MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 1915, AN IMPROVED TRENTHAM

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2547, 23 August 1915, Page 4

MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 1915, AN IMPROVED TRENTHAM

' •—■——— The temporary removal of the greater part of the troops from ; Trentham Camp, coupled with the spell of fine weather has cunble'l very marked improvements to be carried out at the big camp site. Workmen have been busy metalling tho roads, • tho drainage of the camp has been further improve:! anrl i:i various other directions added provision has been made to etmu'e better conditions for the tvoops who

will be trained there. The Minister of Defence, guided by Dr. Valintine and the military authorities, has actively bestirred himself to safeguard against any recurrence of the outbreak of sickness which occurred during the winter months when weather conditions were fo had. Within the next day or two we shall probably have the report of the ltoyal Commission, which investigated complaints in connection with tho camp, and possibly 'as a result of tho Commission's findings still further improvements' may co added, but on the whole the state of matters at the camp now leaves little room for concern on the part of the troops going into training or their friends. In Auckland undue anxiety seems to have been felt regarding the intention of tho .military authorities to resume training at Trentham, and very strong protests wero made. These were based to a large extent on misconception and a lack of knowledge of the rpal condition of . affairs. On Saturday, howover, Messrs. C. J. I'arr and J. S. Dickson, M.P.'s, and M.n. J. H. Uunson, Mayor of Auckland, all of whom have actively interested themsolves in the quostion of l'cojigniug JErentham for. training purposes.

paid a visit to the camp. to see things for themselves. It is pleasing to learn from an interview .published in the Press that their fears appear to have .been at least minimised if not entirely banished: Mr. I>arr said that lliero lirnl been a. marvellous chango at Ti-cnUitini tly'rinir tho last two mouths, lit .-aw the camp 111 Juno, when the epidemics were at their height, and after four weeks of almost continuous rain had worked the wholo cniup ground up into a mud puddle. Today, ho hnd seen the ci.mp in ideal weather conditions, but nevertheless tho thing that struck liim was the enormous improvement that had been made in the "hole of-the camp, both military and medical. Organising brains of no mean order had evidently been at work in the last six weeks, and the expemliture-as would probably be learned subsequently in Parliament—must have been 011 an extremely heavy scale. To-day, where there were formerly mud roads, one saw-excel-lently formed and graded streets, witli a ioot of river shinglo 011 them, with footpaths and concrete channels to carry away tlie surface water. The lmtments were constructed on most approved linos particularly tlie recently built wooden ones with large apertures in the roof for ventilation purposes. One capital improvement was the branch light railway whioh liad been carried right into the centre of tho camp. This quite did away with tho heavy wagon end team traffic winch cut the camp streets to pieces two months ago. On the medical side, Mr. Parr continued, there was manifest improvement and tlie mcdiacl organisation, ho should say, was quito excellent; The men in hospital were being well cared for, and there was adequate provision for any epidemic that might come along. It is well that tho public should understand something of what has been done at Trentham to remoye such drawbacks as were disclosed by the long spell of bad weather during the winter months. The site offers bo many advantages, as a training ground for our troops that it would have been a very serious matter to the country had it been necessary to abandon it permanently.