HEALTHY CAMPS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1018, 10 November 1917, Page 6

HEALTHY CAMPS.

THE BUTTER PURCHASE. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 9. The announcement that the military camps are to bo closed during the Christmas holidays for cleansing - and disinfection draws attention to the marked improvement that lias been effected in the sickness statistics of flic troops. The New Zealand training camps are probably the most Healthy in the world at the present time, and the credit for that fact must be given io Surgeon-General Henderson, who was brought (o this country to take charge of ihe military medical stall at a time, when I lie. sickness rate among the soldiers was unpleasantly high. General Henderson has done his work very thoroughly. He was not content with the, isolation, and the effective treatment of the sick soldiers. He set himself to trace, causes of sickness to iheir source and to prevent infection by removing its causes. He arranged for the examination of recruits when they entered camp in order to detect ‘‘carriers,” and tie established inhalation chambers and insisted on disinfection in every direction. His reward is the reduced• sickness rate. : .SCARCELY FAIR. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, if ho has been correctly reported in a brief cablegram published by the New Zealand newspapers, L- been scarcely lair in his .suggestion linn producers of butter in this country are being treated unfairly in comparison with the Irish farmers. The conditions of sale are not comparable at all. The. Irish dairy farmer can put Ins butter on the English market without the, least difficulty and without, .sailing it or freezing it. He commands the highest market price as a matter of course. The New Zealand farmer must have cold storage ashore and afloat, and he must allow for heavy shipping and insurance charges, and he is entirely dependent upon Ids buyer, that is, the British Government, for shipping facilities. There is no doubt that, the Imperial authorities could have made a much better bargain for themselves if they had chosen to deal with Now Zealand in a coldly commercial spirit.- They command the means of transport. A SETBACK.

To-day's had news from Russia (still unconfirmed at- the time of writing) did not come altogether as a surprise to members of the Government, who have been prepared by advices from London for the triumph, temporary or permanent, of the pro-German influence in Petrograd. Possibly Mr Massey will have some, statement to make on the subject presently. It may be said confidently in any case tha.t the defection of Russia is not going to spell clishenrtenment to the Allies. What it does mean is that all hopes of an easy and early peace must bo set aside. ‘‘Any man of military ago who imagines that the war will end before ho is called upon to bear arms is making a mistake,” said a member of tin' Government in conversation recently. "Wo will send our lit Second Division men, and then if reinforcements are still needed wo will lower the military age to 18 and extend it t-o 65 or 60. The one thing that New Zealand cannot do is to quit. We have got, to ‘stick it’ until, victory comes. The support of the United States is an assurance that we cannot lose if %\ <• make it a fight to a finish.”