CAMP CANTEENS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2753, 24 April 1916, Page 6

CAMP CANTEENS

! ■. »■ 7. RECENT TROUBLE ; _ . . !.'.. ~ j 2v - I ; ' -'THE SYSTEM DESCRIBED ! . Sinco the diaturbanoe at tho canteen 81 j Featherston Camp a fortnight ago, I. . th© question of 1 camp canteens Gas been p: freoly discussed. At the same time, lew . people have any .idea ;of how the oaii teens are run, though .the popular ini j! •; ; ,preasion iippears' to, bo that the so] f dieis are overcharged for many article i ■; Jjf everyday use." The dry ' canteen's' ii : lientham and Featherston camps ar !; let bv tender, for' a ■ term- of thre ; months, each applicant being require to furnish with his tender a list o | . prices of. artioles to .be sold. Thes- !' ; prices, .as well as the .rental offered i ■... are taken'into consideration by th I am P Commandant deciding which ten j , dor ho,, will accept. . The canteen build mgg are the property of the Govern , inont, and the rent paid is, for the rigb' ! . ,to conduct businesses somowhat simiia] b;."to tnat of a combined general store anc j;.; .refreshment/room in these buildings ,■ terms of contract which the sue j:; <«ssful tenderer signs, lay 'down', thai f M Sows* wares or commodities shall b< I'v..jfcfirst quality, and shall be sold .al .... the current -selling prices for similar ar- ... tides'of the 'same quality in the adjacent township." In the case of -th* y -Frentham; canteen contract, there is s I " which states that "the. contractoi I ■ P at his own expense, 5 [ printed list, approved and signed -bj [ .■ ■ the Commandant or bis representative, showing all: the articles for sale anc h; the price of each article, such.pricef j .. ..at no time to be departed from without | . the ..authority of the Commandant 01 !Abe [ :.in a prominent position al the ? canteen " : tV:*^^;Cantee4,,has;!a monopoly.Vpf' ; 4he Bale or all goods on the list, except ink, > . pens, pencils, and - writing paper, shaving and hairdressing material,'-sleeping ■ cags,. and ; cer'tain'. articles of > clothing, ... i.i'Ut . even in .these lines, the. prices ''at i, . -^"frfteyare:to;be sold'must besub'r nuttod and approved by the Commas : tianfc. ' ■ ■ Featherston Camp Canteen. j.. .At Fcatlierston camp' the arrange- [ wents are different; There is a list of i prices submitted, .but it is. a.short one, t it'includes a number of articles t■' everydayneed,. foirthe: sale'of -which J. -:Uhe .canteen, has 'a, monopoly./ There ! « rc more shops, in Featherston. than in i lrentham, and_ for the many , articles , >hich he sells in common with these j ■ .'canteen contractor ' is not I called upon to 'furnish .a ,'list": -to the j . Lvprnmandant. Theoretically , these |" prices are fixed by competition, and j; soldters are. told to report to the Com- [ ', manclant .at once anything •which. they i rogard as an overcharge, Vi Sp, .while.the i' ■.. vommandant at Trentham can ■ asoer--1., tain at a glance ,the- price .of any'artii. cle ou sale in the canteen, at Feathersi: ; prices of most of the articles I :«», sale _ can only be ascertained by ! making inquiry at the canteen.' On tho [. -;.. other ■ haiid, the -canteen at' Trentham I enjoys a greater monopoly than rloea j; tho canteen at Featherston. Another I-, ijwint of difference in tho two canteens •m v, at ci J sll 'i agisters.-are-i used- at 'but. not. atr.Featherstbn;^.i'« f.. Thorent paid-by canteen contractors j. goes.- into/ - a;. camp canteen' fund, arid 1, ■ from'; there is paid out proportionately I. :to each "of the' Bemforcements ■ before it [_--. ieaV.6s the Dominion./ It ls .■wrong te f ; say; that all the profits of the canteen i ■ soldiers ri .. is J>l aln . to each* ,draft 'of recruits the i \vorking of' the canteen system, 'so that :there ,ought not ;t.o- be'; any. misunderi.■■,. standing, among .tho men.;Tli'errnt ;. paid is not a fixed atnount, but; a sum i i -1000-men, or' the' proportionate j... amount for each portion of 1000 men, I par day. Thus, the rent varies with the (\ number of , men in. eamp. This rent ieJ.; cures, to.. the| contractor the. sole busiI >;^^ s of cariying on the dry. canteen for I' a of 'three months.' ■ ~, " ' t • Contractors' Statement. ■ Tho contractors fbr -the. canteen' at | it eatherston Measrs. Evans and ! • are.ofvopinion that the Minister, of Defence hit the nail on tho head ' ' S v r en s wd' that the pay -was I Jtno causo of tho disturbance, and that a .secondary!";affair.' the soldiers always.'.appeared. , .to .seck levenge for any grievance by ! . piaying .up. in' the canteen, Mr. : Andrew' i 6aic * that.'he had ;had . experience /of ui caiiteens .in .many training camps, and | Uad always_ found that tliei men vented an j ill-feeling or Tiigh spirits, in the j- : canteen; • possibly because it was the • fiocial of the.camp.. . As to the S ;. prices charged in their, canteen, the f/;;y ont " ctor I s .: were ; positive that' they Ivoro.no higher,than in 'Featliorston, |. jimi. showed scarcely 'any different from thoso of AVelhngton and Trentham. i Jielerring -to * the* question- of ink-" , poucllß, tho sale of one of those having been stated to be the cause of the first IV. disturbance, Mr. Evans 1 said Ithat he I had been unable to trace a sale at Is., , I boi had the soldier'who said he bought v at that pride come forward. ■ • -v.™. 'V\ ben we opened this canteen we had no mlc-pencils," said Mr. Evans: , but the men asked for them, and I tried to buy some. .. At first i- could ; aot get any. The article'is' becoming career, every day, and the regular buv- ; -ers of this line had first say. At last ;1 got a small supply at 7s. 6d. a down, ' n l n(l , those we:keep in. the' fancy;goods' ! /department, and sell at"9d. each. ; jjWhon a, man asks for one, we tell him j tlie price, but do not push the sale." may be mentioned here'that- a mcllmgLon stationer, who ' sells ink- : pencil.; at 6d., told a Dominion rei -porter that in tho South Island, where | ;. .Stocks are low, ink-pencils are sold at" : :u.s. each..;,

~ The.., contractors instanced a case where a soldier.complained that he onlv • received three apples for sixpenoe. Tho I matter was investigated,' and the'man ; , admitted that they were big apples, , 'Similar to three apples which, when ' 'Weighed, turned the scale ; at ljlb., and | ;?t 4d. a lb., were worth 7d. • 1 '■ - In another case an officer asked for : "cucal.yptus, and when told that Sanders' , ,was Is. 9d. a bottle, declared he ; could get it for much less at Tren-.' ; tliam.. Subsequent explanations proved ■ that it was a different brand of eucalyp.tus that the officer referred to. "The thing that the soldiers in •< the I camps fail to realise," said one /of the : contractors, "is that the prices of : -.everything, are steadily rising in New j Zealand, and, moreover, we, as holders ' of a short-term contract, cannot buy to ! : . advantage •as long-established $ houses. We are doing our best to sup, ; .ply good articles at as low a cost as " /possible, and, at the same time, to : loblige our soldier customers in 'evorv i flvay.' .