EGMONT RELIEF CAMPS

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1933, Page 11

EGMONT RELIEF CAMPS

SPLENDID COMMUNITY SPIRIT VARIOUS CAMP ACTIVITIES. MEN DOING EXCELLENT WORK. The history of the early settlement of any of the British Dominions has demonstrated the aptitude that the British race possesses of making its home anywhere, and readily adapting itself . to circumstances. That aptitude still exists to-day among their descendants. One has. only to visit the unemployed relief ’ camps on ■ the Kaweora Road and Arawhata Road to come away convinced of that fact. . Drawn from all walks of life, owing m many cases to the economic conditions having deprived them of the positions to which they were fitted, over 50 men are assembled in each camp, engaged in rough road making and other pioneering work in the back country, in marked contrast to the work they were domg in the comfort of the cities. Yet they are doing it cheerfully, and have, moreover, brought into the bush the true community spirit. It is hard to realise that the camps have been in existence for only 12 months; so home-like have the men' made their surroundings and their own quarters. The Kaweora camp was the first one opened, and it contained mostly Taranaki unemployed single men. Of the original 50, eight remain in the camp, and there are 25 to 30 who have been there ten months. All are facing the position happily and contentedly, though of course they are all looking forward to the time when they can secure a posi- . tion at their old trade or calling, x The Public Works Department certainly chose suitable camp sites, and equipped the camps with an eye to the men’s comfort The tents are of canvas on wooden frames, with galvanised iron roofs and iron chimneys, each tent being occupied by two men. The tents are arranged in streets. There is also a large dining hall, equipped with huge stove and colonial ovens, with store-room, butcher’s shop, etc., nearby. It is pleasing to note the pride that the majority of the men take in the appearance of the camp and of their own . tents, many of which have been given a distinct individuality not only by the names that adorn them, such as “Cape de Paris, “Ye Bagge Shoppe,” and “Dryazell Villa, but also by the neat interior decorations and the little garden plots that _ surround them. Kaweora camp is picturesquely set right in the bush itself, alongside a‘stream from’ which a ram gives an adequate supply of water. At the entrance to the camp there is a circular drive around a garden plot nicely laid out with bulbfe and bordered with atone, while there are also plots for sweet peas, etc., which are carefully tended by the men in their spare time. SELF-CONTAINED. The camp . is made self-contained, as far as possible, and to that end there is about two acres of land under cultivation, one man, Mr! Christian, having charge of that department. He certainly tak°s a pride in his work. His spring vegetable plots are looking well, particularly the cabbages, and considerable areas ' of potatoes are grown, as well as a -wide variety .of other vegetables. Nothing is , wasted, as there are several pigs being

reared nearby. A neighbouring farmer supplies with camp with weaners, and when the pigs are fattened the proceeds are divided on a 50-50 basis between the farmer and the camp.

Everything about the dining room is spick and span, and the tables are spotlessly white. A bath house equipped with plenty of water and provision for heating it is a welcome factor in the men’s comfort, while a fire alarm with buckets of water handy to every group of tents tends to their safety. The feature that appeals' most perhaps is the self-reliant spirit that permeates the camp, the members of which co-oper-ate in the community effort. There is a camp committee elected by the men. At Kaweora camp the chairman is Mr. T. Brown, and the secretary Mr. E. Hughes. The dining hall is, of couise, the community centre, and here the men have a piano and a radio set. The former has been paid for by the men themselves, partly out of the proceeds of firewood cut in their spare time, while the latter is being paid for by monthly instalments from the men. ■

