THE TRENTHAM CAMP

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2519, 14 July 1915, Page 8

THE TRENTHAM CAMP

WAIT FOR EVIDENCE

THE MINISTER'S APPEAL

"That fover-strickoji hole" was tlio description applied to Trentham by Mr. G. W. liusscll in a question he addressed to the Defence Minister in the House .yesterday. He asked the Minister whether it.was intended that the men still at Trentham would be left at the camp a; day longer than was necessary. Mr.'Allen:.The honourable gentleman has said, tlie camp is a fever-stricken hole. 'Upon what evidence? I haven't shifted all the men from Trentham. There are 1200 or 1400 men there yet, and they don't want to leave, and so far as I am aware tlfoy have not had a case of sickness amongst them in the . last three or four days, . If the honourable gentleman will exercise his patience for two or three days' lie will hear, more about' Trentham' Camp, and ho will know whether in fact it is, as he sa}'s, a fever-stricken, hole.

Dr. Thacker: I would like to ask the Minister for Defence why, if Trentham' Camp is not septic, he has brought up from Dunedin the most able bacteriologist, in Australasia.

Mr. Allen: I shall be able to tell the honourable member why I brought him up, and the result-of his investigationin the course of a few days. MEN AND THEIR OFFICERS. AND POLITICIANS. "This constant interference by-, members of Parliament is going to destroy the'relationship that ought to exist between the men and their officers," said the Minister of Defence answering a question in the House yostorday. It had been alleged hy Mr. G. Witty ■that some soldier, had told him : that some officer had ordered the men not to hang wet clothes' out; to dry. Mr. Allen said that there was ho regulation to prevent this from being done, and no officer with any common sense'would attempt to give, such an order. : If officers did not do their; duty they would bo punished, but he would ask members of Parliament not to make it impossible tfor officers to do their duty. Mr. Witty also suggested that instructions had been given to the, soldiers not to communicate their grievances to members of Parliament. Mr. Allen said he knew' of no such instruction, but ho thought men would be much wiser to communicate with their officers if they had grievances.

500 MOUNTED MEN AT MASTERTON SHOWGROUNDS.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.} Masterton,- July 13. ' Five hundred mounted troops arrived at. Solway to-day. They will be encamped! hero for a few days, and will then return to. Tauherinikau, where' a perm'anont camp is to 'be established. : SOME SITES~SUGGESTED. ; (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Timaru, July 13. At a meeting of theWaimate Borough Council to-night it was rosolved to write to Mr. J. Anstey, member, for Waitaki, pointing out- that excellent 6itcs -for military camps exist, between "ffaihao arid Waitaki. Stoward Park, at Mor-' ven,Which' was beside the railway,' was considered ait ''ideal place. v

AN APPEAL FROM CAMBRIDGE. Cambridge, July 13. The. Mayor, has. telegraphed to tlie Minister.of Defence at Wellington as follows:—"In support of our lneriiber's request that' a .camp; be established at Cambridge, I would remind you that when General Hamilton inspected the big encampment hero, hb' said the site arrangements wero ideal, the best lie had seen in the Dominion ; the surrounding country was -especially . adapted: to teach all brandies itheir-.-work, ..'as .it com-; prised broad plains, good roads, a range of mountains, and ?, broad, swift river. Sir .lan saw''the canyp with four thousand men, and after fivo weeks' broken weather. I, respectfully submit that' Sir. Tan's words' constitute most powerful advice to anyone of . less experience in choosing "a camp site." TRENTHAM AND SALISBURY; ■ (To tho Editor.)

V Sir,—A few months ago I motored round all the camps on' Salisbury Plain, two weeks'ago I visited Trentham, and I,can assure you most; emphatically, that Trentham compared more than favourably with Salisbury Tile mud; at many of tho Salisbury camps was well over the ankles, motoring was very, difficult, and in many places impossible. " : I was condoling with a Canadian trooper on' tho English-climate and mud: . "Wal," he .said, "I guess been through worse than this, and if wo havo nothing wcrse to face wo shan't grumble!" The 'hutments at Trentliam, too, struck mo as being far more hygienic than many of those at Salisbury— I am,- ctc., : EL: I>. PI.CKERILL, Jl.B, rDunedin, July. 10.