LIFE IN CAMP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16592, 15 January 1916, Page IX

LIFE IN CAMP.

AGE AND YOUTH. A WORD 03" "W-AJEUHm MOYES WITH HORSES. (Specially Written far the Ota go Daily Times.) Br L. S. Faknuto One trouble at Trentham may bo with the ardent youth lander 20 years of age), eager to tight in any field. Ho stretches ins ago by a slip of tlig tongue, and on ho goes with his training. After nearly four months' work, almost on the eve of embarkation, mother sends a birth certificate to headquarters, -with a statement that her son is not qualified to go with the reinforcement. This withdrawal of under-age soldiers near the dose of the training period—after they have been the general taxpayers' gue3ts for 12 or 16 weeks—has been a nuisanco. During a glow of love of country, mother Agrees to the enlistment of a son 18 or 19 years old, and she apparently connives to the "faking" of the age. Bat absence makes the hoart glow fonder of tho son. The country fades slowly behind the well-remem-bered form of the boy. There was one exception. A young fellow, under 20, lost his fervour for service overseas, and he announced his real age shortly before he was duo to join a transport. He wrote to his mother to support his testimony, but she refused. Her answer was that tho son had enlisted against her will, because she regarded him as too young for the grim work of w, but, as he had been through the training, he had better go on with the others. So away he went to the front. The authorities .are now very alert for the early detection of deception in the matter of age. Youths -under 20 con be well advised, for tho sake of themselves and the State, to wait till they are of military age. Their impatience can make them much more of & hindrance than a help to their county. Observers of the Old World have remarked frequently that the very young men —mere lads—have not the neoessary seasoned solidity of body and mind to bear well tho strain of wax. Men who are in a position* to see a large portion of New Zealand's returned soldiers say that tho secondary effects of tho war ordeal are much more noticeable an the very yaang than on the others. ELDERLY MEN'S STOAT., At _ Trent-ham, .on Tuesday, six recruits, described as 'hoary-headed" by an eyewitness, received the sad news that they were "over age." They may have appeared as something tinder 45 in -the attestation papers, bat it was obvious that tho average age of the six was well above 50 years. Occasionally a man of 60 or 49 may be stronger in every way, with greater power of endurance than another of, say, 42 years, which the "forty-niner" has alleged himself to be. The writer saw several men of that stamp, stalwarts, seasoned to all kinds of work :n the open—very tough material for soldiering. One "forty-eighter," away with the Ninths, was one of that reinforcement's best marchers; it is known that he onco added part of the kit of a much younger mate to his own, because he noticed that tho junior was showing signs of distress. But all the comparatively elderly recruits who manage bo reach the camp have not that robustness. The touch of TSm« jg plain upon them, and their strength is not nearly equal to their leaL They would break down under the strain of war and become a burden to an army. The .-sturdy ** over-forties" Inchxde an officer who haa two sons at the front; tho father will leave with the Uths. A PERSISTENT AGITATION. Despite frequent explanations an agitation persists for the employment of elderly men on various tasks at the headquarters office and thereabouts. Tfro pereistence of this clamour is an injustioo and an annoyance to a number of men who are eager to exchange a pen for a sword, or to handle a maohine-gun instead of a type-writer. Tho writer knows, from personal observation during nearly three months, that an elderly man, or one not thoroughly strong, would soon feel sorely the pressure of work during a 12-hour day. The spread of duty from 8 or 9 a.m. to 10 pjn., with breaks for meals, would be more than enough for an average man, at an easy rate, but the need to rudh is not uncommon at a camp. Another oft-heard plea is that "returned soldiers"—discharged by reason of the loss of an arm or other physical disability— should be attached to the instructional staff. thus releasing able-bodied men for the front. Here is another case of injustice to tho staff, whose members woiild all be pleased to be released for service overseas. The duties of on instructor require robust health; and, of course, the fact of active service does -not neoessarily qualify a soldier for teaching work. The present instructors have beoome valuably expert; the work has been specialised, and it is done very well. It would bo i *jsnrd to have tho system spoilt by surrender to the loud voice of thougiitlces, unreasoning agitation. "OVER THE ODDS." Some of the tricks played by. a few members of the Ninths during the good-bye night at Trenthom were "over the odds," as the " sports" say. One of tho hair raids waa diabolically ingenious. Two clippers, of different grades, were used on the victim. One took the hair off closely enough to make the shorn person look like a German soldier, end the other went down almost to the ekin. This drastic " scarifier " was used to disfigure the scalp, which looked, roughly, like a rounded model of tho Union Jack. This sort of treatment would require a shaving to clear away the pattern. By midnight the noisiness waa formidable, and it increased towards 1 o'cloak, ivhen a shriH whistle gave a warning that the horso-play had gone far enough. The demonstration disd down suddenly. A RUSH WITH HORSES. These are times when the clatter of many hoTscs' hoofs breaks the sleep of numbers, of Upper Hutt residents either before midnight or soon after dawn. From the Bth to 12th January tho remount depot received about 500 horses, including 225 from the lauherenikau Camp. It was a sudden order to preparo 425 horses for shipment, and the hours were filled with hustle. Tho number of grooms was increased to about 40, and 25 members of tho Army Service Corps came down from Tauherenikau to help. On Thursday evening about 150 of the 11th Mounteds arrived from May Morn, and next morning they rose to a 3 o'clock breakfast. Their task was to take the horses •Jo Wellington in two drafts. The first departure of tho train, with about 220 horses, was timed for 5.50 a.m. On Wednesday about 300 horses (including those from Tauherenikan) wero taken from trucks, and about 150 horses new to military life <were classed and branded befoio noon—very quick work. About. 16 blacksmiths, some drawn from military units and others (civilians), are bnsy with tho shoeing from dawn till dusk. Work is not casing off at the depot with tho embarkation of 425 horses; the animals taken from military camns have to be replaced with all possible despatch—and therefore the fracture of slumber at tho UppGr Hutt will continue for some days.