RELIEF WORK CAMPS

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 458, 20 May 1932, Page 8

RELIEF WORK CAMPS

Boots the Urgent Need at Hilltop. CONDITIONS DESCRIBED. NO. 2. Though several essential needs were voiced by the men in the relief camp at Motunau, the major requirements of the ■workers in the second Canterbury camp, that at Hilltop, are comparatively few. Boots and more boots are wanted, for tramps to and from jobs are long, and the work is hard on leather. Some of the men would find gifts of clothing, particularly underwear, acceptable, and in some tents blankets are scarce. Sacks do service on numerous beds, but if the promise of two hundred wool packs materialises the bedding problem should be solved. The name Hilltop as applied to the camp is something of a misnomer, for the site is some sixteen miles from the Hilltop Hotel along the Summit Road, and is half a mile further on from the Le Bons Bay saddle. Sixty-five men live in the encampment, which is pitched at the side of the road, with most of the tents nestling in an area of bush. Shelter is provided from southwesters and plenty of sunshine is secured. The outlook is a fine one, with the sea on one side of the peninsula and Akaroa and its harbour on the other side. The air is bracing, and the health and physique of many of the men have been improved considerably from work in such an environment. Comfort Looked To. Thirty-eight tents have been provided by the Public Works Department with the usual stretchers, mattress cases and straw. The majority of the tents are in excellent order, but one or two show signs of wear, and will be renewed. The original camp was established last September, when at least half of the present workers went into it. This first venture, which was situated some miles nearer the Hilltop, was literally blown away, as it was on an exposed and bleak spot. The new site is almost worthy to be called a model camp, as most things that could be furnished to give the maximum comfort under the circumstances are on view. Unlike their less fortunate comrades at Motunau, the Hilltop men have fireplaces and chimneys in each tent, with a plentiful supply of firewood. Virtually all the tents have gravel and boards on the floor, while wooden doors, many of them with locks affixed, form a further improvement. Neatness is the keynote in nearly all tents. Many of the men have gone to a good deal of trouble to improvise additional fittings such as dressing tables, chairs and tables. The interiors are all weatherproof, with the provision of flys and. in some cases, trenches to carry off surplus water. It is hoped to effect one improvement when sufficient boards are procured to place at the entrance to each tent. Washing arrangements are complete with cutdown kerosene tins to serve as wash basins in every case, while there is a plentiful supply of hot water. In one of the empty tents there is a bath where ‘the men can almost luxuriate after the exertions of the day; that after enough water has been heated and carried to the “ bathroom.” Wireless and Gramophone. A large tin shed capable of holding a hundred men serves as the dining-room and community hall. This building has a large fire that would restore circulation on the coldest day, and is an admirable common room for the playing of various games and reading by the light of kerosene lamps. A great boon is a five-valve radio set, which tunes in Christchurch and Wellington, and brings in all the news of the day. Music can be had in plenty, for the camp now possesses a cabinet gramophone with a large quantity of records. There is also a good stock of literature. The kitchen is an impressive department with a large stove, a fine array c f pots and pans and an imposing stock cf provisions for which the Government pays. The bill of fare caters for different tastes, with porridge every morning, together with either chops or steak. The men take their lunch with them to the jobs and return in the evening to a hot meal of roast beef or mutton. This is reinforced by varying combinations of potatoes, cabbages, carrots, marrows, parsnips, swedes and celery. Puddings or stewed fruit follow, while the usual bread, jam and cheese, with tea as a drink, are always on the menu. The food is various and wholesome and there is plenty of it. Work on Summit Road. The big drawback, which the men certainly recognise, but of which they make the best under present-day conditions, is the smallness of the wages. With work on a contract basis the} 7 might make 10s a week, but that is not an average, for when rain sets in there is no work and no pay. During one week three wet days were experienced and most of the men made about 5s for the week. The rates are, per yard:— 2id for clay, 3d for rotten rock, 4d for loose rock and 6d for solid rock. A considerable distance of the Summit Road has been covered by the widening operations of the men, and a really fine road over which any motor-car could travel without the slightest trouble has resulted. A good deal of work remains to be done and it is probable that in a few weeks the camp will be shifted to a position along the road in the direction of the Hilltop, -when it is hoped to use an unoccupied house as a dining-room and hall. Workers of All Ages. Men come and go in the camp, but most of the departures are to other jobs and little real dissatisfaction exists. The men are under a foreman who is extremely popular and a fine spirit is :n evidence. Those whose business it is to judge the work say that the men are of an excellent type and work hard all round. The ages of those at Hilltop vary from 21 to 65, with a preponderance of men who could not be called young. There seemed to be a general acceptance of the view that the economic situation offered little for a single man in the city and some of the men showed no desire to leave the camp. -Some have not been to the city since the camp was established, while others have not even gone as far as Akaroa, six miles away. The men take an in- 4 terest in developments in Christchurch and elsewhere as regards strikes, but show’ed no inclination to down tools. “ I see that the Hilltop men are said to have received ballot papers and voted in favour of a strike,” declared one man. “ The first we heard of that was when we read it in the papers. We don’t want to strike, and if we did, who

is going to feed and clothe us? We’re better out of town.” The men appreciate gifts from city people and are also grateful to Mr Chris Thacker and other neighbouring farmers for gifts of eggs, fruit and other provisions. But while everything else might be coming in satisfactorily, the big problem of the boots remains and anyone who could help in that direction would not find his or her generosity i misplaced.