DEFAULTER CAMPS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 66, 19 March 1942, Page 4

DEFAULTER CAMPS

CONDITIONS FOR INMATES ” w I a POSITION OF VISITORS I 1 I b By permission of the .Minister 1 n of National Service (Mr. Semple) | a representative of the New Zc.iland Press Association has visited I v , the defaulters’ detention camps a for tile purpose of preparing artiiles on life and conditions in |] the eamps. This is the second of I p the two articles on the subject. 1 r | 1 I The inmates of the defaulters' de-| a tention ramps established at Straih-1,, more and Hautu have no leave and n there is no parole system. The men. j p I '.villi assemble for land work at the I call of a whistle, move off without any h semblance ol military order lo theu-| n i respective jobs and in the field arel T under the control of overseers, who n I ride or walk from one point oi activ- n itv to another. Some groups have I operated satisfactorily under their j, i own leader within this system of n general supervision. H I On Sunday afternoons inmates may p stroll about'part of the camp lain) oi s J2OO acres under the general eye of a h | patrolman. Meetings either in the r j fields or in Hie compound are not per- p mitted, but on Sundays there is no obI jedion to a small group forming a p I Bible class on the sward. | a i Inmates are permitted to write H--1 three letters a week, and ail mail.jp I both inward and outward, is censored except outward letters to the Minister j I concerned. this privilege being r granted seeing that there are no v official visitors to these camps. Under a marks system for industry s inmates may earn one shilling and r threepence a week and pari of this a money may be drawn for specific pur- c ■poses. c There is an issue of one ounce of E I tobacco weekly and inmates may ouy , I another ounce. They also may sup- f i plement their rations to the extent of [ two shillings a week. There is no ( I canteen and such provisions must ( come in as parcels. t ! Visitors who previously have ob- < Itained permission to visit, may enter j the camp from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. on s Saturdays and Sundays. In the case ot relatives from a long distance the time of the visit may be slightly varied. So far the majority have not had visitors. At present inmates see, their visitors in one of two huts used only for the purpose. In the administration block now building there will be visitors’ rooms. The men work live and a-half days —the camp day being eight hours—and , devote Saturday afternoons to wash- ‘ ing their clothes and what the Army ‘ calls internal economy. Each religious denomination repre- , sented is permitted to hold a religious service cn Sundays. Such gatherings ‘ are occasionally visited by patrolmen ' ’ to enure that the service is purely devotional and not propagandist. For Punishment. In each camp there is a group of huts for punishment purposes. There a man who persists in refusal to obey A an order is placed in solitary conbne- . men!. He may be kept in a hut all ‘ lhe time except for a half-hour inter- . val in the forenoon and the afternoon j and the controller has the power to * reduce his rations or replace them ‘ by bread and water for three-day ‘ periods. J A group of six youths has been sop dealt with. Their insubordination J lasted for a month. The rule in the ‘ case of serious insubordination, how- * (ever, is to send the offenders to the ' ’civil Court to be dealt with by a mag- * istrate. Punishment imposed by this«

Court takes the form of imprisonment in the civil gaol. Most of the disobedience so far appears to have been based upon lhe non-co-operation idea. Discipline appears to be belter among the inmates with strong religious convictions than among those more politically minded. However, protests on the ground ol principle, a hard-worked word in this community, are liable to crop up almost anywhere. The working dress is a suit of blue denims with harvester hat. For after work here is an issue of Bortal grey, u warm suit, and shorts with khaki -hirt. On Sundays men may wear their civilian clothing wihin the compound but none has so far elected to rlo so. The overcoat is blue of military type. Unbleached calico sheets are an issue and these are washed by two inmales who have put a Chinese name on the door of their laundry liul. At the outset pyjamas were issued, but men committed to the camps are now instructed lo bring their own. The average age of the men committed to the camps is 23 to 24 years, many being much younger. ft is pointer! out'by the controller, Mr. L. J. Greenberg, that the common room now under construction will not be furnished with any amenities beyond what the men make themselves or what are specially asked for by him from pacifist organisations ready to help. One such organisation has given a piano. This common room will have two fireplaces and the inmates will thus be able to warm up thoroughly in winter before retiring lo their hilts, which have no heating. In the same building will be a library provided by the Country Libraries Association and a small room where men may study. One of the purposes of the censorship ot inward mails is to cut off supplies of propaganda matter sent by anti-war service individuals antL organisations. The efforts in this direction are constant and it would seem a wise proceeding if this evil were tackled at the sources. However, if machinery is created as appears to be probable so that recalcitrant persons unsuitable for this class of detention can be placed elsewhere there seems no reason why the camps should not be able to carry on their land development work efficiently and smoothly.