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403. Do the tents have wooden floors? —Yes; at present they all have wooden floors —all the tents now in occupation by the Sixth Reinforcements. 404. Has there been any distinction as between the huts and the tents in regard to the sicklists : where have the men been located who have taken ill? —The most serious cases have come from the huts occupied by the Second Battalion of the Trentham Regiment; but it must be taken into consideration that these men when put into the huts were not hardened to camp life, and they came in during the depth of winter, whereas tlie men in the tents had been, in camp some time, and had become hardened. 405. Mr. Salmond.] Apart from that, where there is an infectious epidemic, the putting of a hundred men into the same sleeping-apartment would increase the liability of infection?— Yes, and I said so at the time before tlie huts were built. It stands to reason. If a man had measles in a tent it would immediately be isolated, and there would-be only seven contacts, whereas if it broke out in a hut you would have to isolate at least fifty men in one portion of the hut. 406. The huts would prevent isolation on the small scale? —Yes. 407. And you pointed this out? —Yes; I drew attention to it when the sample hut was built. Then we have the military standpoint, which is also against the huts. You have to isolate fiftycontacts if measles breaks out, if not a hundred, and that would seriously interfere with the training of those men. 408. What other buildings exist at the camp for the men to have their meals and recreation? —In the huts there are tables and forms for them to sit down. They have their meals in the huts, and the men. in the tents' have their meals in. tlie tents. As for accommodation for recreation purposes, they have buildings erected by tlie different religious institutions, which have been built by the soldiers themselves —by camp labour. The materials were paid for by the different religious institutions. 409. Those are big halls where they can spend their evenings? —Yes. 410. Are they heated ? —ln some of them there is provision for heating. 411. Which of them are heated—supposing men are sick and want more comfort than is to be got in the hut or tent? —In one of the halls there are two fireplaces —in the Presbyterian hall. 412. Now, as to the feeding of the troops, who is responsible for tho food supplied to the camp?— The Army Service Corps. There is a Supply Officer in the Quartermaster's branch. 413. What is his name?— Lieutenant Petty. 414. Is there a scale of food laid down by the authorities as to how much meat and vegetables shall be provided for each man ? —There is a scale laid down. 415. Does it include a regular supply of vegetables? —No, it does not. 416. Is this scale the English Army scale? —No, it is a special scale. We are in excess of the Army service scale. I. can bring our scale, and you can, then compare it with the Army service scale. 417. The Chairman.] This is a New Zealand scale? —Yes; this is the scale laid down by the New Zealand military authorities. 418. And it does not include vegetables? —It contains vegetables when we can get them, but there is nothing laid down as to what vegetables shall be provided, except potatoes and onions; these the men always get regularly. The men get other vegetables when we can procure them— when they are not out of season. 419. Are cabbages ever out of season? —Yes, they are, as far as I know. 420. As a matter of fact, do the men get any green vegetables ?—They are getting cabbages. 421. Regularly?—l can give you an absolute return of what they have had weekly. We keep the returns. 422. Might we say that all the troops get green vegetables twice a week? —That, I would not, like to say. 423. Say once a week then? —Yes, I should say once a week at least —that is, besides potatoes. 424. Has there been any alteration in the scale of diet?— There has been in connection with the butter and jam. 425. Since when? —Speaking from, memory, about two months ago. We reduced the issue of butter and jam because of the fearful waste that was going on. 426. Was there any change in the scale, say, after the beginning of June?—No, this was before then. 427. There has been no change since the epidemic broke out?— Absolutely none. 428. Mr. Salmond.] Is there a head cook responsible for all the cooking in the camp?—We have a civilian cook, who has been with us since the inauguration of the camp, but the whole of the cooking is under the Quartermaster. 429. How many kitchens are there? —About six. 430. And a separate cook in charge of each? —Yes; a sergeant-cook appointed in each cookhouse, who is responsible. He is a man who has had some experience or other in cooking. 431. So that the cooking is really done by the Forces themselves? —Yes, absolutely-. 432. The Chairman.] Is that the usual plan in all camps?— That is so, barring our ordinary camps —Territorial camps —where we employ civilian cooks. ■ 433. I mean for permanent camps? —The idea is to train the men in the art of cookingThey have to cook for themselves at the front, and there is no other way of training them. We never put a batch of new men into a cookhouse; there is always some one in charge to train them. 434. But when the reinforcements go away all the cooks go with them, do they not? —Yes, but not the man we have to teach them. We always have a competent man in each cookhouse. 435. Mr. Salmond.] Have any complaints been made about the cooking?—T have had no complaints.

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