FOREST WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 80, 28 December 1935, Page 17

FOREST WORKERS

Experiences of a TimberMan In Siam “Teak Wallah,” by Reginald Campbell (London: Hodder and Stoughton). Rather by virtue of the interesting experiences of the author than by its actual literary merit this book has much to offer any reader. It gives valuable and probably little-known information about the teak-felling industry and describes the life of a teak-wallah from a personal aspect and with a strong flavour of ironic humour. Mr. Campbell found life in the jungles of Siam full of ironies, often very bitter ones, but writing in retrospect safely home in England, he is able to remember them more light-heartedly one imagines than he lived them.

Leaving the navy after the war, Mr. Campbell obtained a position as forest assistant with a timber company in Siam, and left England forthwith to take up his duties. He was, fortunately, of the type who enjoyed solitude, and has constantly to watch himself, lest he wax sentimental about the great out-of-doors. In spite of appalling discomfort and danger from disease, accident and wild animals, he potently loved the life, and when finally invalided out of the service had nothing but regret. A detailed account of the various tasks and daily routine of teak-wal-lahs is given, but the most enthralling passages in the book deal with experiences with animals. Many writers recently have written of wild elephants from the point of view of big game hunters, of naturalists or of photographers, but Mr. Campbell writes of the big patient tuskers which work so intelligently with the _ logs and . yet have distinct personalities and periodically when on “musth” go berserk and are a menace to man and beast.

Mr. Campbell loves exploding theories as much as he likes propounding new philosophies. He says, for instance, that the popular belief that elephants live two or three hundred years is erroneous. He does not believe any mysterious burial ground for elephants does exist (he has no theory, however, as to where elephants go to die). He says that contrary to the belief that a buffalo will charge a white man on sight and yet allow any small coloured child to handle it, he saw a great many placid working buffaloes at close quarters and on only one occasion did the animal show any signs of charging. Mr. Campbell can be quite provoking both in style, when he deliberately invokes the reader’s imagination instead of leading him to relieve the scene, and by voicing half-serious opinions which would make excellent bait for an argument. But Mr. Campbell is never dull.

The book is illustrated with good and relevant photographs of incidents in a teak-wallah’s daily toil.

Thomas Avery and Sons, Ltd., publishers, of New Plymouth, announce that they have undertaken the publication of a book comprising twenty-three notable New Zealand criminal trials. Except for six of these trials they have appeared in the New Zealand Railways Magazine. The series has been written by Mr. C. A. L. Treadwell, of Wellington. It is expected that they will he ready for sale in time for New Zealand authors’ week toward the end of March next. The Hon. Mr. W. Downie Stewart has written a foreword to the book.