The Sun TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1915. THE TRENTHAM CAMP.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 438, 6 July 1915, Page 6

The Sun TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1915. THE TRENTHAM CAMP.

' As the journal which first called public attention to the fact that the camp at Trentham presented some unsatisfactory features, The Sun, at this stage, and in view of recent revelations, Counsels its readers to withhold judgment until the committee set up to investigate the matter presents its report. The member for Christchurch East, Dr Thacker, has visited the camp, with the result that there is a feeling in certain quarters that the Departments of Health and Defence have been guilty of gross negligence and almost criminal inefficiency. The suggestion implies grave charges against two Ministers and their advisory officers, and, so far as we know the facts, published and confidential, such a suggestion is a violent exaggeration of the true position. It is true that there has been considerable illness throughout the eamp; so much, indeed, that the departments in charge were faced with an exacting task that appears, at times, to have got beyond them. It is unfortunate that in a number of cases young men have succumbed to the complications that follow on measles, that there has been a delay in notifying relatives of the seriousness of the cases—even so, all this would not justify the grave allegations levelled at those in authority. There are some 7000\ men at Trentham—a small city, whose inhabitants are being trained, housed, and fed by the Government. The valley in which the camp is situated is not a desirable place of residence in winter, and there , can be no doubt but that the churning up-the site has had during the past nine months has added tremendously to the administrative difficulties that an ordinary camp in winter presents to those in control. In the circumstances, it would be strange if there was v not considerable sickness among the men, and stranger still if the outbreak did not develop into a thorough epidemic, such as the authorities have had to fight since the cold, wet season fell. These are factors which must be taken into consideration before the blame is definitely apportioned. The Trentham camp is not alone in these undesirable features, and is probably no worse than other camps. At the Liverpool camp in New South Wales there was a sweeping epidemic of measles, accompanied by a number of deaths, owing to the site being flooded during a particularly heavy downpour. In Victoria, an outcry was raised against the camp at Broadmeadows because of somewhat similar conditions. Careful enquiry in both cases elicited the information that the outbreaks were the natural consequence of large congregations of men of all classes being under canvas on wet and muddy j ground. Such conditions pave the way for ailments such as measles—it is the general experience of camps anywhere. So far as we are aware of the facts concerning Trentham, it is clear that there has been some muddlement in the army medical service. Unused to dealing with such large numbers of patients at one time, this branch has apparently been caught at a disadvantage by the aggregation of sufferers thrown on its hands for treatment. However, the agitation that has been raised has already borne fruit. We hope reasoning people will stop at that. No good purpose would be served by further rabid criticism of the most important department in New Zealand to-day until its case has been stated.

superintendent of the fire byigade is the city's lire inspector. There is only one authority to obey, and the superintendent-inspector has only himself to quarrel with. The discussion on the relative authorities of the local superintendent of the fire brigade and the City Council's chief inspector which occupied the City Council last night was over a comparatively trivial matter, and amounted to nothing more than a difference of opinion. A kinemato-

graph proprietor, desiring to place his machine box at the rear of the stalls, found that this was agreed to by the council's inspector, but objected to by Superintendent Warner, who demanded that the box should be placed in the gallery- As the box was fire-proof, it probably did not matter greatly where it was placed, and neither the inspector nor the superintendent seems to have had any definite regulation, cither of Fire Board or Council, with which to support his opinion. This lack of regulation is responsible for the conflict of authority as much as the divided control of council and board. The Mayor stated that, as chairman of the Fire Board, he was obtaining legal opinion to define the superintendent's duties in such a case, and since there is no doubt that dual authority is unsatisfactory, the sooner the superintendent is given definite powers the better. ;The form of dual control represented by the Fire Board and the council is itself an unnecessary duplication which could be dispensed with without injury to the public interest.