CAMPING

Southland Times, Issue 22210, 30 December 1933, Page 8

CAMPING

SOME USEFUL HINTS. (Contributed by the Department of Health). With the advent of the motor car camping has gained very much in popularity of recent years. The organized camping grounds . established by borough councils and other bodies are generally well equipped with sanitary conveniences, and the presence of an attendant ensures that the camping site is left in as clean a condition as it is found. Many people, however, travel further afield, and some of them through carelessness or ignorance not only suffer avoidable discomfort but spoil the ground for others, and leave behind them an accumulation of unsightly litter. The sanitary requirements of a good camp include provision of a safe water supply; protection of food from dust, flies and animals; and provision for the satisfactory disposal of all waste matter. Unless a safe supply of water is obtainable from a nearby house, deep well or spring, suitable precautions should be taken. Shallow wells, ponds and nearly all streams should be viewed with suspicion and the water either boiled before use or chlorinated. The latter process is carried out as follows: A stock solution is prepared by adding one half teaspoonful of chlorinated lime to one pint of water. Use one teaspoonful of this solution to 10 gallons; 36 drops to one gallon, or nine drops to one quart. Let stand at least fifteen minutes. If these amounts are not exceeded the taste of the water should not be affected. Food. All food should be carefully protected from dust and flies. Thereby not only will the dangers of summer diarrhoea be guarded against, but the discomfort of numerous flies about the camp will be lessened. A portable meat safe serves the purpose admirably and should be hung in a cool place—preferably under a tree. If transport space is limited a safe may be improvised from a small wooden box by providing it with a close-fitting hinged lid and at least two openings covered with perforated zinc to allow of through ventilation. Food can then be packed in it when travelling. Butter and milk may be kept cool in an unglazed pottery dish with wet muslin over it. As milk may be exposed to risk of contamination, it is safer to scald it. It is safer to boil water. The disposal of wastes includes satisfactory disposal of the excrement of the campers, scraps of food, empty tins and general litter, as well as the dirty water from dish washing and personal ablution. It is the neglect of suitable provision under this ■ heading which spoils the beauty of so many attractive camping grounds, and causes owners of land to regard camping parties in anything but a favourable light. The only satisfactory method of disposing of such refuge is by burning or burial, and a spade is a most essential article of camp equipment. One or more suitable spots should be chosen for the camp latrines, so that privacy is afforded and the water supply not endangered. A short trench nine inches wide and a foot to eighteen inches deep should be dug, and the dry earth removed will be used to cover faecal matter as soon as deposited. When the trench is three parts full it should be covered in and a new one prepared. If care is used there will be no smell and no flies will be attracted. Scraps of food, paper, etc., should be burnt as far as possible. What cannot be burnt, together with empty tins, broken glass, etc., should be thrown into a deep hole dug for the purpose. If the camp is used for more than one night only a separate sump hole should be prepared for all dirty water. For this purpose a square hole two or three feet deep should be dug and filled nearly to the top with stones or brushwood. The size of the hole and its possible renewal will depend on the capacity of the soil for absorbing water. This sump hole—in a permanent camp—should be daily sprinkled with lime or chlorinated lime. On breaking camp all trenches and holes should be filled in, care being taken first to collect up all litter and bury it. Attention to these matters will make the camp a more comfortable one, and what .is more important, will leave the locality unspoilt. First Aid. Campers should carry simple firstaid requisites, e.g., a few bandages, some common antiseptic, as lysol, or boracic acid; tincture of iodine is generally useful. Friars balsam is not only beneficial for use in sore throats (a few drops every few hours on loaf sugar) but makes an excellent external protective covering for cuts. Shoes for tramping must have thick soles and broad low heels and must not cramp the toes. If blisters form, they should be let out by tunnelling under the edge with a sterilized needle. Fine strips of adhesive zinc-oxide plaster should be evenly applied in lattice-work pattern over the affected parts. To prevent sunbuming and protect the face, cold cream, simple talc powder, or even ordinary flour may be used. Little children should wear shady hats. . To relieve the pain of sunburn, if acquired, a solution of bicarbonate of soda (one teaspoonful to the pint of warm water) is useful, followed by a soothing application, cold cream, etc. Calamine lotion is also a good application for acute sunburn. Injudicious sun-bathing may be not only harmful but actually dangerous.