One is the large number of long-service and war medal men in camp, and the other is the number of married men, particularly officers.
Of course, there are some who are young and unattached, but many are family men, who realise that the call for New Zealand volunteers must not fall on deaf ears.
The non-commissioned officers for the third reinforcements are a particularly fine lot - well set-up chaps with an average age of quite 30 years, if not more, and they are as keen as mustard.
The smartness and soldierly bearing of all the men is an eye-opener.
Of course, there are some slackers, but they are dropped on very heavily.
What might be called the public opinion of the camp is right against shirking and shirkers, and it is generally considered that those in charge should be very proud of the fact that such a good tone has been created.
The sanitary arrangements are splendid, and it is hard to believe, except for the fact that the traffic has worn the grass quite away, that the camp has been at Trentham for nearly two months.
They are very particular about everything sanitary.
The training has been on quite different lines from that of the main body. With them it was ''marching, marching, marching'', and with these chaps musketry has played a much more important part.
Now they know it thoroughly, and they can march, too, and drill quite as smartly as the main body.
At Trentham there are facilities for shooting that the former force did not have.
With regard to the religious work the writer says: ''The Salvation Army chap in charge is a very decent sport. He manages to attract large numbers at the Sunday night service, and some great singing of old favourite hymns takes place.
"The Presbyterian man is the Rev. Mr M`Donald, from Waipu. He has been for about 20 years with British soldiers. He was at Elanslaagte and in Ladysmith. He is quite an old soldier, and is very popular.''
• The second cargo steamer to come to Auckland by way of the Panama Canal reached port early last week.
This vessel was the Caldergrove, which came from Philadelphia, via Cristobel (Norfolk, Virginia), and the canal ...
The Caldergrove, which visited Auckland on July 19, 1910, when she came from New York, via Durban and Albany, brought 165,000 cases of kerosene, benzine, and petrolite.
About 36,000 cases will be discharged in Auckland, and the balance at Napier, Wellington, Timaru, Lyttelton, and Dunedin.
• The weather this week has been very harmful to the cereal crops in North Otago, which were already in a critical condition. Sunday and Monday were exceedingly bad, a howling gale and heat doing a lot of harm.
On Tuesday a little rain proved beneficial, but its influence for good has since been more than nullified by strong winds, which have dried up things badly.
What the ultimate result may be cannot be stated with certainty.
A good 24 hours' rain would change the aspect of matters to some extent; but, under the most favourable conditions from now right on to reaping time, the harvest cannot be a good one.
• The Maclennan branch of the Catlins Railway League is making arrangements for a fete day to celebrate the opening of the line to Tahakopa.
The function will probably take place before Christmas, but the date has not been fixed. - ODT, 14.12.1914.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
