COSTLY BUSINESS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 241, 13 October 1942, Page 4

COSTLY BUSINESS

BUILDING ARMY CAMPS OVER 69 CONSTRUCTED IN NORTHERN DISTRICT ' Auckland, Oct. 11. A tremendous job of camp construction has been done by the New Zealand Public Works Department, in conjunction with the army since Japan entered the war in December last. With that programme, necessitated by the rapid expansion of the army, now in its final phase, it can be revealed that in the Northern Military District alone 69 camps, varying in size from small battle stations to large battalion areas, have been built, in addition to accommodation at antiaircraft and coastal artillery positions The cost of construction is stated to be well over £1,000.000. Providing accommodation to cope with the rapid mobilisation of troops, and with other calls that have been made on construction facilities, raised enormous problems for those responsible. Although in the development stages conditions for the troops in some areas have not been as satisfactory a.s could be desired, e\ery endeavour has been made to provide suitable quarters and amenities. Lack of understanding of the vast scale of the undertaking has led to considerable criticism of conditions at individual encampments by parents and others, and there has also been misunderstanding of the intentions of the authorities as to the nature of some of the camps and their permanency. At the lowest end of the scale is the bivouac, which may be merely a place where the troops lay out their ground sheets and “doss down” for the night, or a tented camp of somipermanency, where conditions approximate to an active service rest camp. Above that there are three types of camps, referred to a.s phase 1. phase 2 or phase 3 camps. To build these camps costs from thousands of pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds. At the top of the scale are the major mobilisation camps. It is obviously not possible to provide camps of the scale of the phase 3 mobilisation areas everywhere. To start off with they are too costly and there are military reasons also. Dealing with the expense angle, it costs between £37 and £5O per head of camp establishment to build a phase 1 camp. A phase 2 camp costs approximately £lOO a head, and a phase 3 camp, £l5O a head. In other words, to house 1000 men would cost between £37,000 and £50,000, £lOO,OOO or £150,000, dependent upon the type o£ camp required. Factors in Cost Variations. The variation in the cost of a phase 1 camp is caused by the nature of the site and other factors. For instance, there is a problem in the North concerning sanitation. Drainage digestion is difficult. Originally the plan called for soakage pits for the drainage from the kitchens, ablution sheds and field batteries. Owing to the nature of the soil, these proved unsatisfactory, particularly in wet weather 4 when the question became urgent. The authorities are now going into the question of providing septic tanks. At a rough estimate, to provide a septic tank for a company of infantry will cost £2OO. For a battalion the cost will be between £lOOO and £l2OO.

Another example: At the present time a field is being prepared for a camp. 7’o lay drainage, provide water and other essential conveniences without cover and to road the area, will cost roughly £15,000. That amount will have been expended be "ore one building is erected. Nearly all the camps that are being provided for the troops are of the phase 1 type. That means that they have permanent cookhouses with fixed cooking equipment, including oil stoves, drying rooms, ablution sheds, with hot and cold showers, laundries, mess rooms, sleeping huts (of the prefabricated type), stores and offices. There is also usually a recreation hut, provided out of patriotic funds. The mess rooms are of the openfronted type in most cases, with concrete floors. They are lit hy electricity. The open front was designed after conferences in which health authorities took part. Among other things they save labour and materials. Where conditions have warranted it, it is stated, these mess rooms have been entirely enclosed. Semi-Permanent Bivouacs. Circumstances have meant changes in the original idea concerning certain camps. In the first emergency, battle stations were established ail over the country. They were not then intended to be permanent camps, and they were initially equipped as semi - permanent bivouacs. In many of these places phase 1 camps have been established, and some have been improved considerably beyond that stage largely by the efforts of the troops stationed in them. This self-help is encouraged, as it demonstrates initiative. Some of the camps have been most picturesquely arranged. Into this matter of camps comes a question of psychology. As one senior officer expressed it: “On th • one hand we are expected to toughen up these chaps, and on the other there are complaints because all home comforts are not provided. What are we to do about it? Our troops are supposed to be in hard training, ready to move to battle stations and to go into action at any time. If they get too well dug-in there is always the question that they don’t like to move out. into bivvies, with tough conditions.” Many Camp Fatigues. He raised another point, the balance between military training and camp fatigues. The more elaborate the camp, the more fatigues there were, and the less men were available at any time for actual military training. That was a most important aspect, he said, and he quoted figures to prove it. Individual preference on the part of commanders and troops accounted for other differences in accommodation at some of the camps. While most camps had sleeping huts for the men, in some cases preference had been expressed for tents. At the semi-permanent bivouac areas tents were also provided. • For the way in which the problems of camp construction have been overcome the Army gives full marks tn the Public Works Department. It is known, though, that without the active aid of the troops the task could not have been pushed ahead nearly as rapidly. All work is done under the guidance of the. Army District Works Office, and the Army has supplied a considerable proportion of both transport and labour. The provision of the labour has interrupted training to a certain degree, but it could not be avoided. The job had to be done, and done in a hurry, and the labour was not available in sufficient quantity outside the Army. With the construction work now nearing conclusion it is expected that there will be an acceleration in training, and considerable development of its scope, y' j