A VISIT TO MATARAE CAMP

Evening Star, Issue 15481, 1 May 1914, Page 3

A VISIT TO MATARAE CAMP

[By-Miss Bem. Test.] A£tej three" days of mist and fog it was a treat, to ee*. the sun in a.clear sky on Wednesday morning," and every promise of a .fine day. We immediately'made up our mihde to join fhe excursion" trip to the Otago Central" Five hundred and fifty passengers, they say, were on board the train "of 15 carriages drawn by two engines. We travelled without any crushing or inconvenience whatsoever. .While waiting at the Danedin Station' for the train to start, a lady came " along ,to our carriage, accompanied by a guard, who was tiying to find a seat for her, and I heard him say that tickets were not supposed to be issued to more passengers than seating accommodation could be found for. That sounded as though an improvement was going to take place under out new railway manager. However, one or two carriages were added after thi6, which, showed that they meant to accommodate as many ae possible. A goodly crowd of excursionists we were—about three women to every man—but on arrival at the camp the petticoats eeemed few and far between, eo greatly outnumbered were they by "karki." If a little judgment and foresight were used at outings liko this, how much more pleasant it would bo for everyone. Our train stopped three-quarters of a mile, ma>be, from the camp. The majority of the paseengcrs alighted, unaware that the train was going on to the camp siding. Had come of the Territorials who stood about been told off to inform the- passengers that the train was going on, and to get out only if they wished to walk over to. see the manoeuvres, it would have simplified matters. 1 'believe theie wae someone giving information at the other end oi the train, but that wae of no use to those passengers in the front carriages of 60 long a train. Elderly [eopl«2 might eo easily have been saved a long tramp along a rough road under a hot sun.

But what lovely cleftr suneliine.it was, and the air so fiesh.and balmy ! Nowhere in New Zeajaud is there such a clear atmosphere 56 in the Otago Centra!, : I verily believe. Oice out of the train "we stopped out briskly alopg the line, .intending to turn off - , further down' and make for the bridge, which ire had been told spanned the Taieri River, and which we had to cress if ve wished to see the 'sham fight." Just as \\%- turned off,: a voice fron- behind ordered its to go on, and .wo heard something about bogs and gullies. Turning around, we saw a roan in civilian dress*, and wearing a khaki military, hat. This hat gave us confidence. We did as we' were told, and walked straight ahead. A little further along we stopped to converse with a Territorial, who in formed'us that we had come too far. We should have turned off wlv»re we first intended to: If we turned off. now we. would 'strike a. barbed wire fence. Quickly we came to the conclusion that "a Utile knowledge is worse than no knowledge," and being hot and tired we gave up the idea of attempting to get a view of the "fight," and made for the camp, where we knew we could get a cup of tea at one of the canteens.

The tents were scattered over a length of two miles or more. Mostly bell tents, with here and there a square marquee and a few corrugated iron sheds gleaming bright in the sunshine—these . last being the canteens and cookhouses. As the flaps of all the tents were up, we were able to inspect the interiors _ freely—in fact, the public was there to inspect, to ascertain how "our dear boys" are being treated. Sweet and clean looked the straw, and ?o tidy were-these sleeping apartments that many a mother there must have wondered why her Tom or her Jack could not keep his bedroom as tidy at home. There was no occasion to read the signboards . denoting the officers' quarters; we knew them at once by the camp beds, foiding tables, and numerous other apDointments not to bo found in the tents of the rank and file. One officer had apparently run off with some of his wife's door mats to add comfort, or perhaps give a touch of ." decoration," to his tent. There were marquees for recreation; one "we entered "' contained tables and forms; and here the men could read or write" letters, and even port them, for there was a pillar box inside. An organ standing up against the centre pole lent an air of sacredness to this tent. Here it is that services are held. We peeped into the ambulance tent. Comfortable and clean it was with its iron bedsteads, white sheets, and wooden boxes answering the purpose of table?. There were no patients in hospital. A lugubrious, kharki-clacl lad informed us that if a- patient was likely to be ill for more than two days he was sent to town. He himself was only recovering from a bad cold caught.in the early days of the camp, when the nights and mornings were bitterly cold, and the unkind snow had crept down to the 'foot of the mountains. If it were for any good he would not mind putting up with the hardships, he added, but the Government were spending a lot of money for no good. We replied that the knowledge being gained was no doubt worth more than all the money being spent. Well, ho said, he had not learned anything so far; he had learned something in the smaller camps. Later on we came across a pleasantspoken youngster, soldier, writ all over him, brimming over with enthusiasm and loving the work, as his glistening eyes and upright bearing told. I repeated the conversation to him. "Rats!" he cried. : *' We're all learning—learning lots." During our wanderings we came across a 6pent soldier lying on a rug in the sun on a slab of rock, his face buried in a 1 pillow, the white of which contrasted strongly with the grey background. He was fighting the influenza demon instead of an imaginary foe on the other side of the rugged hifjs. His memories of the camp -it Matarae will not be pleasant ones. We now found ourselves at the Middleraarch end, where the batteries were encamped. On first arriving- we had inquired of a Territorial where wc could find the B 'Battery, and the. answer came :