CLOTHES IN RAGS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17948, 28 November 1932, Page 6

CLOTHES IN RAGS

WANGANUI RELIEF CAMPS ASSISTING SINGLE MEN (.11SBORN K VISITOR’S OUTLINE a„ Tallinn of ;i Wanganui movement <(/assist /iion in relief vamps near Wan- , was given to day by the Rev. i; Goring, Baptist minister in V,\ ;r ai'mi , Who is ArsiLing Gislmrne. I iie. \ lollies ot many m the men mic in - t deplorable condition, but their lot [in• | been much improved as a resultJ, Vne activities of the Inter-Bible Class Movement. ... Tilt re were nine camps with wmcti (lie movement was concerned, two on ;be i’waoara road at tiie 18 and oo Oiiie lie :s respectively, two on the Mokotuku roatl, near Raetilii, lour m tie Kami forest, two at Km a, National l ark, and one at Papanui, on the back toad between Taihape and Hunteryillo Twelve months ago Mr-11. C. Jenkins, iho p; os id oi it of tho Inter IMUIo CJass Movement and also editor ol the WanChronicle, and Mr. Goring went ; ; Papuani to iiii|tiirc into the condition; jf ilm two camps established there and found the men desperately in need of personal equipment, many of them working with their toes out of their hoots and solos almost missing, and their clothes in rags. LONG CREDIT. The Inter Bible Class Movement took up the work of helping the campers as their social service. Mr. Coring was tho executive officer, and the policy laid down was that all clothing supplied to the men should bo paid for at nominal rates, and that long credit should be given. Everything was supplied to tlie camp as a community was without cast to tho workers. Appeals were made for boots, clothing and reading matter. in co-operation with the Labor Department, the committee was able to engage a man for the reconditioning of bools, and later had three men so employed. The women’s division of the farmers’ Union assisted in the collection «,f socks, darning and refooting the contributions where necessary; and also made up Panned shirts, the material lor which was supplied by the Bible class movement, and the linishod article being furnished to the nien in the camps ::t- substantially below the cost of tho

As the other camps were established, the policy was maintained. As lav as possible the .non were sent into, camp equipped with boots and clothing, two blankets and three clean sacks apiece. They found the sacks quite adequate where the blanket supply was short. The ministers of Wanganui carried on

services, and the Y..M.U.A. entertained it- the Para para camps as frequently as

EVERY WALK OF LIFE

Mr. Goring visited the other camps as (hey were established, to make contact with the men, and to organise supplies, as well as conducting services and delivering lectures. “In four instances the men have purchased out of their meagre pay wireless sets,” said Mr. Goring, “and with tho help of the movement have installed the instruments in the dining-halls of their camps. Needless to say, these are a great boon owing to tho isolation of the camp sites.” Commenting on the personnel of the camps, Mr. Goring stated that the meu were from every walk of life, and in the great majority of instances, had settled in remarkably well. Having been in the ranks of the N.Z.E.K. during the war, Mr. Goring found the men on tho average similar to any company of soldiers. The men had for the greater part responded excellently to the efforts of the Bible class movement on their behalf; out of about 350 who received assistance through the movement, only six had failed to eiirrv out tliciv obligations. In many instances, the men arrived in eanqi owing back board and with other obligations previously entered into, and again and again it was found that these men were doing their utmost to clear every account against them. LOGGING AND CLEANING Regarding the character of the work on which the men were engaged, Mr. Goring stated that the Parapara men were on road improvement operations, and had already accomplished much urgent straightening and regrading of the main read from Wanganui to Rantihi. At Mokotuku, the men work in gangs on farms, logging and dealing paddocks, and at Arua and Karioi the Forest Department absorbed tho services of a total of about 100 men During the planting season, the men worked in companies of nine, with a ganger for each group, planting out seedling trees or tilling in where trees had failed to strike. The men were now doing general work, roadmaking, clearing livid maintaining the fire breaks. The Papanui camp, said Mr. Goring, was occupied by men who logged paddocks, using the wood for the burning ’of papa rock, with which many of the west coast roads have been given a waterproof foundation. Mr. Goring spoke interestingly of the method used in preparing tho papa rook for urio on the, roads, and mentioned that in burning the rock tho men built temporary kilns to a considerable height, with alternative layers of timber and pupa, After tho kiln had been burned, the papa was of a consistency that permitted it to consolidate, when laid on the roads, into a mass almost like asphalt. The work was arduous but satisfac-

fcorv in that the men realised the, value of the contribution they were making to the amenities of the district, and wore well aware that what they did to-day would not lack maintenance in the future.