CAMP JOTTINGS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 23, 1 December 1939, Page 4

CAMP JOTTINGS

"Roses Round the Door" The "wet" canteen at Burnham Military Camp is affectionately known as "the beer garden." And the name is appropriate, for there are " roses round the door" and spikes of foxgloves in bloom. An old house has been quickly remodelled and turned into a picturesque canteen, which, as in other camps, will serve soft drinks as well as beer. Possibly the roses and the foxgloves will be removed eventually, as they have little or no place in the military scheme of things, but last week they looked attractive, Learning to Dance Between 70 and 80 young men in khaki are learning to dance. It isn’t part of their military training, but it is necessary for their hours of leave. This development of the social grace is the result of activities of the Wellington Soldiers’ Club. The young men expressed a desire to learn, so every Friday evening, guided by an expert, they are initiated into the mysteries of the valse, the foxtrot, the Lambeth walk and the Chestnut Tree. Preparing for Xmas During the four weeks of its existence, the Wellington Soldiers’ Club, which caters for the soldiers from Trentham and the other military camps round the city, has entertained 1,100 men, an average of 500 each week-end. At the moment the club is preparing for a big Christmas party which will be given at the Town Hall on December 16. " Flying Onions " Those "flying onions," to which reference has been made by pilots of the Royal Air Force flying over Germany, consist of tiny rolled steel canisters filled with high explosive and attached by wire to a small balloon. They are scattered through the air at various heights as soon as an air raid warning is received. If a plane hits a balloon or the wire, the canisters containing the explosive are swung by the impact against the machine, thus destroying it by the force of the explosion or forcing the machine to the ground. The " flying onion" is reaily a kind of air mine and is said to be the invention of a Major H, J. Muir, It is inexpensive and carries a self-destroying device which explodes the bomb after it has been in the air for a certain time. Air Force Trainees Sixty-eight trainees from the Air Force Instruction Camp at Weraroa were drafted out to the various Air Force Stations last week-end. This is the first lot to leave the camp, and the Air Force Band from Wellington went up to aid in the farewell ceremony. The Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, paid an unofficial visit to Weraroa recently and expressed his pleasure in the construction of the new buildings and the general condition of the camp. Housekeeping in Camp Vast quantities of food are being handied by the Internal Marketing Board for the "housekeeping" depart-

ment in military camps. Only the best is being used; for instance only fresh prime ox beef and prime wether mutton are being considered. No frozen meat is used except for sea stocks on ships of the Royal New Zealand Naval Squadron. Inspectors of the Agricultural and Health Departments make regular inspections of the meat and milk to see that contractors comply strictly with the terms and conditions of the contract.

As an example of the immense amount of food required, here are the approximate figures each month for the three large military camps at Trentham, Burnham and Papakura: Meat, 319,500 Ibs.; bread, 213,000 Ibs.; milk, 26,000 gallons; vegetables (other than potatoes and onions), 106,500 Ibs.; potatoes, 60 tons; onions, 14 tons; fish, 14,000 Ibs.; cheese, 71/2 tons; flour, 81/2 tons; sugar, 19 tons; butter, 18 tons; bacon, 534 tons; coffee, 1 ton; jam, 16 tons; oatmeal, 5 tons; dried fruits, 11/2 tons; tea, 4 tons; rice, sago and tapioca, 3 tons.