Every Monday well-attended church services are held, taken alternately by the Revs. Farnell (Anglican), Penn (Methodist) and Webb (Presbyterian). Every Tuesday evening there is a euchre party at the camp, attended by some of the neighbouring settlers, while occasionally the men are entertained by the settlers, many of whom, including Messrs. Wan and Gadsby, have been particularly good to the men. • PLACE OF SPORT. Sport of course plays its part in the scheme of things. A set of goal posts erected on the only level land in the camp indicates that football is popular. The camp entered a team in the junior coastal competitions, and though handicapped by lack of a suitable practice ground, it did very well. The football area is being converted now into a cricket practice pitch. Under the trees a well-equipped boxing ring has been constructed, and the budding Jack Dempseys are now engaged in training for the next Opunake tournament, three of them having already competed at Opunake with distinction. > ■ . The Arawhata camp is not so sheltered as the Kaweora one, being erected in the open, about a mile above the Wiremu Road. It is equipped on the same lines as the other camp, and here, too, there is some pride in the appearance of the camp. This is apparent in the numerous neat garden plots and the artistic use that has been made of pongas and slabs. Gardening is a big feature of this camp, and the gardener, Mr. R. King, certainly has every reason to be proud of his fine variety of vegetables, which include swedes, carrots, beetroot, cabbage and brocoli, as well as various herbs. Last season the camp garden turned out among other items two tons of potatoes and 39 bushels of peas, as well as large quantities of scarlet runner beans. A neat ponga tool house in the garden provides a store where the tools, etc, are carefully housed. Pigs are also kept at this camp. Indeed, it goes one better than Kaweora. camp, as it possesses a breeding Berkshire sow. Messrs. E. G. Holmes and S. Cobmbes presented cows to this camp, but at present they are dry. Community spirit is evident in this camp, which has its committee, of which Mr. A. G. Maddock is chairman and Mr. S. Downing secretary. At this camp the majority of. the men hailed from Wellington. About ten of the original occupants remain, and about 25 men have been in the camp for about ten months. The dining hall, which, though simply furnished. Would be the envy of many a housewife owing to the snowy whiteness'of ite tables, is the centre of the

community life, though for an hour and a half after meals it is sacrosanct to the cook and his staff for their effective cleaning and polishing operations. It is equipped with a' seven-valve electric wireless set, for this camp is fortunate in being within half a mile of the electric main. The men cut the poles from the bush, erected them, and ran the wire, the Power Board giving the power gratis. The wireless set was paid for by the men in four months. There is no football at'the camp, but the men are preparing a cricket pitch. There is not quite so much social activity at this camp as at Kaweora, as it is not as centrally situated, but the men have a weekly euchre and crib tournament among themselves, and occasionally they visit Oaonui and Opunake. They also possess a library. There is no dearth of pets at the camp. The gardener has a ntagpie, which wandered into the camp one Sunday, while he also taught a couple of the pigs to do tricks, as a camp photograph testifies. There are numerous cats, who know the camp routine by heart, and are well protected and fed by their respective patrons.

There is no lack, of firewood in either camp, as the neighbouring settlers permit the men to obtain supplies from their properties. Some idea of the catering that is required at these camps may be gleaned from the following particulars of the principal stores received at one of them for a month. These include 258 41b. loaves, li cwt. to 2 cwt. of butter, 3001 b. of flour, 15001 b. beef, 10001 b. of mutton, 15 cwt. of potatoes, a chest of tea, etc. The men are early risers, as they have to be ready to set out for their work at 7.15 a.m., taking their lunches with them and ceasing work at 4.45 p.m. FINE SPIRIT PREVAILS. There is no doubt that the success of the camps, about which fears were expressed when they were first mooted, together with the smooth running and the fine spirit that prevails, is largely due to the men in charge of the respective camp operations, Messrs. H. S. Muir (Kaweora) and K. McLean (Arawhata). They are men of understanding who do not expect anything unreasonable of the men, and appreciate the difficulties that new arrivals at the camp have in adjusting themselves to their new environment. With their wives they have made their homes within easy reach of the camps, and as the home of Mr. H. S. Muir, which is alongside the Wiremu Road, shows; with its neat garden, bordered with whitened stones and its ponga steps, they indicate by example the standard required. The men are working steadily and making good progress. From the Kaweora camp, which is situated on the Wiremu Road about miles from the Ihaia Road, the metal has been carried three miles from tire Ihaia Road, and there is only another piece of 40 chains yet to be done to complete the Wiremu Road as far as the Kiri Road. It is, however, intended to carry on the metalling a further 3} miles as far as the Auroa Road junction, so that the camp will be in existence for some time yet. All the bridges had been constructed previously. The road is. being formed to . a good grade, and is being metalled 10ft. wide with metal seven inches thick, and blinded with good pit conglomerate, making a splendid surface. The shingle for metalling is being obtained from the Mangakume stream, and is put through the crusher at on an average of 54 yards per day. The first mile was metalled from the Waiau River. As the work advances the crusher will be moved to other streams, thus minimising cartage, as there is plenty of shingle available. The men for this camp have also felled the bush and formed and metalled with pit metal a mile of the Upper Kaweora Road. From the Arawhata Road camp about

two miles of the Upper Ihaia Road has been formed and metalled. There is yet half a mile of this road to be metalled, but during the winter the men have been put at work closer to the camp and are now engaged in clearing, forming and metalling about 1J miles of the Upper Arawhata Road. Already the settlers in the various districts have benefited considerably as the result of the reading operations so far put in hand, but when the whole of the work is completed, and the road metalled right through, the settlers will benefit considerably more and the district should show a distinct .advancement in production.