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4043. You think that the institution is not so bad as they want to make it out? —It is not so good as it ought to be. 4044. It is not what it should be ? —lt is not. 4045. Do you think that it should be left as it is ?—For my own part, I should like to see a new Hospital. 404.6. That is not the question here. Do you think it is proper that a Hospital which admits one thousand patients per annum should be allowed to remain in the primitive condition of this one ?—No, I think it should be improved. 4047. The Chairman."] That it should not be left in its present condition?—A new Hospital should be buiit, if we could get money enough. 4048. Mr. Solomon."] You think that a new Hospital should be built?— Yes, that is what I personally should like to see. 4049. But if we cannot find the money we certainly ought to improve this Hospital ?—Yes, I think so. 4050. Have you noticed a stuffy atmosphere in the wards?— Yes, occasionally. 4051. Do you think that that is a healthy state of affairs for the patients ?—Theoretically it is not; but the patients do not seem to suffer much from it. 4052. Do you think it is a healthy state of affairs?—lt is not. 4053. Would it exist if the Hospital were perfectly ventilated ?—lt would not. 4054. The windows are the principal means of ventilation, are they not ? —They are. 4055. In the cold weather which we have here, especially in the middle of July, it is impossible to keep them open ?—We find in practice that we can keep them more or less open ; we can keep the upper ones open. 4056. We have had instances of doctors practising outside of Dunedin going into the Hospital —Dr. Closs, Dr. DeEenzi, and Dr. DeLautour, for example —and immediately noticing the stuffy state of the wards. Do you think it surprising that strangers should be struck by the condition of the wards when the ventilators were partly closed ?—What do you mean ? 4057. Is there anything surprising that strangers, on going into the wards, should be struck by the fact that they smelt close and stuffy?—l suppose that, coming from the outside, they would notice it. 4058. Have you gone into the question of what window-space there should be for ventilation ?— I have not. 4059. With what window-space you have for ventilation, can you utilise the whole of it for influx of air?— Not for the size of each window. 4060. Do you think yourself that the wards can safely hold the number of beds in them with the present system of ventilation ? —I have not thought out the subject. I suppose that theoretically it is deficient, but practically it does not seem to make very much difference. 4061. What do you mean by that ? —The patients do not seem to suffer. But my experience has been entirely confined to this Hospital. 4062. In what sense do the patients not suffer?— They suffer no serious inconvenience. 4063. Is that a usual state of affairs—l mean the number of erysipelas cases?—l cannot say anything about any other hospitals. It does not seem anything very wonderful to me. I have seen the same thing here before. 4064. The same number of cases in a similar time ?—'No. 4865. Do you not know from your reading that the frequency of erysipelas cases may be taken as an indication of the insanitary condition of the Hospital ? —I have read that. 4066. Applying that general canon to our Hospital, in which there are one hundred beds, would not the fact of ten cases of erysipelas breaking out raise a suspicion in your mind ?—Yes, it would. 4867. A suspicion that there must be something very much out of the way?— Yes. 4068. Generally speaking, the occurrence of so many cases of erysipelas must raise a suspicion in the mind of any reasonable man ?—Yes. 4069. You know that this boy P— - was rapidly getting better when he got a sore throat?— Yes. 4070. And do you not know that Dr. Maunsell said that the boy had a septic sore throat ?— I do. 4071. Can you contradict that?—l do not believe that he had. 4072. The Chairman.] Then you do not agree with Dr. Maunsell's opinion?—l do not. 4073. Mr. Solomon.] At any rate, he got erysipelas; and do not all modern authorities say that erysipelas is a septic disease ?—Most of them do. There is more of it acquired through exposure to the cold. 4074. But there was no exposure to the cold here, was there ?—But you had the boy running under other patients' beds. 4075. Of course, if the windows of the ward were open?—He might get cold. 4076. You have told us the case of the man with chronic Bright's disease, who had only ten days to live, and on the eighth day he got erysipelas ?—Yes. 4077. In his condition, that man would be much more likely to contract disease than a strong man?— Yes. 4078. Can such men help running a serious risk in the present state of affairs ?—I say they must run a risk. 4079. A risk that could be avoided if proper precautions were taken ?—lt would. 4080. Such as a proper system of ventilation?— Yes. 4081. Or a new Hospital ? —Yes. 4082. Now, as to Mrs. T . Dr. Batchelor has told us that it was not proper that a