LIFE ON A TRANSPORT.

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 October 1918, Page 2

LIFE ON A TRANSPORT.

TELEGRAMS

COMPLAINTS ABOUT FARE AND ACCOMMODATION.

THE OFFICIAL REPLY.

(Per Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, October .28,

Many complaints were made by officers, and men who returned to New Zealand by Transport i\o. 197 about the fare and accommodation, particularly in the forward dormitory. “She was a hungry and uncomfortable, ship, even for a transport.” was the verdict of many of the men and some of the officers. The food was generally described as rough and meagre. One veteran stated that in France his unit was much better fed. The troops in one portion of the ship complained that <\ -e food they received was often very short,, in addition to being rough and badly cooked. Enquiry elicited the qualification that ... occasionally the rations were satisfactory, but no oho would admit that these occasions were anything but exceptional.

“A man on the. outward voyage,” said a long service soldier, “can stand indifferent food and uncomfortable conditions, but wbsi he returns invalided he certainly has a right to expect the treatment which his impaired health requires. On this voyage bully ,beef and 1 biscuits were actually issued for the eveningl meal oh two occasions.” Other soldiers mentioned that bad feeding had led to the men buying better food from the ship's staff. The practice had become fairly common on the troopships. Some men paid several pounds to be supplied with good food throughout the voyage, said one soldier, and every evening scores bought jugs of tea at on© shilling each. * forward dormitory—6oft. by 42ft. by Bft.—was used both as a sleeping place and as a messroom, the hammocks being slung during the day- Over 200 men dept in this space. The ventilation was declared to be very limited, and many men were forced to sleep on deck, the constant calm weather making this possible. An officer who fully endorsed these opinions of the men, when ask ed where he considered the fault lay, replied that while more concern in the bad state of things might have been shown by the military authorities on the ship, he thought the real weakness was in the method of provisioning the ®ip. The statements given by the men were submitted to the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen), who made enquiries regarding the matter, and the following statement has been received from him: —

Insufficiency of Food. —Complaints were received on this score, and the matter was fully investigated by the military officers, when it was found that such insufficiency was occasioned by the Imperial Food Controller placing the vessel on English rations. This was explained to the men, and while it is regrettable that such expedients should be resorted to. the shortage of food in the United Kingdom in all probability made it imperative for the Food Controller so to ration the vessel, and while this shortage continues, it is difficult to see what remedy can be made. The complaint that this insufficiency would affect the health of the men can only be characterised as pure conjecture, and would have been guarded against by the medical officers.

Bad Cooking.—Complaints in this respect were made and investigated, when it was found that such arose through the carelessness of the cooks. Every effort was made to remedy the defects, but bad or inferior cooking with the present scarcity of competent cooks is a most difficult matter to adjust. The difficulty was eventually overcome by the efforts of the military officers in conjunction with the ship’s staff. Seles of Food to Troops.—The officer commanding the troops states that reports of such practices were brought to his notice early in the voyage, when immediate steps were taken to stop the practice,

Accommodation. —The vessel was fitted under the supervision of an Admiralty inspector and passed by the G.O.C. and A.D.M.S., New Zealand Expeditionary Forces, in the United Kingdom. More space than usual was given. The hammock hooks were placed 18 inches apart instead of the customary 16 inches, as laid down in the Admiralty regulations. In addition to this two electric fans were installed in the dormitory. It is quite clear that every precaution and care were taken to ensure that the ship was efficiently fitted, and that any complaints received were promptly dealt with, and as far as possible remedied.