TRAINING CAMPS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14215, 3 June 1910, Page 6

TRAINING CAMPS.

THE SITES SELECTED. Tlie Advisory Board, appointed for the purpose, i:as selected suitable sites ior military training camps. An extens;ve sitj near \\ aimarino, on the trunk line, is selected for tho North Island, and a sire on the south hank ct *,Yaimakariri river, six miles from Christckurch, for the South Island. The Commissioner first of all determined what wvre the requirements of a suitable site. These essentials were a central petition in the island, to enable troops from each, district to concentrate with comparative ease and economy, and in the shortest possible space of time, accessibility to a constructed line of railway, if possible within, a radius of four or five miles from a railway station, that tho site should contain" flat land well draind. with sufficient water supply, on which to erect the buildings required for the accommodation of the troops, and an adjoining area of undulating land, over which training and manoeuvres of tha troops could lie conducted, and that the sites should be sclented with a view to their possible extension in the future, with enlargement of the permanent camping ground and the manoeuvring area. For the immediate present it was considered that 20 acres on which buildimis costing np to £3OOO could lie erected, would be sufficient for the camping site, and that 5000 acres adjoining, with future extension (if necessary) tin to 10.00J acres, would be sufficient ~ for the ruanoevuring ground. The land selected for the South Island was granted by the Crown to tho Boa:d if Cor.s -:i vaiors of the .Yain.a- --- :•■ ;>'.--.*■ ~.. ; ,-i cud lwmrnt to provide funds for the protection of tho r vi r ii. ,!'.,•..-, b.'t a.-; the sole purpose of the endowment is to provide funds, the Board suggests that th re could be no objection to an area of Crown land of conesp. nding value in another part of the district being exchanged for the proposed site. The endowment eontains 12.] 15 acres, but it is con idorod that 4800 would be sufficient for the camp. The land is at present lea ed at an annual rent of £670. its value being about £14.000. The Board suggests an exchange of this for.some of the hill runs. The site is practically flat land and old riverbed, without bush. There are, however, slight depressions in the country, wh'ch wocld afford ample scope for the manoeuvres of troops. The land is exempt from flooding, and although water for camp purpose; is available from the river and rac-s which intersect the are', the soil is s-ppr'-'-ahle sn that the hoaviset rainfall ivi-vM net orm=o n-<-"-p tl'"vi t inconvenience. As tho soil is light anc sandy, restina on shinele, its uthsation for militarv vmrn-ises would net appreciably diminish th- area of productive country. Troop* en be detrained and entrained with the groatoM of ease, mri:; to the many stat on: within a short distant" 1 . A number .of s-"trs wee rejected on various grounds, anions +hpm being the following in P'-n+b Panterburv: —Two areas south rf Lak Teliapo, twenty miles west of Fairlte Ctbe nearest rni'w-"- station), and n r>r"-.Krrol run of 4?00 acres nearly r : t m : les from TVaimato s+otien. verr ni1...1 ...1 „,.+ l,or. nu , P n f broken nahire- of this rmmt-v an' l the fa"t- thM t-hpv arc net p-«t i Vi "yja on t'y

~...+1, v—i; „f ii,„ tt.,;<-„1.-: Tjiver. adiVimVo- the "\V~iVo].-:i.; c!„ttV"«-t.' was *~,.*H t-* -nn*"" v *~<-tlod frop„r,A ipas-h-i- 1 !■""!. Tt few of the essentials for training purposes.