UNDER CANVAS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1408, 8 April 1912, Page 2

UNDER CANVAS.

FIFTH nEGIMENT IN CAMP. TDK XKW KHGI.Mi;. On Saturday morning tins Mil Infantry Rcgimenl, limlpr .l.ioulcnant-C<: one! C. iJarcourt Turner, entrained nl the Luuibton Station, Ml route far Treu'.hnm, where they nro to undergo military trainiiiff for a week. Tho cnlrainmeiit ";is earned mil smartly, orderiv, and smoothly. .\lllmu;<h many 'of them hail only wen their iimforiii's the day before, yd, as one ofh«r remarked, the alacrity shown in cntraining would have been creditable to experienced Iroons. A ([iiaripr of an hour beioro tho (rain "started (he staiimimaster was informed that enlrainmont had Ixen coiuplotod. On nrrival at Trentham (ho regiment, acting as a complete unit for the lir.-a time under the now regime, moved out in column of route, h:-ndcd by the regimental band, and reached camp at II a.m. liv noon the whole camp had practically scltlcd down and the guard mounted. The first meal (dinner) was served at 1 p.m., under the supervision of the quarlermtiskr. It took barely ten minutes to serve dinner to the who'lo 050 men. A iiaraiio was held in (he nflenionn, and after being addressed by the Ullij'rr Commanding, the company (ommandeiH took charge of their respective companies, and delivered short addresses, touching chiefly on eainii routine and sanitation. After "tea, as no leave- was granted, most of the men assembled in the regimental hall, where they organised n pleasant musical evening, Hie programme being under the supervision of a committee of officers. At fhe "Last Post" tho men trooped olf to their respective tents, and soon after the bugle- had sounded "lights out" there was hardlv a sound to lie heard. Such order and" discipline was naturally gratifying to the officers. On Sunday only necessary work, such as cleaning i'id tents, clc, was carried out. At 7 a.m. Uolv Communion was celebrated in the Church of Jhigland marquee, the vicar of Trentham officiating. At 11.30 a.m. tho camp lines were, iuspectcd by the Officer Commanding, who found them in excellent order. It was evident that the men had entered into the spirit of tin; duty, with the result that there was no an untidy tent in the lines; "U" Company, Johnsouville liifies, taking pride of place. At 1(1 a.m. a detachment of 65 men and 7 officers proceeded to the Koman Catholic Church at Upper Hult by train, and at It a.m. Chaplain-Major Slurer (Presbyterian chaplain of the regiment) conducted service on the parade ground. On Sunday afternoon a number of people visited the camp, and the regimental band plavcd selections. Colonel Campbell, wlio'was one of the visitors, expressed his surprise and pleasure at tho conditions prevailing at the camp. Besides the men and their officers, there are also a number of senior cadet officers in camp for instruction. The engineers in camp have availed themselves of the opportunity 'of displaying their ability by erecting an incinerator for the consumption of camp rubbish. A large bathing pand has also been completed alter three days' work. This has been willingly carried out by fatigue parties. Dr. Cahill attended the camp yesterday. All the bread used at ,the camp is manufactured in a, specially-constructed bakehouse, which is managed by a number of capable cooks and bakers. The regimental hail is a spacious building, and contains a piano, which, during spare hours, is constantly in use. The real work of the camp will commence, at G.IIO a.m. to-day, and a progressive syllabus has been drawn up for the wee : :. There are exactly 690 men of all ranks under canvass, the details being as follow:—l'ifth Kegimenf, L'B officers, 72 X.C.O.'s, 11 buglers, 187 privates;. NewZealand Staff Corps, 1 officer; New Zealand Permanent Staff, 11 sergeantmajor instructors; Infantry Brigade Signal Corps, .') officers, 7 X.C.O.'s; ffi privates; Wellington Engineers, 1 officer, .'! N. 0.0.'.5, 15 sappers; Wellington Garrison Artillery, 1 N.C.0., G gunners; D Battery, 1 gunaer; Senior Cadets, 16 officers.