TERRITORY CAMPS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10632, 10 May 1912, Page 5

TERRITORY CAMPS

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)^

CHRISTOHURCH, Last Night.

Arising out of allegations made regarding drunkenness at the TernitoriaL Camp, tho officers of the Ohristchurch. Prohibition League have addressed tho following letter to Mr A. M. Myers, Minister of Defence :

f'We are enclosing the copy of a. letter addressed to General Godley, int which rertaan facts .are stated concerning the drinking in connection wit4t the Territorial We have-'-no-reason to believe tliat; the condition. o£ affairs prevailing ■ 'finps specified was any worse than that obtain.-, inig at other, camps, and knowing the officers, we have every'reason to lieve that they were 'extremely solici—ttious for the welfare of those tinderthem. The fact of, the matter is that the camps should not have been placed in the proximity of hotels.; When the. Defence Bill was going thi-ough. the House, your predecessor in office as Defence Minister, promised definitely,, in .reply to Mr Newman, that no camp wonld be established within five miles. of an hotel. We tihirik you will agree with us that, apart altogther from (the moral aspect, from a militairy and disciplinary standpoint, this is necessary and desirable.. In addition to this aspect of the question, that the camps are compulsory and consist largelyof mere boys, that parents are* compelled to send their sons for military training, and that under the conditions, tihey have a rip-lit to expect that the utmost care will be taken to preserve from contamination their sons, who are at an age at which few bovs have learned fixed principles/'

In the letter to General Godley, instances are given of objectionable conduct on the part of Territorials at the Templetion ancTßangiora camps, due to drinking. The letter concludes: — "With regard to the camps, with which we rare more closely associated . we have brought no charges of extensive drimkenmess, and we have recognised tliait an, your "i"" part. a;nd or* that of some iof the Commanding Officers, there has been an earnest effort to stop all drinking, .but our' point is that so long as the sites of camps are chosen. with disregard to the promise mado by the late Minister of Defeu.ce, that no'damp would be held in close proximity to licensed houses, it.is impossible t6,prevent a certain amount of drinking. ]\ T ow the Territorial icamps do mot consic-t of volunteers, but of young lads whose parents are compelled hy the law to send their sons for military training, and we think we make no extreme demand, when we urge .that the promi.se referred' to shall be rigidly fulfilled.''