RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume C, Issue 29510, 11 May 1961, Page 25

RANDOM REMINDER

SUGGESTION BOX

Old soldiers, who number a big section of the population may not have yet recovered from the shock of hearing that the New Zealand Army has, in effect, been running a “suggestion box” system and that 1132 soldiers responded by making useful suggestions. During World War 11, suggestion boxes for members of B Block, training in Bumham in winter, might certainly have been well patronised, but the one sure thing is that the Army would never have made public the findings. Lots of suggestions for improving the Army of of those war-time days, especially as it ran in New Zealand camps, would even now come readily to the pens of those who marched to the ablution blocks in 15 degree frosts, and some of them, as they con-

cerned sergeant-majors, orderly corporals and the like might have been documents worth preserving. It was, of course, possible to make suggestions in the Army, provided as a rule that no-one could hear them, but most of the time it was an unprofitable pastime, akin to getting up and saying something when the orderly officer came round at dinner and asked the traditional . “any complaints?” But one group of Christchurch privates did manage to make a suggestion in camp which was adopted, and which gave them an enjoyable winter. There was compulsory sport most after- ' noons. They went to the Games officer and said that football didn’t really suit them- What they were, were cross-country runners and couldn’t the Army please help them get fit by organising

training runs—say about two hours of it—in the afternoons? The Army frowned, considered the question, and finally agreed. And so crosscountry running went on the agenda. The dedicated runners used to trot out the camp gates, round the corner, into a plantation and smoke and reminisce until five minutes before returning time, when all fagged out and weary they would trot back through the gates, just in time to get to the showers before the footballers finished. They must have covered the best part of half a mile some day*, and no wonder they were fit. But with that one exception, it is hard to remember a case when a suggestion—especially like what the Army could do to make life easier—ever bore fruit. Things are more scientifically based now.