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[Page 14]
few who had been cautious enough to bring rain coats out soon had entirely wet feet etc. from the long grass. The result was that most of the visitors, some of whom had specially come over for that visit from other States, had to prepare for departure an hour earlier than usual as they were afraid of catching a severe cold.
The Camp Commandant, Major Alsopp, inspected the visiting ground during the afternoon and evidently had no fault to find.
It was bad enough for us to be drenched to the skin, then to march back to the overcrowded barracks and be unable to find any place wherein to change and dry the wet clothes and the blankets which had to be used again for the night. But for most of the ladies the experience involved a serious menace to their health and the well-being of the children, as they had several hours journey back to their homes in the suburbs of Sydney. We are now anxiously waiting for news from them. Most of the children who came out on Tuesday last were under the age of ten.
To allow such vicious and callous treatment even to be meted out to enemy subjects and their visitors of enemy nationality would be a disgrace for a Government which always claims to uphold the cause of humanity and civilisation. But to submit their own subjects most of whom have innocently suffered long years of captivity and most of whose wives and children are Australian born, to such ruthless and vindictive treatment is an abominable outrage which requires an immediate and full investigation.
By Act of Parliament, the Military Authorities have been given the power to intern anybody. It would be folly for us, for obvious reasons, to challenge during the war the validity of the respective acts and regulations. But the Commonwealth Parliament has never given or intended to give the Defence Department or the Camp Authorities the right to abuse that power of internment in the incredible way in which it is continually being done