CAMPS & THE MEN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2726, 22 March 1916, Page 7

CAMPS & THE MEN

LATEST PROMOTIONS

EETURNED SOLDIERS' COMMISSIONS

VARIOUS NEWS

.' The following officers. have reported • at Trentham for duty:—Captain F. H.' Hudson, &.Z.S.C., staff officer to O.C. force, 11th Reinforcements; 2nd Lieutenant E. ¥. H.Knowles posted 'to -: llth Artillery. . ■ ' Lieutenant CJapham, Ist Reserve Coy., and 2nd Lieutenant G. Best, G Coy.j 12th Reinforcements, have arrived back at Featherston Camp from sick,leave.. . The Road to a Commission. Trentham Camp orders state:—"ln future all applications for commissions . ih ; ';the New Zealand . Expeditionary Force received from 'returned soldiers who are in camp are to be forwarded to Camp Headquarters on the 13th and 27th day of each month. 'A.list of the [names submitted will then be forwarded to General Headquarters from where they will be cabled to the G.O.C.N.Z. Expeditionary Force for his decision on ■ the Ist and loth of each month. It must be clearly understood, however, /Chat applications from n.o'.o.'s ,and men are not to bo forwarded to Camp Hoad- ' quarters until such time as the applicant - has. been passed as medically, fit for. further active service, and has ac- ,. tuajly reported in camp. Trentham Appointments. At. Trentham the following temporary appointments have heen approved: — K.Z. Field Engineers, 14th Keinforcer inents.—Corpl. F. H. Mintrom to: be sergeant: Corpl. G./8.-Dall.to.be sergeant; Spr. A. J. Hunter to be lancecorporal; Spr. E. A. Selling to he lance-corporal. ' ' F.Z.. Field Artillery, 16th Reinforcements.—Bomb. W. Smith ; Bomb. J. T.' Gißson, Gnr.L. V R'. Neilson, Gnr. J. 'M. Webb to be probation corporals. • :. Promotions at Featherston. . ' The following temporary appointments have been approved by the Camp Commandant at Featherston: —Lce.Corpl. A. J. Ford, Headquarters Camp Commandants' Office, to bo corporal; ; Pte..J. A.Tims E Coy., 12th, to.be orderly-room clerk: Pte. A. 0. Jones,. ¥. Coy.; 12th, to be corporal; Pte. C. S. O'Connor, F Coy., 12th, to be lancecorporal; Pte! E. Bullen, A Coy., 12th, to be corporal; Pte. J. H. Stubbs, Camp Paymaster's Office, to be pay sergeant.; Lce.-Corpl. A. L. Rogers, Lce.-Corpl. H. S. Osgood; Lce.-Corpl. A. H. Robh, Lce.-Corpl. L. M. Yule, Lce.-Corpl, H. G. Stanheld, Lce.-Corpl. A. F. Bird, Lce.-Corpl." H. V. Bond C Coy., to bocorporals; Lce.-Corpl. J. Bargh, Pte. M. C. M'Lean, Pte. F. H. Richards, Pte. R. Cole, Pte. R. B, Stafford, Pte. iu'ivae, B Coy., 12th, to be corporals; Pte.F. Ireland, Pte. J. M'Leod, Pte. H. A. Diamond, Pte. A. C. Leich, Pte. E. Hill, Pte. J. P. Gibson, B Coy., 12th, to be lance-corporals; Corpl. J. E. Griffiths, B Coy., 12th, to be orderly-room clerk. Staff.Tour. A staff tour, under the direction ot Major J. L. Sleeman, assistant director of military operations, will be held at Hamilton," from to-day till Saturday (states the Auckland '"Herald"). New Zealand staff corps and temporary staff corps officers ana officers of the territonal forces to the .number of 28 will attend. : ; Interesting Compensation Case. * The legaL position of a lion-military jmployee in a military camp, so far as ;ompensation for injuries is concerned aas been under discussion in the Arbitration Court in .Auckland. The point arose .as the result of an action in which Joseph Francis Cain, a- cook, claimed compensation from the Crown for injuries sustained m the. course of his ; employment. The petitioner was represented by Mr. F. Stilling, and the Crown by Mr. Selwyn Mays. The hearing was resumed on Saturday, before tho Arbitration Court, Mr. Justice Stringer presiding. Cain was engaged as a cook at .a camp in the. Dominion in May of last year, and whilst lifting a boiler injured his left hand.

