INSTRUCTING INSTRUCTORS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1199, 7 August 1911, Page 6

INSTRUCTING INSTRUCTORS.

0 —rr., MODEL CAMP AT PALMERSTON. C3y Telegraph—Special Ecu or tor.) Palmerston N., August 6. Everywhere in Palmerston to-day military uniforms have been prominent, - and Palmerston eeems to bo realising ono re-sult-'of her recent promotion to the rank of a Territorial headquarters. About four hundred officers and non-commissioncd officers of various ranks are encamped on the showgrounds for..a .week's training in preparation for. the work that is ahead of breakiiig-in the large' nunibors of raw recruits that have recently been enrolled. The attendance, at. this camp is purely voluntary, but tho response has qmto exceeded anticipations. Two hundred men, an officer informed a Dominion representative, were expectcd but, instead, that number'has been doubled. Tlio centrality of the depot, it is believed, is ono contributary cause,to,this result. Representatives of corps in tho whole, of tho Wellington district, which extends from "Wellington to-New Plymouth and Napier, are present, the largest number coming from the most distant parts. A fair sprinkling of officers and non-commissioned of-, fleers aro present from air the Wellington corps, but ;the city men aro not required to tako advantage of the training in ,the same degree as those of the country, fpr the very good reason that they, aro always in touch with the training staffs:' . Tho camp is pitched for a week dating from last night) and, to-day, very little has been done with the exception of getting* the quarters comfortably arranged. This morning church parade was held in the camp, the preacher being tho Rev. Mr. Kosher, vicar of All Saints' Church, Palmerston North; Ai't-er that, all ranks wero allowed to do practically what they liked. , Colonel Cliaytor is commandant of the camp, and has associated with him Colonel Stuart, D.5.0., of the General Headquarters Staff, Captain Bosworth, of the local headquarters, is adjutant and quartermaster, and Major Ilughos (D.5.0.). Captain Cochrane, (of the Imperial General Staff).and Captain White (of the local headquarters) aro tho chicf- instructors. Other stuff officers are: Captains G. Powles, Robinson, ami Armstrong. The assistant musketry instructors are: Sergeants-Major Durham, Ritsennia, Woodhcad, Nicholls and. M'Nair. Drill Instructor: Captain Svmou: second, Lieutenants Darnells, Richmond, Turner Davis, and Browning, and Bombardier Ryan. The camp quarter-master-Sergeant is Sergeant-Major Kibblewhite, and the camp Sergeant-Major is Sergeant-Mnjor Rose. Tho "rouse" is sounded at 6.30; breakfast is soon afterwards, and drill then continues till ono o'clock. After luncli comes drill again until. 0 p.m., and from 7.30 to D p.m. lectures aro given. "Lights out" is sounded at 10.30.

It will tinis 1)0 gathered tljat life under canvas at the Palm'erston Show Grounds is "pretty strenuous. ; It is lioped that this is to bo only the first of many instruction camps that will bo held at Palmerston. A great work lies before tho territorial officers, as already stated, in breaking in the raw .recruits, and the trouble will be that tha raw recruits will arrive, not in twos and throes '.as was the case in tho replenishment of tho ranks of volunteers, but in hatclres of hundreds. ■ For a time the-work will be "heart-breaking" (to quote the, expression of an officer). Theso instructional camps from time to time will therefore be of the greatest service to (ho future instructors'of the recruits. In some respects the camp is a model ano. It is pitched under modern conditions, as regards sanitary arrangements, and every eare for .health, and wholesomeness is strictly observed. The show grounds offer exceptional facilities and conveniences, and, in a sense, this is fulfilling "service conditions" -for, in tho event of war,'advantage would bo taken of places of such a character. .A numfier of tents have been pitched, but many cf the men are quartered in tho spacious

"permanent stalls" that are used during shows for business displays. Pull medical equipments are on hand, Surgeon-Major O'Brien having charge of this branch. No canteen is attached to the camp, but through the courtesy of the A. and I'. Association a room is set aside for tho officers' club room, and tho .non-commis-sioned officers arc similarly provided for. Tho mess arrangements are excellent, being in charge of a local caterer and a largo staff of assistants.

Altogether, the camp strikes one as being very business-like, non-showy, and of a description that, will necessitate very littlo time being wasted.