STATEMENT BY THE CAMP COMMANDANT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2745, 13 April 1916, Page 6

STATEMENT BY THE CAMP COMMANDANT

; ' MATCHES AND CIGARETTE , •' TOBACCO

i.; ..The .Camp„Commandant atFea,ther-: |. ston (Lieut.-Colonel Adams), to' whom rour. representative < was relerred by Brigadier-General A. \Y. Robm ior an , oilicial statement' oil. the .7occurrence, ['said'.that he .had, been assured-that the' | reports which had been circulated had ji-beeir* exaggerated.:-■ Thp incident- liapjienbd: oiiVMohday 'nigKtj when some' 30* fviuen,contrary., to discipline "and the fine" fjßiiiritjthaif'nks /.actuated' 1 the men in J. thd"New Zealand camps,' seized a barrel •of two of soft drink m the canteen, j: carried; them; outside, and ' broached I them.. Except.for one or two. agitators, ! tlio men acted more jokingly than otherwise. ■ They were watched with amuse- [ ment.byiSome 400 or. 600 other, soldiers. \ There Was no viciousnees about the inf cident, though it Was most.regrettable. L'Tlie ; iiieh : acted; entirely ■, on their. own responsibility;, < without notifying Head|/quarters/ that, 'they had any. complaint'. • Ho had since made inquiries as to the i cause of the' men's.,conduct.: It ap,'peared that 1 they were dissatisfied with i- die canteen prices, ' holding that they r wero too high in soine. instances, "but 1 they had never notified him of the m'ati ter. In faot,'he had been unable to get [ any" preferred complaint from any' of 1 them' until last evening, or : 24 hours Rafter the. incident. The complaint' was iVmade that the; prices of "matches had [ been .-raised,'.but the canteen had beon I no exception in that; respect,; the price • of matches having, he understood, - Been braised { similarly' throughout Now ; Zea[rland. ' There were 'also one or two other [ items now complained about. The posij tion, 'so., far as the canteen prices; were was that':they were fixed the J eamo as prevailed throughout :tho/disr ltrieii.' ; -. : .Tlie : ..list 'was approved by Head- | quarters, and copies. posted about the t canteen, so that the men would be able c |,to tell at once'if they wei'cf overcharged." i-.The whole ;of:,the money received for Ijth/riglits'.of running. the canteen .went I 'to tlio men. He was now setting up [special committees to investigate ajid [report, upon any,items,:that .had been [questioned. " , , }; S-''l have/just arrangedifor/a; reducftion.'ofva penny in the pricV of the'tin boxes pf matches, which had, previously tbeen sold at 3d., and also for a, reduc- | tion of a pmny,. in ',',the,; price of yellow, jThree{Gastle;;cigarette; tobacco—6di7 ! .in-; ; Utead. of 7d. ' These*- concessions aro'for i.the period of the contract. lam always ; glad to receive arid investigate comIplaints : on these .questions." /:. I , '®...i®isaid/that;, the/nfen_are 'charged [one'.shilling for an ordinaryHnk pencil# ! "If that can be slidwn to bo a fact I civilly undertake: ;to /,say; ;:that:''the.;. man., [ijho paid that shilling will get his money [back.; I am quite prepared to dear with [such eases on the. facts when proved.