DOING GREAT WORK

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 137, 6 March 1941, Page 6

DOING GREAT WORK

New Zealand Troops In The

Western Desert

SOLDIER LEGISLATOR’S TRIBUTE

In a private letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, written early last month, Lieutenant C. F. Skinner, M.P. for Motueka, refers to conditions in the Western Desert as follows:— “I have been out in the desert for some time, but am now undergoing a course of instruction at what must be one of the most delightful spots in Egypt. Shady trees—plenty of them—a beautiful lake and plenty of yachts for hire at quite a reasonable charge—--30 piastres for half a day. “What a contrast! A week ago I was at Tobruk and before that at Bardia, where there is nothing but rock and sand, hundreds of miles of arid desert. We had to conserve water and what little we had was salty—salinity test over 400. Those chaps, some of whom have been up there for eight months, all deserve medals. Our boys are doing great work, salvaging, transport and water supply. Very little is heard of them, but I am proud indeed to have worked with them.”