THE DAY OF REST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 95, 22 April 1912, Page 5

THE DAY OF REST.

SPENT UNDER GOOD WEATHER CONDITIONS. <f / AT THE HAWERA CAMP. Yesterday was a clay of rest at the Vamp of the 11th Regiment (Taranaki Rifles), on the Hawera Racecourse. In fact, the day of rest commenced really on Saturday, for general leave was granted from 4 p.m. to if p.m. Li consequence, the streets of Hawera presented a lively scene, with the crowd of Termorials in evidence, the picture theatre was crowded, and tilings in the military cane business looked up remarkably. Early in tne evening light rain began to fall, but the evening's outing was not materially affected, tnougn sundry men who omitted to take tneir overcoats we to not overjoyed on Sunday morning to have to don uniforms which tne ram had saturated overnight. However, Sunday broke bright and clear, and that of itself was a good deal oi con-sole.-I-;..

The chief business of the morning, after breakfast, consisted of enuren parade, sectional services were given uv tne Salvation Army and the VVcsIcvaii, Presbyterian, Church of England, and Roman Catholic cimrcnes, The Hawera Band assisted at some (4 tJio.serv.ct-.

Incidentally, it niay bo remarked that the attendance at the Church oi Ehgland service, conducted by Regimental Chaplain Evans, was largely attended, and that from their assembling operations on the parade ground, their marching to the <.uici their entry thereto proved that though many of the men are in camp for tne first time, they are already recogtus: iug their pro tempore Homogeneity — that tne Reg meut cannot oiteiier assemble is a race niucu to be regivvtcu. But by me time training ceases oa Tuesday evening an ranks snoiud ue expert in tnir unties, and, no doubt, tneir next camp will resemble one yi old can - t iers.

Major i.euringer, senior Major, am. second in command of the'iiegiinont, is now iu camp. Du Tuesday afceinoon lie goes inrpugii tne yracuciu portion oi Ins examination for iiuic s b to command, and will carry out operations with the Whole regiment, and a squadron of Mounted lines. Some of the 11. Co. men are still bothered to some extent in folding t.ie.i blankets and generally keeping una tents orderly and tidy, The majority, .however, nave oecome fa riy proumom,,. and some nignly creditaule bianliettolding is te be seen in their lines, ana also in tne lines of older corps aiiu tne younger ones, i'robaoly if tne men were more forcibly impressed with toe fact that orderliness and tidiness m camp are largely not sought after for themselves alone, but largely as a.os to .health and increased efficiency., they would more earnestly endeavour to. leant and to retain in their heads' the correct xpfethod of ’ folding blankets an4’ , ax i rangmg l ; 1 j ;! ; ;i1 ' V The. .regimental pet seems i to thrive an 4 prosper. He ’is now considerably older than ho was at last .report—at least, five 1 full days—but' mis developed a bald neat! or chcst-protec'c-. or ■ whiskers,'; it |is oh' the 1 cards that sqpie'pf the men 1 indy ’ beat him 'ht that garnet, .Oh.'Saturday' general' 16aVe was 1 , nop- granted, him,.' He was hot'let dlf the, nhaiu 1 ' hvdtybody 1 el;i,e : wan- t,i{f r f:-,j ,j.‘ . * , ' All companies have now bedsit fully equipped. For the boxing on Tuesday it 'is 'probable that H. 00. will put forward teTyrae, .Dickenson, and Burgess, and for tlio wrestling Hedgman and Laverty. At the sports on Wednesday H. Co. will enter for the tug-of-war and the skirmishing, j, The coihpany , appears tp j ue ■gdliig. fo ,givd an excellent he-, count *of 'itself iii the. 1 contest 'for clean Ijnps 1 *and ; tbntS, 1 The company is; tne rie,y.;4st in' t.hdd-egimerit, ; but they have chine,, oh/well, and their' officers express the opinion that they' will make an excellent showing Th the.squad and physical drill' at the sports. 1 The hospital tent has not yet justified its existence, nobody having found it necessary to'seek medical aid. . ’Th, sanitary arrangements are work-, ing 'excellently, though, as could only be expected with young people who are more oh loss habitually occupying big spaces and clear air, some men do not thoroughly recognise the absolute necessity of rigidly carrying out the system laid doWn. The air of Hawera is not notoriously bad, and six hundred men is not the largest force ever mustered or even likely to be mustered; but even a partial disregard of the sanitary system might have serious results even considering the freshness of the air and the good constitution of the men. In this respect there was’a noticeable feature at Sunday morning’s ablutions, at least at the right half’s washing place. The washing arrangements were fully described in the “Post.”£>A trough : s provided on which washing trays can be rested, hut the chief duty of which is to carry off the dirty water after use, the water passing through a grease trap to a cesspit, the grease being afterwards dealt with by the incinerator. Some, men, however, used the trough to support their washing dishes and threw their dirty water over the landscape in the vicinity. Quite apart from the sloppiness underfoot, the habit mentioned cannot be conducive to good health. On Sunday afternoon large number.'! of the public visited the camp, those present including a fair sprinkling of Stratford residents. Selections were played during the afternoon by tin Hawera Band. . The N.0.0.’s and men have entered heartily into the competition for the best-kept tent and lines, and already considerable improvement is apparent in all the lines.

Messing now proceeds with promptitude and expedition, the increased space made by the officers giving up their messroom having made ;fc pns~ sible to greatly facilitate messing operations.