HUTTING THE TROOPS

New Zealand Herald, Issue 105, 15 March 1864, Page 3

HUTTING THE TROOPS

! 'In tin- Kditor of tin- Seiv Xe.u,.\m> lli:h.\i.u. ! Su;, —1 have raid your re-marks with att. ntion r.- , .specling tli.- method of luiUiiiar the lrot.|.s for -.vint. iquarters proposed by the authorities, and 1 quite ; agree with you Liiiit to resort to sawn kauri timber j for that purpose would not only be inflicting a serious ) consequence on tlio comfort and advancement of the ! city of Auckland, but would In; the woi-st possible | plan that could ho adopted for the soldiers t ht.-in-* *] \ and fur tliis reason, that tin; winter would be v.e)] j niirh over before Uic huts could be erected. j There are no half do/en sawing stations in the prnI vinre whieh could supply !he .{mount of sawn iimb. r required between now mid winter, ami then the tiinhor has to he taken to port Waikato. and what is tin* real difficulty of the nuttier, t«»\\-cd up tie- Waikato. I venture, sir, to .say that it' the authorities p- tm>i : in this course they will inlliet a ;neat calamiiv on tin*, army, and that tie- winter':- eampaimi will inmore productive (»!' misery ;.ud death to the tro-.»p> than halt'-a-do/.en Kuuguriri">. You say, and .Mjlisequent enquiries which I have made hear nut the correctness of your a.-serlimi, that there are £ruwini? in the very district where ;h.-e ! huts are required abundance of fine Kahiketca trees j lroni which excellent slabs miirht be obtained at little ' cost and very quickly, or from which the requisite . timber be .sawn. Kahiketca timber is not • us'-d generally tor outside' work, as it will not last sn lojilt as kauri, but Kahikatca would la-t >ound some ' six or seven years, quite as limy indeed, as the quarters to be built of it are likely to be required. 1 Capital lint< ran lie made of slabs ; many respectable ami wealthy families live in such built houses in the hush, but if sawn timber is thought necessary for the troops, why, in tin name of ceonomy and common I scn.-.e, not. saw up the Kahikiteas on the spot. T>p j sawyers could be obtained in any numbers bv the I authorities, and pitmen, loi* roller.-, A:c., could b-' ! furnished Irom anionic tiie troops thoniM'lves. and the sawn stuff be ready to hand before the winter >c»s in. if left until sawn timber can lie obtained in the umwil way, winter will be wt«il nigh over before the work of buildiivj; is commenced. L have also seen your remarks relative to the erection of wattle and daul) huts, ami they an- applicable enough, lml 1 have found that such buildings in this climate require verandahs to protect tlu-m : from the ell'cets of tin: weather. There is, however, : another kind of construction which 1 should earnestly recommend to the authorities, and that is tiio erection of raupoor grass huts, roofed with nikau and toi-toi, or cutting grass. A frame work of saplings is first cretted; in liio centre of the two gables, longer posts are placed i-i aching to the lull hcighth of the roof: these like the crncr posts, door posts, window posts, and others, have forked tops. In these forked tops the vail plates and roof tieoaro laid, bound tightly together with flax rafters anil battens, uprights ami cross ties are collected of long pieces of ti-lree an inch in diameter; these ar: laced round (lie sides of (lie hut, forming a chocquer work, of which Ihe squares are

lroin <» to !» ariuss ; the uiit.siik* uml iiiv tlicn tliMh-ln-d '.villi nikiui ;mu ;nnl ' a wriUliettight wurm Imt i> at oiuv Tlirn* atr humhvi[> oi' men in ill*: rtmuliy wh«» « ;iti i»uihl •Mu-li neatly and cpiie'vly--uonc than j the liicndly liativrs thom^civcs; Imt wlu-lhi'i-llirsr, or wattlr and d;inb lmt>. cr iul 1 .-lah huts <«r ho{i>«< nf siwn lv:xhiksiltM 1m- huilt, ; il must hr d"ii«- rjiiirkh. 'l'<. think **1' ».i»t.iinini;- >a un kjiiu i is al»unl. it raniH'J i»r iboir, l«»j----at tin- juvM-nt timr not «»nly has \ inilirr rNi-n t(j'JOs. j'cr IUO left, hut it is ' Xi-ii s*;:iri*»*l s jm>siblf to obtain it ;:l all U*v haiidtuir tnii]ia--rs in .\urk!;nid. 'J h«Ti- is in.» uin; aniutii*' ti>i w;a» is n.tt ;iu\iou< t-. m • til.- HOOJ.S j.ni iliJo ru,,.j„. to.'.ir win;) v .[iuui- v-. aijii it i iS t«! niNlin- lllis ill i'lin- (JiMtr liuit I 11 "i N* l ' \ It;! HI •'<( ('. u\;\\;v \\w ithmv Mhu> havitV- iivni 'Jb v«vrs in lb'' "/ N»*u- Zf.ila.vd. \ ii.n. - : .r. • V S<nnitrit\' Sy-Ti.ri:. Awi-lcl'.'.nd. Alavflt l.lth. • \\ r tjiuh' ,ii.' i n • UJ.'ii I'lir in mjV J"« •- uvuk>. '["ivev** voiy tikv ['.injuit ni tiit- n-tiup> ; in omiluit-iVir >iu ;ittr.i.l Dm- >)irinir ; is nc([ a<(va;ucd il' t.'ir .•airjon'Cr.i in n-/nir / . "Uanvi \inA.v v \n \\\«- \ ' >.iry hail'litrj:-:. (!"<• -,/y in-ihiuii <•:' U> / ;\W \v\ v\\w v\\.\ v w\vv'w \N'iU \>'swU \iur- ! .-tiinif tin-' t-oiir-f ■. /"/ f um-j ilj'-h-.--* r- c zJ/i/ik !>jat .s'> J > au t" ttu - imunVr.'.fjf-- tiyly / ; th»- )i»r ■ / ai u( llvir (ititu'lii .< slmti/d av/p'/ with I ho j ' vVrix W \\\'- vV.Ww "V \ '"■twt'ft !!,>■ jnwo.'t V j'J.m >•(' 'Wihrj /ml* sun}} x l\w vV.U\S \sWUVv:Av r-\ycl'V:Vi-" 'Jl'U UC't of • ' : ih^n^xl-l : T-jrlh-' i! t.L-ntifcl-jll'.r.. Till ■ L-:i.«i2 L'iiu-i unlit *'vii cziitJ u atfcil tic ■.

£-0,000 on the Commissariat chest. Can tho colonists bo fairly culled upon* when the settlement of tho expenses of tho "war is balanced, to bear the share of an expense contracted in the face of common sense, colonial e-xiic-rience, and their own direct protest r— Ed. A. Z. IT. j