SCHOOL CAMPS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 22, 26 January 1914, Page 8

SCHOOL CAMPS.

NEW PLYMOUTH ENCAMPMENT. | The following report ly Major A. 1 0. Temperley on the recent cam]: I held by the hoys of the New PlyI mouth Scliool ma'vjs highly in- : teresting reading : ; Object.-—The object of the comp j was to provide five days' continuous i instruction in military wok a:<! to I produce a real military spirit in thp scliool. Staff.—The staff consisted of myself as commanding officer, an adjutant, a musketry instructor, and four sergeant-majors. Organisation.—The school is organised in. two companies. Their .strength in camp was respectively three officers and 5-1 cadets, and two officers and .">-"J cadets. Four of (be officers are masters and'one is a boy. Routine. —Camp was pitched on the afternoon of December 11 and the hoys went into camp in the evening ready to commence work on the following morning. The camp was pitched on the edge of the school cricket ground, leaving sufficient room for a parade ground as well. Each company had eight tents, or- approxi ■ mately seven boys to a tent. The whole, routine and organisation of the camp was worked exactly like a regi,ment"in every detail. Meals wore obtained in the school buildings, which was a great economy of time and labor to all concerned.

Discipline.—The headmaster took : the responsibility of committing the . whole charge of the school, including the discipline, into my hands alone, with highly satisfabtory results. Orderly room was held daily and a number of small offences were invariably aivaiting disposal. There was nothing serious—the offences mostly consisted of dirty buttons and dirty rifles. The non-commissioned officers n.t first hardly realised that it was their duty to ensure compliance with orders, hut once this was grasped, they performed their duties most conscientiously. The punishment consisted in "fatigues" or extra work in spare time. A hoy acted as provost sergeant, and did his work extremely well. Tents.-—The hoys were shown how to keep their tents the first morning, and after that I did not find it necessary to comment unfavorably on the state of cleanliness and Kood order of :i single tent. They were extremely well kept and great attention was paid to this. The Commandant of the Military Forces was much struck by the'appearance of the tents, though the boys had received no warning of his inspection and had made no special effort. Church Parade.—Sunday came in the middle of the training. The two companies marched to church in the town and made a good impression by their appearance and bearing. A guard was mounted from 6.45 to 10 p.m. every night to give the hoys an insight into guard duties. A sergt.-major entered the guard tent and gave an hour's instruction in guard duties every evening. Training.—The work may be briefly summarised as follows:—The first day was .devoted entirely to . drill and musketry. The second day, drill and musketry in the morning and tactical training in the afternoon. The ' third and fourth days were exclusively tactical training, with the exception of an hour's musketry after breakfast. There was physical training for three-quarters of an hour before breakfast and a lecture at 7.15 p.m. daily. We were much handicapped by the weather. Jn spite of this we carried out our programme to the letter except the physical training on the last day. The conditions made it extremely uncomfortable, hut the boys stuck to their | work manfully. They exhibited the greatest aptitude and, considerable enthusiasm for tactical training. The drill was wonderfully steady. .1 do not think I have seen better drilled units since 1 have arrived in the country. The section commanders wove, on the whole, excellent and much above the average of what ! have seen in the cadets or territorial force. They knew their work thoroughly and approached it with a confident manner and. the bearing of pro--I'essional soldiers.

Spirit of the Boys.—l was much struck by the military spirit that was evident throughout the school. It may perhaps be partly attributed to (he traditions and surroundings of the town generally, where many honorable records and memorials exist of men. both Imperial and colonial. who fought and fell in the Maori wars. To the headmaster and officers, at any rate, must be given the credit of fostering and inspiring this military spirit, however favorable the environment may be to its production. I found the boys most enthusiastic about their work. They were hardy and not easily tired, in spite of the extreme youth of many of them. Prom the hard work they performed under particularly adverse weather conditions if is evident that Taranaki breeds men, and that the rising generation will not be less virile than its predecessors.

Employment of Roys Outside Camp. —1 feel bound to comment on the ii'ct thai several parents required that their boys should go home before the early parade to milk cows or on other doniesl ic business. '1 he boys were working 7'. hours a day excluding lectures, and I dn not consider it fair that boys should lie callid upon to do other work besides. whore it can be avoided. The physical strain is really ioo great. One boy had to bicycle 2} miles, milk 10 cows, and return before parade. This is too great a demand upon the physique and stamina of any boy, however staunch or willing. Headmaster's Report.—l venture

to believe thai the experiment has borne fruit and had jjrod results. The real test is the effect upon the boys. iOn that question the headmaster is good enough to write some notes. ■which 1 attach. I look forward to the time when every school in the district will follow the example ol i Wangamii and New Plymouth in this j matter, and can promise them all the resources at our disposal. In conclusion. ! desire to hear grateful testimony to the most cordial co-nperatioc and sympathy of the headmaster, in particular, and the resl of liis stall without whose ready and willing liel] and advice it would have heen impos sible to carry this experiment to a successful conclusion. j A. 0. TEMPERLEY, I General Staff Officer, Wellington District. December 20, 1913.