GREAT CAMP.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2133, 27 April 1914, Page 6

GREAT CAMP.

MOBILISING AT TAKAPAU

SCENES ON NIGHT TRAIN

"THREE BRICADES ASSEMBLTNC.

(Bj Teleeraph.-Special Keporter.) . Takapau Camp, April 26. It is raining as if it never intended to give up at Takapau, and has been doing so all this Sunday. Those TerTitorials who were. fortunate enough to come into camp oh' Friday and Saturday are comparatively well off, for their tents are all water-tight. This and dry straw helps to keep a little warmth in, bodies not yot accustomed to the icy chills that sweep, across twenty miles <jf flat, and comes from the snow-capped tops of the Runhines. Of tho advance Party—just over 100 in number, of the oth (Wellington) Eegimont, which has arrived this morning to have tho camp in readiness for the advent of tho regiment on ,'l'h'ursday—tho same cannot ho said. .At present they.aro sheltering in a dozen ' hastily-erected . tents, damp in everything but their spirits. There is no exaggeration when one states that grumbling has been almost unheard—far lus3, at least, than usually; accompanies. tho first days of a camp even in the fine weather. The greater the hardship tho .moro indomitable the spirit of these-young men, who, although they have- not the training of regulars, admittedly have the spirit that can faco any set-back. It takes some sriiritto laugh as these Territorials are laughing at the present moment in ad- j iacent tents. .A pitiless rain 'continues to pelt down—a true Southern Hawke'a Bay outpouring—and threo days of it.

Off by the Troop Train. Tbo Wellington detachment, left Tborndon, Station at 10.46 last night, nnd the entrainnient was accomplished with a degree of, perfection that reflected the highest, credit on Captain Richardson, tho train officer. As the men lined up on tho station, they were told off; in . detachments, and each detachment, of tho requisite number to fill a carriage, was lot through a barrier one at a time. . In this way the carriages were filled with a minimum of the jostle and hurry often associated- with tho departure-platform of a railway Ftation. The traia , pulled out a few minutes after the scheduled timo, carrying, in addition to the'F sth:Rbgimeiit 'meni "A" ' section of the Field Ambulance, twenty in..: number. ,•. "At Piimmerton' the train stopped; : for seconds '"only, while, seven ' men camo aboard: then; on ■ again to Waik'anab, and Otaki, where sixteen arid twentyseven Terrbtorials. respectively ,' wereadded to the load. Levin' and Shannon contributed just on 100, arid'so everv'station added its quota till .Palmerstori North was reached. ' Coffee and an Absent-Minded Engine; As if to give a foretaste of what was 5n store, tho rain was gently falling when Wellington was left behind, but by the time tliat Palmerstbn was reached a bright sky and a frosty snip in the dr. gave, hopes of better things. Tne Defence. Department , liad arranged to givotho men. .hot coffee arid sandwiches at. this station.. A number got the much-needed refreshment, and then the train suddenly .pulled out from the station, leaving about thirty men stranded, while carriages of men had not been able to get to the hot beveAge so plentifully supplied. It was an unfortunate occurrence, and> seemsi.to .have arisen out of some misunderstanding. At any rate, the men were left to wait two hours for another train to pick .them Tip, and tho first train to arrive in Takapaii to-day was tho one via Palmerston, carrying ten trucks of; horsesj and the men picked it up, along the line; it drew lip at 7.10 a.m.

Canvastown in Being, The Territorials have practically no rest during the night, and-a two-mile walk to tno camp from Takapau Station (and this when tho railway line is almost continuous to tho camp) added ■a keen touch to an appetite which was quickly assuaged by hot tea and fried slabs of steak an inch in thickness. I'hen half an hour's rest was decided on. beforo tho men should go to work, adding to the size of Caiivastown, the while erecting.-habitation for themselves. The early morning was bright with haze covering the tops of the Ruahince, but by 10 o'clock the weather had changed to a-steady drizzle, which at lunch time liad resolved itself into a downpour that lacked nothing but inconsistency. Howover, we are all hoping for tho best, and as wo do not really expect it, it may come.

Room for Three Brigades, Tho site granted for the Takapau encampment by Mr. Sydney Johnston is 20 miles beyond Dannevirke, and an ideal 'spot for the biggest military camp jet hold in New' Zealand. The PorangaJian River forms practically two boundaries, and tho .railway line to Napier another, while a hedge of fir bars off the fourth exit into the surrounding «ountry." There is enclosed an area of, roughly, three quarters of a mile by half a mile, affording; ample space for the three brigades which are to do their annual training. These are the Infantry Brigade, J'ield Artillery, and Engineers, and: the Mounted Rifle Brigade. Jn the first-named are tho 11th (Taraiiaki Rifles) Regiment, 9th (Wellington Kast Coast) Regiment, 7th (Wellington West Coast) Regiment, and the sth (Wellington) Regiment. The Mounted Brigade is composed of the 2nd, 6th, and 9th Mounted Rilles, and the Field' Artillery comprises F Buttery (Napier), J Battery (Palmerston North), andD Battery (Wellington), who will bo here to greet tho Inspector-General.of Overseas Forces, notwithstanding the disappointments which they have met in tho way of changes in their big guns.

When the Cuns Boom. To-dny trains ran into TaEapau •which had tapped the Manawatu, Wairarapa, New Plymouth, and Napier districts, while- an advanco guara of the 9th -llcjjiinent from Gisborne was here on Thursday. ' To-night 3000 men will bo uudor canvas. They mostly comprise the country divisions, who are putting-in four extra days training in ]ieu of parades. On Friday another 3000 men, including the Cth Regiment, will put in. their appearance, and then, nest week, Sir lan Hamilton, with Major-General Godley, will arrive, accompanied by most of tho Staff Officers, to inspect the camp. It is then that the big work will bo done. A realistic manoeuvre battle will bo fought, and tho big guns will boom across tho plains, their echoes to bo flung back by tbo grim Ituahines. An admirable ground lias been placed at Colonel Chaytor's disposal for tho tactical exorcises, which, will be carried, out away below Mr: Sydney Johnston's homestead, stretching past Takapau. Station, and taking in tho fields of other landowners. It stretches for 3 good six miles. Of course, during the next few days, the work will be more in tho nature of company and squadron instruction than in combined manoeuvres. Onco the men are well erounded in-company work tho officers can bo depended upon to put them through their tactics, provided they do as they are told without working out theories of their own. But tho natural independence of tho colonial Territorial leads him to have convictions of his owiiv "But It Is Still Raining." Many improvements have been made

in Takapau, as, compared with previous camps hold in New Zealand, and it com without saying' that they are far in advance of the arrangements of the volunteer' camps. Each brigndb has its own canteen, and the canteens are most comprehensive. Everything can bo got, from fresh Canadian salmon to the best imitation ale, but no stimulating beverage is allowed. Camp sanitation is also an improved factor. Eich iesiment has its own destructor, which will bo burning from now on till the camp ends a month from now, taking 'in tho casual camps. Soakpits are also constructed at tho base of tho cooks' tents, and these ingenuous arrangements draw off slop water. A pumping station on tho Porangahau Biver provides ' tho camp with good water, and taps are laid all along the lines. Tho water for drinking is all boiled, so (apart from the present wretched weather conditions) everything is in favour of healthy Territorials returning to their homes. But it is still raining.