H.—l9b.

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[tf! B. POTTER.

436. Do you know whether - the men are satisfied.'—l am convinced in my own mind that they are satisfied. 437. Have you ever heard any complaint about the tea? —Yes; 1 have heard men in camp complain about the tea. It has been brought under my notice indirectly that salts have been put in the tea by the authorities. 438. The Chairman.] You say " the authorities "1 —The camp authorities. 439. Mr. Salmond.] Is it not a fact that the complaints about the tea have been very persistent? —1 cannot say that. 440. Is there any system of inspection of the cooking? —Yes; there is an officer appointed to visit the cookhouses, and he goes round and asks the men if they have any complaints to make. If there is a complaint the officer looks into the matter then and there. 441. Mr. Ferguson.] What rank is that orderly-officer?—He might be a captain or a subaltern. 442. Not a lance-corporal?—No, a commissioned officer. 443. Mr. Salmond.] For every company or squadron there is an inspecting officer, who maybe a captain or a lieutenant, to investigate complaints in regard to the cooking?— Yes, he is at the cookhouses when meals are being issued, so that if a man complains that he has not enough the orderly-officer orders more to be issued. 444. Is there no system by which some higher officer goes round and examines the meals occasionally?— Well, my Quartermaster and myself go round occasionally. We need not do so, but we do it to satisfy ourselves. 445. Have you satisfied yourself that the feeding, cooking, and serving are satisfactory? — Yes, they are entirely satisfactory. 446. Have you tasted the tea?—l have not tasted it, but 1 have not received any complaints about it while I have been there. 447. Mr. Ferguson.] The meals are at regular hours? —Yes, as laid down in the standingorders. 448. But there are certain men who have duties during those hours : what provision is made for their meals? —Yes; the company sends down the meals to the guards. 449. There have been no complaints about that?—No complaints. 450. And men have not gone short of their meals, nor have they had to go to the canteen to get their meals? —Not to my knowledge. 451. Mr. Salmond.] How do the men get their meals: does each individual get his meal himself?—No; the meals are arranged, and every eight men appoint an orderly to get the meals from the cookhouse. The quartermaster-sergeant falls them in and marches them up to the cookhouse, and the meals are issued there. 452. If five men get leave to go into town and there are only three men left in the tent, do they get meals for eight men. or only for three? —They get rations for eight men. 453. Is that so?—lhe cook asks how many men meals are required for, and if the orderly speaks the truth he says, " Three; five on leave." I dare say if there were only two or three men they would dine in the canteen. Of course, if men have a week's leave the others do not draw rations for him. There is a tally state goes in, which shows the number of men in the camp, the number in hospital, and tlie number on leave. 454. Mr. Ferguson!] There may be certain tents without any rations to draw? —As a matter of fact, we are often, over in the joints, and there is always the cookhouse there, and a man can go back and get a further share. Even if the cook could not supply the man. he could go to the Quartermaster, who would give him a dry ration. 455. Mr. Salmond.] Now, as to the hospitals, what hospital accommodation exists at the camp? —There is practically no hospital accommodation there. 456. Not even a tent?— There are marquees, but not hospital accommodation. 457. What would you do with a sick man? —Remove him to the Wellington Hospital. That lias been the practice in the camp. If he were to be confined to'bed for two or three days he might be detained in. the camp. 458. In the meantime where would you put him? —In the marquee. 459. So that you have the marquee, which is a sort of temporary hospital for men who arc not seriously ill, or pending their removal to the Wellington Hospital? —That is so. 460. Who is in charge of that marquee ?—That would come under the medical authorities. 461. I suppose there would be some one in charge of it?— The doctors reside in the medical lines, and that is where the marquee is. 462. So that the doctors are practically resident physicians in this hospital? —Yes. 463. The Chairman.] And there is, as you say, a proper ambulance for conveying the men to town?— Yes; it belongs to the Wellington Hospital. Then when this epidemic broke out we employed taxis. 464. The ordinary public taxi? —Yes. 465. And disinfected them afterwards? —'I hey were brought back immediately and disinfected in the ambulance lines. 466. Were these open taxis? —Ordinary taxis. ~ 467. They have a cover—not open motor-cars? —Ordinary taxicabs. 468. Are they open or are they closed? —I could not, say. They were engaged by the medical people. 469. Dr. Martin.] This part is entirely in the hands of the Medical Officers?— Absolutely. 470. Mr. Salmond.] You might tell us about the sick-parade that takes place every morning? —Every morning and afternoon. 471. Where does it take place? —Ihe sick-parade takes place in their own company lines. The men are marched down by the orderly-corporal to the medical lines.