OFFERS OF SITES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2510, 10 July 1915, Page 6

OFFERS OF SITES

MORE;; CHANGES MAY BE COMPELLED : ' -'MEN'fo:LIVE IN TENTSi. '.'.Now that'' it lias. been decided that tho camp shall bo moved members of ,tho House aro isliowing some anxiety to liavo some of tho forco encamped in their districts. This was mado apparent in tho House yesterday, when requests were madeto the Minister of Dcfenco on the subject. Mr. R. M'Oallum (Wairau) said he

MinisteV of two sites-in 1 . Tlio Hon. J. Allen said'id would be glad if the honourable member would send tho request _cn to him • in. order that tho offers might be recorded for possible futuro reference. Howould take, the opportunity of informing tho House what the Government- proposed to do. All the men at, Trentham were to bo moved to "new camps, and tho work had begun ; that morning at ,9 o'clock, was only tho previous afternoon that; information., came-to him. from.tho medical officers that they had decided that ' the camp ougjlit to' be moved, p'p' till that time they liadadvised him that it . was: not .necessary, to move it. When they decided that it would he wise to move .the camp, the Staff wero called togother at a moment'snotice, > and the officers worked until the'early hours of the-morning in order to mako definite, arrangements 'for the removal of everybody from tho camp at the earliest possible-moment. Tho camp sites selected were at Waikanae, Tauherenikau, and at two places on the Pox ton railway. The removal would go on that day, Saturday, and part of Sunday: by which day no men would be left at Trentham.-, The officers and noncommissioned officers for the Eighth Rc : inforceinents,, who were duo to commence their training shortly, would" not go into any of these camps, but would go into camp in tho Show Ground at Palmerston North. It was just possible that some or all of these camps might prove' unsuitable, and . for this reason he, would welcome offers . of other grounds. Mr. Myers: Are you prepared to accept an offer from Auckland?. Mr. Allen: I am not prepared to consider any offer, but I. am proparcd to put on record any offer that comes in; < Tents—arid Sterilisation. .He explained again, that if it should prove necessary to movo a camp again ho : would be pleased to consider any offer -made to him. In the new camps 1 the .men would be placed in l tents, this being- the recommendation of the medical officers! 'They were using all the tents available. Dr. Thackcr:, Have- you sterilised them? •' . ,'i . ' Mr./Allen: I think the honourable gentleman needs, some sterilising. • The tents are-.continually being sterilised. Tbey are even' sterilised from time ,to. fcimo at Trentham. . Dr. Thacker: How often do you wash . the blankets at Trentham F - An honourable member:- You go and wash' , thorn. Mr. Allen continued that tho men must know and the country must know that the men would have to put up with : considerable inconvenience. The camps would bo new, and there would be mild. If the r mud in .any \>i!o:. camp get too bad tho men would have'to be moved to another. ■ With the men would bo sent to the now sites all, the timber availablo, and tho, men themselveswould- have .the, ■ duty of maliing their own tent floors immediately, so that the tents might bo floored as soonßafter tho arrival ,oftho men there as possible. With" Tegard to tho tent floors at Trentham tho'honourable member for Christchurch East would bo interested to know that they, were- thoroughly sterilised. The water' supply for the two camps on the Foston lino would be from water tanks lent by the Railway Department. This would continue. until a pipe lino could bo: laid to lead in an artesian' supply. This ; work 'had, ,!he Relieved, already' been commenced. 7 : . , Hospital Marquees. , / All the- men would Iks kept in. tho Noi't.h Island, for the prosent, but' this .might; be Altered, later; No. more men would ..come in until ' -August. ■ There' were not: sufficient marquees-' available to ; provide hospital accommodation for these camps, ; but authority had been given to tho Department t0... secure whatever marquees ivere required,,, whe-, ther of military pattern or not, from, whoever possessed them. 'He thought that. tho • arrangements, „ made as they were, in- a hurry,. would be Very satisfactory.:, Not ; more -than 3000 men would go into 1 , any one camp. ■ ; SirjJoseph Ward: What is being done with the sick men who are not now at tho. camp? Mr. Allen: They, will remain, where they are. : Mr, E.. Neivman ■ asked the Minister whether ho cquld;give any- idea, as to' tho area required for these camps. ; Mr. Allen said that the actual area, of tho camp site would not-bo, a very large' number of acres, 'but .what ,the Department wanted : was a training ground of' some • hundi'eds of'acres as well. ' Horses Near the Men. Dr. A. K. Newman asked tho Minister if when he was forming -tho now camps ho would see that the horses were not put near tlio men.' - ' Mr!'-Allen: ;They are. not near, the men at Trentham. Dr. Newman: The-Minister must suppose that I. have not been there. i One of the troubles 'about tho camp at Trentham is that too many horses— too many large animals—are in the near vicinity of tlio camp.; I think it would be of advantage to have' the horses by themselves and not near the men. . Mr. Allen said that in the new camps the horses would be sufficiently, far away,that they would be no clanger to tho men in the, tents.' In ■ Trentham they wero a considerable distance away from tho camp.- •