COMFORT IN CAMP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23471, 7 October 1939, Page 12

COMFORT IN CAMP

SCHEME AT PAPAKURA DORMITORIES FOR MEN LARGE MESSROOMS BUILT MANY STORES REQUIRED A now standard of comfort for soldiers is set at the mobilisation camp which is now.in the course of erection at Pajiakura. Roomy / dormitories for the men, cubicles for the noncommissioned officers and officers, wellappointed messrooms and a host of other facilities make the camp the best designed military training centre in the Dominion. Twenty-two dormitories are included in eacli of the two battalion areas on which work is proceeding. The standard of accommodation is probably at least equal to the average New Zealand home, anil represents a distinct advance on camp conditions of the past. Each of the men's dormitories accommodates about 40, in addition to two non-commissioned officers, and a pair of baggage rooms is attached to each unit for the storage of various equipment. Cubicles Provided Non-commissioned officers who are not on duty in the men's dormitories will have their own quarters in cubicles in a separate building. The officers dormitory is also divided into roomy cubicles, and one portion is fitted with a bathroom, a number of hot and cold showers and washing basins. There are two self-contained, H-shaped mess buildings in each battalion area, one providing dining rooms for the men and the other furnishing dining and lounge facilities for the officers and non-commissioned officers. The dining rooms are located in the wings, while the middle portion contains a servery and kitchen. Food will be prepared with the most modern equipment, and huge coppers and ranges will be used for cooking.

Between the rows of dormitories are tlio washing sheds, while alongside the boiler house in each area is the shower room containing a row of 50 showers and a long dressing room. Hugo insulated storage tanks, elevated to obtain an adequate pressure, will provide an ample supply of hot water. A steamheating system also constitutes the equipment for the rapid drying of clothes in the drying huts. Refrigerated Chambers

The erection of the various stores represents a major task for the contractors and the Public Works Department. A maze, of shelves and racks are to hold foodstuffs in the rations stores, while refrigerated chambers are included for the storage of perishable commodities. There are five company stores and a battalion stoi'e in each block, together with other buildings for use as guard and orderly rooms. Beds for the dozens of dormitories are now being turned out from the Public Works Department's workshops at the rate of 200 a day, two shifts of men being employed to expedite the output. Made from thin slats of wood, supported at the centre by a wire, they are sufficiently pliant to bend and afford a sturdy yet comfortable base for a palliasse. ■