FORT AND CAMP.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18, 23 January 1911, Page 2

FORT AND CAMP.

.. <t ! TRAINING CADET OFFICERS. SOME USEFUL WORK. In the Wairarapa and at Karori there is considerable activity among all arms there under traaning, but there can be no more enthusiasm than that which characterises the various camps along the harbour-front from Mahanga Bay to Fort Dorset, at the harbour-mouth. The Engineers, Garrison Artillery (and its Electric Light section), and the cadetofficers are at the moment in training. Reference has already been made to the valuable work being done by the Engineers. A visit was paid by a Po3t representative on Friday evening to the cadet- officers' camp in the next bay. Here some forty officers were under canvas. Some have left for their homes, and camp was struck this morning. The officers came from some parts of the Dominion fairly remote from Wellington, and among the localities may be mentioned North Auckland, Hokitika, Wanganui, New Plymouth, and Palmerston North. The utmost interest has been taken in their work by these officers, many of whom have already served in the volunteers. The ■ idea underlying their course of instruction is tha-t the cadets whom they command shall receive a uniform system of training throughout the country. To that end the officers have been called upon to do a great variety of things that, as officers, they would not do ; but the doing of which themselves is the only effective way of teaching them how to expect them to be done and to teach the boys under them how they should be done. Accordingly, the officers have been put through physical drill, semaphore, musketry, top ography, map-sketching, and heliograpr/. They have had fatigue duty and have been on sentry-go. They heard the .reveille at 5 a.m., and they were on most of the 'day until 5 p.m., when they sat down to tea. THE IMPORTANCE OF MEALS. The cook, as at the Engineers' camp, seems to have occupied a position second only to the Commanding Officer (Major M'Donald), for if there was one tiling that impressed itself upon the cau^l officers it was the excellence of their fare. One of them, speaking — as officially he ought not to have done — to a Post representative, said "We have been exceedingly comfortable. We understood that we were not coming to a picnic, but we have not felt the weight of the work, because it has been so instructive. We have had an extremely good table — meals served hot-and-hot, well cooked, and in plenty. The cadets will be taught all we have been taught. We are sorry that we are breaking camp, but we must get back to our schools. The Artillery conducted us over Fort Ballanee, and we found our visit to be full of interest, thanks to the lucidity of the explanations of our guides. On Thursday we had a delightful concert, and Mr. Jas. Dykes, Mr. R. Robertson, and some others most strongly supported the programme. We all realise, 1 think — well, I do myself — that we have done really serious work in camp, and " have learned much that will ultimately -be invaluable as the cadets pass on. to the time when they will undergo their ' compulsory training." Lieutenant Stevens was next in command to Major M'Donald at the cadet officers' camp. ELECTRIC LIGHT WORK. On Friday evening the 'Electric Light section of the No. 3 Garrison Artillery went over to Mahanga Bay for sixteen days' training under Major Hume." There were about forty men. They will work search lights molt of , the 1 time— two (a fixed and a searching beam) at Fort Ballanee, and one searching beam at Fort Dorset. They will be thoroughly instructed in their highly scientilic work, and as some of them are electricians by occupation they will be able to give practical experience in exchange for any lessons they may learn while in training. They landed full of zest for their work — and not forgetting their own piano. They will be instructed in the management of oil engines (at Fort Dorset) and steam engines (at Fort Ballance). MILTTARr TELEPHONES. A telephone land and air line has been laid by the Engineers from Fort Dorset to the outer signal station under the direction of First Lieutenant Chappie. No. 1 Company Garrison Artillejry (under Captain W. H. Morton) went into training at Fort Dorset, Seatoun, until 4th February. The "troopship" at present doing the camp work in the harbour is the steamer Janie Seddon (Captain L. Inkster), and in addition to mail and port health work she will next week be out in the dark somewhere in the vicinity of the Heads towing targets for the Garrison Artillery.