THE MILITARY TRAINING CAMPS

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5480, 27 April 1917, Page 1

THE MILITARY TRAINING CAMPS

WAIKATO HEALTH INSPECTOR’S VISIT

ENTHUSIASTIC APPROVAL

The following •' is from a lettei written by Mr A. P. Bennett, Waikato district health inspector and reccntly also Boy Scouts Commissioner for that district :

I recently had the pleasure of making a tour of iuspcctiou (for instruction purposes)) of the various traiuiug camps at Trentham, Featherston, Tauheronikau and the mac-hine-gun camp at Groytown. Armed with letters of introduction to the various P. M. O.’s I was enabled to see everything pertainiug to the living conditions of the men in camp. I may state at onco that what 1 saw was not only interesting to me as a sanitary officer, but was also astonishing by reason of the way in which the many problems raised by housing feeding traiuiug and generally looking after the welfare of thousands of men have been met. The early conditions at Trentliam have boon improved out of sight, aud the camp looks more like a small model town than anything else, aud 1 venture to say that hundreds of men going into camp, learn for the first time what it is to live under good hygienic conditions. The food is good, plentiful aud well cooked and the bread baked in camp ovens was as good as any I have ever tasted. Sanitation is recognised now to be of primary importance, and a special staff of experts looks keenly after every detail of it. Nightsoil is now burned in well built incinerators, aud all dry refuse is burnt in laigo iron tanks. Featherston Camp is now becoming the most important, aud it also has the greatest natural advantages. Not only has the ground a gentle slope, but is provided with irrigation channels, a plentiful supply of good filtered water and a drier subsoil. Good permanent smoothly metalled roads are being provided, the road roller being in constant use. In this camp also, large dining halls arc provided both for officers and men which they all find a great boon. This camp has the appearance of being permanently maintained for training purposes for which purpose it is eminently suitable.

Tauhereuikau is a purely canvas camp aud is said to be the healthiest of all. The machine gun camp at Groytown had not many men iu it at the time of my visit but they were expecting 200 or 300 within a day or two. This also is a canvas camp except for the staff quarters.

Great credit is due to the olliccrs who have brought these camps to their pieseut excellent* condition, for one must remember that there was no one at the start who could gauge the requirements of a semi-permanent camp for such a large number of men; and many initial ditlicultics had to bo overcome, aud problems faced that were never dreamt of before this war brought them home to us. 1 feel gratified that 1 was allowed the privilege! of seeing the groat work that has been done, and 1 know 1 came away the gainer in knowledge. Finally, while every one seemed busy they also seemed contented, for l do not remember seeing a siug'e soldier who looked discontented or grouchy. I am sorry that I cannot deliver personally al 1 the messages 1 received, but they were all of a cheerful nature. 1 saw one draft go away from Featherston, and one new arrive at both Trentliam and Featherston, and in each case the bauds received them with lively music, and those going away had “ Auld Lang Syne ” as a finale.