TRANSPORT GRIEVANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 October 1918, Page 7

TRANSPORT GRIEVANCES.

A HUNGRY AND UNCOMFORTABLE. ' SHIP. BULLY BEEF AND BISCUITS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Monday. Many complaints, were made by the officers and men, who returned to New /j'ealand by the transport No. 177. about the fare and accommodation, particular iy iu the forward .-doriaiwry. "She was a hungry .and uncomfunabls ship, even for a transport, iJ was tlhe verdict that was echoed by many of the men and some of the officers, The food was generally; described as rough and meagre. One veteran stated that, in France, his unit was much better fed. The troops in one portion of the ship complained that the food tfhey received was often very short, in addition to being rough and badly cooked. Inquiry elicited the qualification that occasionally the rations were satisfactory, but no one would admit that these occasions were anything but exceptional. ' A man on the outward voyage said a long service soldier can stand indifferent food and uncomfortable conditions, but, when he returns invalided, he certainly has tihe right to expect the treatment which impaired health requires. On this voyage, bully beef and biscuit were actually issued for the evening meal on two occasions. Other soldiers mentioned that bad feeding lad led to men buying better food from the ship's staff, a practice that is stated to be fairly common oh troopships. Some men paid several pounds to be supplied with good food throughout the voyage, said one soldier, and every evening scores bought jugs of tea at a shilling each. The forward dormitory, GO. feet by 42 feet by 8 feet, was used both as a sleeping place and tness room, the hammocks being slung during the day. Over 200 men slept in, this space, the ventillation being declared to be very limited, and many men were forced to sleep on deck, constant calm weather making this possible. An officer, who fully endorsed the above opinions of the men, asked wfoere he considered the fault lay, replied that while more concern in the bad state of things might have been shown by the military authorities on the ship, he tlhought the real weakness ,was in the method of provisioning the ?hip. MINISTER'S EXPLANATION. The above was submitted to the Minister of Defence, who made inquiries regarding the matter, and the following statement was received from Sir James Allen: — Insufficiency of food: Complaints were received on this score and the matter was fully investigated by the military officers, when it was found that such insufficience was occasioned by tihe Imperial Food Controller placing the vessel on English rations. This was explained to the men, and, while it is regrettable that such expedients should be resorted to, the shortage of food in the United Kingdom, in all probability, made it imperative for the Food Controller to ration the vessel, and while to shortage continues it is difficult to see what remedy can be made. The complaint that this insufficiency would affect the health of the men can only be characterised as a pure conjecture, and would have been guarded against by the medical officers. °Bad cooking.—Complaints in this respect were made and investigated, when it was found that suc-lh/ arose through the carelessness of the cooks. Every effort was made to remedy- the defects, but bad or inferior cooking, with the present scarcity of competent- cooks, is a most difficult matter to adjust. The difficulty was eventually overcome by the efforts of the military. officers, in conjunction with the ship's staff. Sales of food to troops.—The officer commanding the troops states Mat reports of such practices were. brought to his notice early in the voyage, when immediate steps were taken to stop the practices. , Accommodation. —The vessel was fitted up under the supervision of the Admiralty and inspected and passed by the G.O.C. and A.D.M.G. of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces in the United Kingdom. More space than usual was given; lhammock hoods were placed inches apart, instead of the customary 1G inches as laid down in Admiralty regulations. In addition to this, tVo electric fans were installed in the dormitory. It is quite clear that every precaution and care was taken to ensure that the ship was efficiently fitted, ana that any complaints received wove promptly dealt with, and, as far as possible,' remedied