COMFORTABLE & CHEERFUL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2511, 12 July 1915, Page 7

COMFORTABLE & CHEERFUL

CHANGE HAS DONE GOOD* " ,TRENTHAM REGIMENT MARCH OUT,

After his Tctuni from Palm'erston last night the .Prime Minister was asked by a JDoiiinion. reporter for his impressions of what he had seen. ; O- . "Things aro very much better than I cxpected to find them,"- said Mr. Massoy. "As.you know, there lias been a . plienonemal amount of rain ,up the line, and a: great deal of the country is . under iWRter 3 but7thD men are all under cover, and very, ) A number of cases of-nieasles have appeared, but as soon-as a case is discovered the sick man is roniored to the hospital quarters. It. ■ .is qmte,evident to "me that tlie. sickness is decreasing,, and . I--think the change has already done the men a lot of good. Some of. the men say they were just beginning to get comfortable, at Trentham' .when' they had to leave, but most. of them, I think,. have ,welcomed the change andvenjoyed it. Tho hospital accommodation is good, and so far as I canUiidge.lilcely to proie,'adequate, v "yVliile we were at Palmerston. the .' "'Trentham Regiment, 1250 strong, went out; an a route march, with their regimental band, and I wish to: say. that' it was.WjDrtli the trip from .[Wellington to ■Palmerston to see them. I have never ; seen anything finer. The Trentham lle- . giment :• is <1 riflo regiment, . and it ' mnrches.-at^"a Very much faster rate than ordinary, infantry". As 'the men swung through- the streets of the town,' with ; their! band. playing 'The, British Grena- : diers,'the thousands of people who saw - them:' were delighted. , I liavo seen 110- : thing- like it since! the war; began. . Of • course'there have been many alarming . . exaggerated , stories about ; what has i taken, place at Tronthiim, but the 6ight of these hundreds of fine young fellows .. marching relieved the anxiety of the ■people a great deal.",

! ATTAUHERINIKAU,

A GOOD, REPORT. ,

.The Minister of Defence (the Hon. 'J. Allen) made a visit to Tauherinikau yesterday, and inspected the camp and tlitr hospital. arrangements.'there. • In an interview with a Dominion re- ' porter on - his Tecum,■Mr: Allen. said tliatJ;4he' men' arrived on; the ground - in very bad weather, but as he saw it .the- ground was not particularly wet. ( ,Tbero was a pebbly sub-soil, covered .with: a light sandy loam, ; through which: waters drained very quickly; The men had .now. established themselves;in :tolerable comfort/ The chief, need was for I'tenb floors, and he had made; aTrangeinents; to) send timber-up, ; and also he had 'authorised the officer commanding to*, .buy timber locally 'if, it; was'procurable.Somo of the' tentshaddeveloped leaks, but some 70 men' had been accommodated in buildings on 5 the ground, and ,the. tents, thus made available had : ieen\litted over 'the leaking ones. Thd camp is situated two or three miles'from tho railway, 011 a good road, lianS'lthe. people': of /Feattierston" have .undertaken to gravel tho road. They •wcro busy at this work "on Saturday, and' the Minister said ho. wished .to express , to them his warmest thanks ; l'or their .help. ■ ' \ Hie buildings tn the racecourse, .said t Mr. Allen 1 , had been handed: over to Sfhe Dofenco . Department- for hospital ypurposes. Two • doctors were in the: ?:arap yesterday, and Dr. Valintine would ftry to; get another "medical; officer. .About-20 men had developed colds, two jlad- bad throats, and, there had been one caso of measles.; Bad cases,' as occurred, -would he. sent to Greytown Hospital. Thoro was a good water supply, -and the sanitary arrangements,' •already good, would be made better■during the week. Dr. Valiritine would .visit -tie camp to-day , to. 1 superintend all, the .arrangements made for-' the health of the men and the care of- the •sick." /■ - ...

Dr. Vialintiue is to bo ' inspecting ,-medical officer for all the camps, ,and there will also bo an inspecting saiitafrom the Public Health. Department at Dunedin: ' Colonel Potter, Ceymp Commandant at Trenthani, will .bo general camp inspector, and will be responsible for all the sites.

. Mr. - Allen '.said!, he liad given very special instructions that the.next-of-kin of all sick men Should- .be notified as : scon: as the men went into hospital* If a man were 'only'very., slightly ill • and still-'fit for light duty, tlio next-of-kin •would'not.be.notified, but as,soon as a sent to.hospjtal bis name would ■ibe sent, to headquarters at Trentliam, • ind tie nest-of-kui would be informed from, .there. . ,

V Sistt Reinforcements are still at I Trentliam, and Mr. Allen states that the meii aro anxious, to: stay there. They (will remain there until Tuesday at any rate.: .In tlie meantime 1 four mon are sleeping in every , tent instead .of ten: and 25 men are living in eveiy - but occupied. Only the .now huts are being used, however. The buildings in which ®«kness has occurred aro not being used.