PUBLIC WORKS CAMPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 125, 28 May 1937, Page 7

PUBLIC WORKS CAMPS

HELPING THE MEJN WORK OF .V.M.C.A. , The increased activity of the Public Works Department has resulted .in camps being • established in. out-of-the-way places where few of the amenities of life would be available were it .not for the efforts of the V.M.C.A. Some . of the camps are up to fifty miles awlay from any settlement, and a considerable height above sea level. In these circumstances it is understandable that men. used to town or city life find time ' hanging heavily on their' hands, so that anything that' helps\ to enliven their leisure hours serves a useful purpose. The V.M.C.A. building generally contains a post office, library, canteen, and rooms for recreation and social "activity. In camps where there are married quarters Sunday schools are run for the children. Wherever possible, religious services are arranged for visiting ministers or whoever is available as a preacher. Where electric current is available picture entertainments are arranged. The National Council of the ■ V.M.C.A. has the warmest praifee for what the Government is doing to improve the conditions of the workmen and their families in these camps. The Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple), it is stated, has given the V.M.C.A. every assistance, particularly in efforts to stop drinking and gambling. Mr. Semple has been outspoken against the gambling evil '.in camps. The establishment of savings banks at camps which the V.M.C.A. run in conjunction with the Post and Telegraph Department has been an added inducement for men to bank their money instead ,of gambling, it away. Very large amounts .are banked on pay days, and there is evidence that the gambling habit is decreasing. The post offices also contain money order, telegraph, "and telephone services. Mr. Semple has realised that there are many young men in the camps who would like to gain some technical knowledge that would be useful to them when, they return to the city, and he has taken steps *to see that technical books-are available in these' cases. In several of the centres small numbers of technical books have been placed, but there is a large technical library in Wellington, and the V.M.C.A. secretaries send there for what is needed. There is a keen -demand for the books. Where technical training by means of books is concerned no charge is made, as the Government has set aside about £l'sO for this purpose. ■•' GOOD LITERATURE. "'. . In the libraries there has been a keen demand for better-class books. Books of travel have been in particular demand, and books on sociology and economics have also been popular. TJie Wellington public library officials have helped by sending out discarded books, and these are placed in the smaller camps where there is no recreation hut. In:these cases libraries of from 30 ta tOO books are under the control of .the 1 union secretary. This has been done lin twenty-six instances. No charge has been made for these books,, and they are replenished fyom time to time. In the usual libraries, however, a deposit of 2s 6d has to be made when the subscriber joins, although this; is afterwards returned, and Id is charged when the .two. books allowed :ara changed. The income is used to replenish the library.' Some thousands of books are in circulation in the various camps. During the last Christmas holidays a number of Presbyterian Church divinity students worked in the camps alongside the men with pick and shovel. ."They were taken right into the hearts of the' men, who admired them for their grit," stated a V.M.C.A. official. The students co-operated witn 'the V.M.C.A. in holding Sunday | schools for the workmen's children and arranging, services. ~ A glance at the reports of the, YMC.A. secretaries-reveals the extent of the work being done for the men. A typical programme at one of the camps is as follows:— Sunday, Sunday school and services; Monday, games \ night for children; Tuesday, pictures; Wednesday, card tournament; Thurs-! day, hall left open for meetings, etc;, Friday, dances alternate weeks; Sat-1 urday, pictures., The report from another camp states:-"The boardroom is the centre of the social activity of the camp in the evenings and as "the men are on shift work it is generally in use in the day time also. Some evidence of the popularity may be gauged from the fact that a total of £21 5s was taken for the month. The canteen, of course, is very popular. One report states: "The canteen service is the backbone of the hut. Business is very brisk with supplying tea cocoa, or coffee at any hour of the day or night. General sales are on are arranged. wherever possible. The wives of the men in camp are not overlooked,-as is shown by the following report:. "Meetings of the Ladies' Guild are ve^ well attended. First-aid work is demonstrated and practices and competitions for cooking, knitting, etc., are held." Physical training is given proper attention and classes are a*. ranged by the V.M.C.A. APPRECIATED BY MEN. The work of the V.M.C.A. is appreciated by the men. The report of one S which recently closed down concludes as follows: '^his camp was closed down, on April; 19. The men were given free billiards on Saturday "nd Monday and a decent supper was provided to all men in camp. Monday waTpaV- night, and although gambling is the usual order for such a night most of the men came to supper. One of the men made a speech and there were definite signs of regret that we were going. The . oppor.tuni y was taken to give a few 'smokes' to the men who had helped us in various WThe V.M.C.A. huts throughout tb> various camps are as i^^o^' w-hara (rebuilding); Bartletts Tiki, whata, Paritu, Kaingapipi, Waikokopu 7occupied); Torres Road (.building ; Hopuruahine No. 4 (occupied); Hopuruahine No. 3 (removing); WhareLakapo' (building); Papueru (occupl«s; Kotoma (almost complete); Turakina (building); Otoko (occupied), Fordell (occupied); Pukerua Bay (building); Tiroroa (occupied); InangahuTJunction (building); Oaro (occi£ pted); Aniseed (occupied); Kiwi Point (bHuts in aSre to be built at the following places:-Claverley, Okarahiu, Conway, Kohutra, Homer Saddle Bruce Bay, Milford Sound, and Mokau Falls.- • The Government financial assistance ensures that the V.M.C.A. is not involved in loss in running the huts. .:■: