The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, July 20, 1915. RANGIOTU CAMP.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1426, 20 July 1915, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, July 20, 1915. RANGIOTU CAMP.

It is a line sight to witness the men in camp at Rangiotu, There is an absence at the locality of sloppy mud, so marked atTreuthara, and the men appreciate the change to this dry, sandy locality. Already . olds are fast disappearing and measles are being successfully stamped out. There are no patients in the isolation tents, and the cheerfulness of the men is most marked. The change from Trentham to Rangiotu has been a godsend So the men, and the cost of removal from a health point of view rdone has been repaid to the Department a hundredfold. Trentham has its advantages, and will ever he the scene of training operations, hut we question its suitability for training purposes during the winter months, no matter what improvements as to drainage, etc,, are effected. It is questionable whether a more suitable locality than Rangiotu, lor winter operations, could be fonud in any part of New Zealand, The camp is sheltered irom prevailing winds by grass-covered sand hills, the camping ground is porous, mud is au unknown quantity, while the men live in au atmosphere of ozone, wafted from the Pacific, a lew miles distant. The light sandy soil gives back a larger degree of the sun’s warmth than would be the case in other heavy-soil localities. It is in all respects an ideal camping ground, calculated to improve the health of our brave lads. The surrounding country, bill and dale, backed by the Manawatu and Oroua rivers, is ideal for military manoeuvres; its situation is central, and connected with the railing system north and south. Whether the Government will retain the locality as a permanent camp we cannot say, but we believe it would be in the best interests ot all concerned to make it an adjunct ot Trentham. Military and medical experts speak in the highest possible terms of Rangiotu, and the only growl one hears comes from a section of the press and village-pump politicians who

would like the commercial advantages of the camp at their back doors. The commercial advantages of the camp should be put aside, and the health of the men and easy transport arrangements made of paramount importance.