Mr. Selwyn Slays (counsel) contended that the claimant was in tie'service of tie military authorities at the time of the accident and. was,' therefore, unablo to claim under the Workmen's Compensation Act. Mr. Justice Stringer: What,is military service? . -•

Mr. Mays replied that it might bo going a long way to say that a civilian cook who was paid the ordinary Tate of wages, and could be dismissed at a moment's notice, was engaged in military service, but he thought that the authorities went so far.

■Mr. Justice Stringer, said that it would have been better to have allowed tho Court to assess- compensation without raising the technical question. Under the circumstances the better thing would be to let the matter stand over. There would be great difficulty in overcoming tho case.' Tho evidence in his opinion was very conflicting, but the case was certainly oup for reasonable compensation,. and ■ he thought they should endeavour to effect a settlement. If a decision of the Court's quoted by Mr. Maya was upheld the claimant '■would be entitled neither to the compensation due to a soldier under the Defence Act nor to that of a civilian under the Workmen's Compensation 'Act. '/".'•■.•'■' The case was adjourned In order to allow the claimant's counsel to cpn6nlt further- legal ■ authorities, and to see whether a settlement could be effected.

Liable to Court-Martial,

In support of the contention in the above case. Mr. Selwyn, Mays instanced an English-case. Lord Justice Coleridge, he said, had before him the case ■of a civilian canteen steward who had been placed under arrest; for misconduct, and whose release was claimed under a writ : of habeas corpus. His Lordship held that the mail was in the military service of the Crown, although, he had not enlisted, and that he was subject to the military regulations throughout the period of his employment. Ho was therefore liable to arrest and trial by court-martial. Eleventh Reinforcements. The Eleventh Reinforcements now in oamp at Trentham began their final

course of musketry on Monday, and will be busy with this'branch of training during this week. Firing is continued until late in the afternoon, and iu order to allow men to visit tho City on leave the usual evening trbtu train hn6 been The average bomb weighs ahout 21b., the Elevenths will begin their training in trench .fighting wider -tho'infantry instructor, Liout.-Colonol' Macdonald. Art of Thowlng Bombs. To the lay person it may scorn a simple matter to hurl bombs from trenches into tho enemy's .trenches, But the feat is not as easy as it seonifl. The average bomb wieghs about I lb., and is 3in. in diameter. Yesterday afternoon, when' a rn-chanical bombthrower, invented by Mr. E. V. Dixon, of Owhango, was being tested m tho trenches in the Engineers' drill, ground, some officers tried their 'prentice hand at boinib-thiwing. A sergeant-major with experience m trench warfare said that it was possible for-a man, toi throw a bomb 60 yards; an average, shot would be about 85 yards. With this example as a guide, the officers made thdir shots, the best of which was 17 yards .They found there was a difference between throwing from a trench and from tho level ground. ' . Big Sports Meeting. Soldiers' holidays are few, and when a whole day is available for recreation the men like to make fuh use of it On Good! Friday, April 21, there will be no drill or training m Trentham oanvn, and the' Camp Commandant, Col. H B. Potter, and his staff are arranging to hold a monster sports meeting. The racecourse will probably be availablo for the purpose. The camp adjutant, Captain E. 0. Dovey, and his assistant, Captain W. Bell, have the proEramme and other arrangements In hand, and full details will be published shortly. The meeting will not be a military one, .in the sense of having a preponderance of military events. There is a largo percentage of athletic members in tho thousands of men in camp, and! their : predilection for sport has been encouraged in every way possible. It is expected, therefore, that *- ev ery, event usually 1 found on the programme of a. sports gathering will be on the programme, and that there will be ample entries in each, section.

Baaley's Pharmacy, Featherston, have facilities for developing and : printing Soldiers' Snapshots. V.P.. Kodaks, 355. and 555. City prices.—Advt.