CAMPS AND MEN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2533, 6 August 1915, Page 6

CAMPS AND MEN

THE TWO NEW BATTALIONS

FIGURES FOR COMING MONTHS

HUTMENTS AT TRENTHAM

• .Somo information about .the two newbattalions of- infantry' recently offered by Now Zealand to the- Imperial Government, and' about the numbers of men to be in camp during tlio coming 'months, was given by the Defence Minister (the Hon. J. Allen) yesterday. "If the Imperial authorities accept them," said Mr. Allen, "they will go into camp iii October, and they ivill sail for-the front early in February. - Their •training will bo identical with that given to the Trentham Regiment, and with the Trentham Battalions they will make up a new brigade of infantry. : Tho raising of this extra force mea,ns that by December iiext we shall have to get into camp nearly 12,000 more men. "In October, • after* the Trentham Regiment havo gone, wo shall hare in camp 8750 men, and in December the number will rise to 9270. This will be tho high-water mark. In February, when the. new battalions get away, the number will fall to about 7000, and the number will stand at ■ about 7000 until June, when it will get down to 6725. In Juno the winter is coming on, and there are difficulties in the way of training a large force. We do not intend to provide for all the men at tlie two permanent camps at Trentham aiid Taunerinikau. These two camps will accommodate 7500 men. The remainder of tho force will be out in other camps, as most of the men are now. The arrangement will, we hope, be very con-' venient for our training. Every force' will be brought into Trentham for. equipment, preliminary training, ■ and musketry,, and. this "done they will be sent to camps in the country for instruction in field-operations, and tho more advanced branches of their training. "I have no recent; figures about recruiting. We have the Eighth Reinforcements ready to conie in, and there is a balance, left,over of men still available. Our experience is that recruiting always does slacken off after a contingent goes -into camp. We shall ascertain after the Eighth have gone into camp what is the number of men still i available, and if it' is necessary then to stir things up :we shall let this be known. I think that possibly, it-may he necessary -to. stimulate recruiting when we ask for'the 1 two new battalions, which will be required-about the same time as the Ninth Contingent:" Mr. Allen was asked whether he had anything to' say about the remarks of Mr. Justice Hosking, Chairman of the Trentham Commission of Inquiry, concerning the action'of the Defence authorities in'proceeding inth the erection of huts before the Commission had sented its report. "I wish to make no comment upon it," 6aid Mr. Allen, "except to say this—that tho matter is oneof urgent necessity to us. "We have . men copiiiig into camp and we have to do something to provide accommodation \ for them. We have medical advice, th 9 best'available, that the place is all right if we make certain alterations. We have made most of those alterations,and we are prepared.to make any others that may become necessary as a result of the. report cf tho Commission. But on no 'can: we stop work. The huts being erected are npt the same as we have put up before. Iron was too expensive to buy. and the new huts will have wooden walls and poilito roofs. We are experimenting with two of tho huts, putting in some ridge ventilators, to see .what the effect is. >' I should say also that these:'Trentham - lints were carefully designed, and the designs were submitted to a 'board of experts, who passed them., And thero has been very little sickness in Trentham'for a long time past. Trentham is just as healthy . as any of the other camps, and probably more healthy. '' "Up till now there has been no failure : of supplies of equipment, .but,we are establishing a new organisation altogether'with regard to : supplies. I have been talking it over with a business man ' .to-day,-and I hope that in a. day or two' I shall be able to announce that we shall have some business men, to assist us voluntarily, with their services. This ■ will take a great burden off the Defence Department. I think it will probably bo necessary to have a board of three business men and to have : also an executive officer not connected with our Stores Department. The duty of the' Stores Department .will'then be to receive, the goods from the manufacturers,examine tliem'to see that they aro( up to the standard, distribute them to. the various camps where they are required, aiid keep the records' of them, and so on." • .