 7

CONDITIONS AT TRENTHAM.

MX. TOM LONG'S REPORT. Mr. Thos. Long, in the course of a report on conditiuus at Trenthaui, road at a meeting of tlie executive of tlie Ilotpl and Restaurant Employees' Union of Auckland, says:—""l n accordance with your instructions I proceeded to Trenthani to investigate the conditions obtaining in the camp, as, owing to rumours of serious sickness and deaths frequently occurring, the minds of our member" were considerably exercised as to the welfare of the considerable number of members of our union who were, up to the time of my visit, attached to the various regiments in training at Trentham. I found several of them suffering from colds, but, fortunately, none of them at present are very seriously ill. In company with Trades Union representatives from viiriciiis parts of Xew Zealand I made a thorough investigation, and report that on Thursday, the Bth hist., alter several days' good weather il certainly did not see it at its worst) the whole camp was nothing but a quagmire, and 1 could not imagine it possihif for the work of training our young volunteers fur active service to be carried on under the conditions then obtaining there. 1 interviewed not only my own members but many others in the different purl ions of the camp, the result of which compelled mc to believe that the whole camp was seething with discontent. No arrangements of any kind were made for drying the soldiers' clothes. Working in damp clothes, sleeping on dam]), and in some cases wet palliasses, it is small wonder that a number of the men have died. I; was impossible to definitely ascertain what percentage I of the men were receiving medical atten- | tion. but the following two examples will serve to show you that the percentage i> very high, <~>nr> party ol eighty men from the West ("oa.u have now only ten men left fit for duty, another party of sixty-five have now only thirty-two tit for duty. It is quite evident that the want for proper attention to the men I who first hpcame ill. in the form of medical attendance, hospital accommodation and the lack of nursing staffs, are re-

eponeible for the serious state of affairs existing in Ihc camp. While in the opinion of the soldiers in camp, Trenthani is unsuitable for a carap for any lengthy period, owing to it scarcely having any I natural fall for drainage, the serious position of affairs to-day could have been I prevented or minimised it" the sanitary arrangements had been anything like adequate, the men provided with facilities for drying their clothes, boots and socks, and further providing thorn with n warm bath or even a warm shower. The necessity for having a bath took hundreds of the men into Wellington while on leave, when they would not have otherwise gone. It is not only the rank and file that are being badly treated in this respect, as there is only one shower-bath for one 'hundred and eighty officers. An officer who desires to make sure of having a shower-bath would have to turn out about 4 a.m. Some of the men informed mc that they would have been prepared to pay for a drying room and hot hath, and believed if the authorities had installed a plant to provide the same, the cost would have boon borno by the men themselves." fn conclusion, Mr. Long says: "I strongly recommend yon to support tho proposal of his Worship the Mayor of I Auckland for the establishment of n 'camp in tho vicinity of Auckland, preferably Ono-troe Hill. and. that J we have already sent several hundreds of ■ our members it o serve our Empire, that we recommend our numbers to refrain lat present from enlisting until the question of providing a suitable camp in our district for our Auckland volunteers in- ' stoiid of the cold. wet. fo<r£ry and diseaseriiiilen camps in the Wellington district." Mr. Loner's report was received and nd. nte.l. and a copy of rt was ordered to be handed to the Press for publication.