“PRETTY ROUGH.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 233, 1 October 1931, Page 5

“PRETTY ROUGH.”

Hill Top Camp Criticised by Councillor Andrews. REMEDIES PROMISED. “I am not going to say that the Hill Top camp is an ideal one by any means. It is pretty rough," declared Councillor E. H. Andrews, chairman of the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee, when commenting to-day on Councillor E. Parlane’s criticism of the conditions under which seventy-five unemployed single men are stated to be living in the camp some six miles from the site of the old Hill Top Hotel. Councillor Andrews stated that he and Councillors Parlane, J. W. Beanland, G. T. Thurston and J. S. Barnett had seen the camp under the worst weather conditions, when much mud was in evidence. The drainage from the hillside made the camp site very muddy, but shortly after the rain stopped the ground began to dry. It had been raining fairly consistently up to the time of the second inspection of the camp. On the day of the first inspection rain had fallen in the morning, making the ground slippery, but before the party left the ground was drying out. Gravel for Paths. The Public Works engineers, continued Councillor Andrews, had promised to provide gravel for the formation of better paths, two tents for the treatment of sick men, and an extension to the dining room. That extension, with a canvas roof, was being built at the time of the second inspection. “The men themselves could have done much to improve matters," said Councillor Andrews. “Small trenches could have been cut round the tents to keep the water away, and branches of fir round about w’ould have improved the foothold. The mud complained of in the tents would have been carried in on the men’s boots, and it would be impossible also to keep the cookhouse clean. ‘‘From the point of view of sunshine there are better sites for a camp, but the trouble is that the present site, which is on a terrace, is the only one where there are any trees for shelter. The former site was exposed, and a storm blew many of the tents over. The present site has the advantage of an old house for a cookhouse. Especially in view of there being many months’ work available, the tents should have been floored; the two duckboards down the centre of each are not satisfactory." “No One in Charge." Councillor Andrews said he believed that the Public Works Department, under the control of which the camp was conducted, supplied a candle to each man once a week. That was not enough while the nights were long, and towards the end of the week the men had to go to bed in the dark. There did not seem to be anyone in control

of the camp itself, except the head cook. Men were selected as gangers for the actual work, but in the camp itself everyone appeared to be on an equal footing. In summer time the conditions, following on fine weather, would be vastly improved. The camp had had to be shifted hurriedly from its former site, and there was probably little time in which to make conditions more livable. Councillor Andrews said that he was not prepared to state that what Councillor Parlane had said was not, in the main, true, but he believed that Councillor Parlane had made the most of what were undoubtedly poor and almost desperate conditions of existence.