New Zealand Teachers in South Africa.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12117, 7 November 1902, Page 3

New Zealand Teachers in South Africa.

THE COriCENTEATIOJs' CAMP. We have received the following letter from Miss Arrow, who writes from 3ierebank Camp under date September 2Sth :— We are now just having a taste of summer weather. To-day it is cleJiqhtful out in the sun, hut on Tues Iday the heat seemed to burn us. We had a tropical wind, which blew on our faces like the blast irom a furnace. There was no getting away from it. The poor children felt it very much. They sat and panted, while the perspiration dripped from them. They informed iub they never had it so hot in the Transvaal. 1 think I stood it as well as anyone, but we all felt rather limp. In the afternoon the wind changed, blowing up a sand storm, and of the two I think I prefer the heat. By the time evening came it was quite cold ;so much for the changeable weather of Natal. With us the thermometer registered 102 in the shade, and ,n Durban it reached 110. Our camp is breaking ujp very fast, there are barely 300 people left now. The shopkeepers are departing, and their shops are being pulled down, so 1 suppose before long we will be obliged to send into Duarban for all we need. Many of the houses are pulled down, or rather the tent houses, those with wooden frames, covered with sail-cloth. Also several tin houses ; the latter are being sent up into the country Jor the use of those who have gone, as in many cases the homesteads, or what was once the homestead, is only a patch of bare I ground, no wood or timber to be obtained for miles. What some of the people will do 1 cannot say. It is almost impossible- with the heavy daily traffic to get anything cariied by the train ; even in those towns along the line food is scarce. While we give 10s 6d for a bag of flour, those further up* the line are giving 37s 6d and then cannot get all they want. At the farms they have no gardens, therefore will not be able to get any vegetables for some months. The water is bad, so that sickness will probably carry off a great many. Some of them will think then that they have not been so badly treated while in camp. Our middle "ramp, Went*Vj"'vh— is entirely broken \xp. Those people who have not returned to their homes have either come over *o us or gone to the end camp — ) •-•'.•<.»<>«, and thesame with the teachers. Two of the New Zealand, girls from Jacobs left last week en route for Klerksdorp. Our turn will come soon, JL f suppose. The cost of maintaining these camps must be tremendous. The material — timber, corrugated iron (10s per sheet) and bolts alone came to £125, OUO ; while as to the rations, well one wants to see tnem given out before their cost can be estimated. We get rather tired of our rations sometimes,' especially when the meat is tough, or the jam, what is known as "mystery" jam (we wonder daily what it is made of), but on the whole we have very litwio to c-::i plain of and none of us are getting thin, very much the reverse. Last week was my turn to be dining room "orderly," and while hunting round the storeroom. I discovered tli at the butter just sent up bore the brand of the tilth Am dairy lac tory. I was not long in acquainting the other girls with the fact that we hau very gooa butter for tea. It was doubly appreciated because the previous week s butter was anything but good — we ate it, but simply because we did not care for dry bread. However, as a rule we have very fair butter ; in fact it would bo good if we ti^d not lived in Taranaki.

Last Sunday several of the Kaffirs gave a dance. They kept it up from Saturday till Sunday afternoon. 1 did not go but heard it was very amusing in more ways than one. Their dresses were most grotesque ; some wore old khaki uniforms, ollhts

fcarosses, and they stu?k then- Jvuds full of all sorts ot things. One man had a little bit of looking glass, of which he was very proud. Several of our girls photographed them, but they 'have been through that performance too often, and insist on posing. The woods are gorgeous just now : fl<-. -<isof all shapes and roJois. some of them with very sweet perfumes. White ones seem to predominate, exeopting on the vlei (marshy ground) ; from a little distance it looks like a many coloured carpet. Vv'e are enjoying four days holiday — llichaelmas' — but re-open on Friday. ("Evidently the members of this Board are not superstitious). A great number of returned prisoners have lately come into this camp. The children go nearly wild with exeitemeiit when they hear that their fathers or brothers have come in. (General ly some one comes to th^ school to tell them, and off they ru.-h. hardly waiting for permission to lea\e.

Yesterday several of us went io "the Umbilo camp. During thp war it was always filled with prisoners. The fe-iifcs rtvund it are composed of ah out 40 strands of barbed wire — a kind of maze — it seems almost' impossible for any one "to escape. .Now ih\"- ramp is used for those who are returning 1 from India and Ceylon, vhiln they are watting for permits to allow them to return to their own fa'-ms. One of the Dutch commanders told us that when he was in charge ho took 40 Now Zealanders as prisoners at Now Ze-iland Hill, and when they were released the New Zealand officer thanked him for the way th^y fir '■ their men had be«n treuteJ. lie. fr-" 1 inert Mirh a nice man and we were on(v sorry wo could not stay longer, air I hear some more stories of the war.

To return to the description of the camp. On either side were two platforms raised about 50ft from the ground, and used for the searchlight. We went, half way up and obtained a view. 1 suppose there were about 500 tents, and all full of men, some of -where, looked very weak and sickly. We were shown several curios, pipes and serviette rings made of horn, brooches carved from bone, ivory and horn, most delicate workmanship, watch chains made of horsehair with carved ivory and bone charms, sp»«.ns. penholders, and several other thinn-s which the prisoners had made, while xaey were away. Our time was limited so we had to hurry off to the train. To. morrow we hope to do a little tour round the country, and on the following day will aurvey the BluiF. At present 1 have no more to tell you, but hope when 1 am moved to send you a longer letter.