H.—l9b.

30

T. MCOBISTELL,

119. You have not put anything in writing?— No. 120. You have not communicated with the Principal Medical Officer?—l have spoken to Dr. Finch and Colonel Moriee about this drainage. Colonel Moriee has been there only a fortnight; but the defects were only found out when the extra men came in. 121. You have never officially reported any defect?—No, not in writing. 122. But you admit having seen defects?— Yes, I see them now. I reported verbally first of all that soakage was not taking place in the soak-pit, and that the water was backing up in the drains. 1 spoke verbally about that to Dr. Finch, Colonel Moriee, and several others. They were sent there to take charge of that, and, as a matter of fact, they practically took it out of my hands. They had a man walking round all day looking at it. The matter is practically taken out of my hands. 123. The Chairman.] Now? —And was at the time of which I speak. 124. How long ago is that—before the camp broke up?— Yes; I should say a week or so before the camp broke up. 125. Dr. Martin.] You inspect the drainage system daily?—No, but I see that others do it. 126. How do you carry out your inspection?—l visit every part of the camp at some period of the day. 127.'The latrines?— Yes. 128. And the urinals?— Yes. 129. And the cookhouses?— Yes. 130. Can you give me the date when you first noticed defects in the sanitation?— Not offhand. About the time Dr. Finch arrived —a little before. 131. The Chairman.] Can you get us the date?—l can find out the date when Dr. Finch arrived. 132. Mr. Ferguson.] Have you a sufficient staff? 1 know you are rushed when the men come into camp, but ordinarily have you a sufficient staff?— Yes. 133. No complaint to make against your staff at all?— No. 134. No requisition that you have made for assistance has ever been refused? —No. 135. Dr. Martin.] Up to the arrival of Dr. Finch you were the only officer who inspected the sanitary arrangements?—No, the Medical Officer did. 136. The Orderly Medical Officer or the Principal Medical Officer?— Both, as far as I am aware. 137. Did you ever inspect the drainage system with the Orderly Medical Officer during the day?— Yes. 138. You have gone on sanitary rounds with him, have yoxil —No; I did not go with either of them. I sent the quartermaster-sergeant. T39. Did you ever receive any instructions from the Medical Officer to alter the system of drainage or sanitation?— No. 140. Up till the arrival of Dr. Finch everything went well? —It was just about that time that the defect arose. It was the moment the extra men came on the sewerage system. 141. I am referring to the sanitation of the camp in general from the time you took it over. I want to know all about the complaints you have received and any defects you have noticed during the whole time—not in reference only to the sewerage?— That is another matter. I will give you an outline of the sanitation in October last. We started them with the ordinary soakpits for soakage, with trenches for latrines and pits for ordinary washing purposes, and open drains filled with manuka, and soak-pits for wash-up places, these being attached to each cookhouse. That was, roughly, the domestic arrangement, The soak-pits have proved in every case a success. The soak-pits in connection with the cookhouses have been closed and renewed from time to time. With the exception probably of something gone wrong in the cookhouses, dirt or something accumulating about the lines, or a soak-pit needing removal, no one has complained about that part of the camp's sanitation. 142. There were no complaints, then, about the sanitation up till the time Dr. Finch took over? —I am not making a complaint about the sanitation when Dr. Finch took over. When this system of sewerage was in operation about 3,500 men were thrown on to it. All the wash from the cookhouse and one urinal—everything went down this particular sewer and went down to the soak-pit. 143. The Chairman.] The substance is that the sewerage system was constructed really only for about 4,000 men, and 7,500 came on to it?—No 144. The extra quantity of fluid that went into the sewerage, as I understand, was too much for the pits? —Too much for the scheme that was originally designed. 145. It was not adequate to the requirements' of 7,000 men? —No; it was not, adequate for the 3,500 men who were on. it. On the 29th May the 2,200 men started to come in. As the Public AVorks Department finished the huts I removed from tents to huts the Mounted Rifles, the Sixth Reinforcements, the Seventh Reinforcements, and then two hundred extra men to make up different units. That was, roughly, ten squadrons of mounted men extra placed on these drains, and they all came on as the huts were being finished. Everything happened from the 29th May. I aril not saying the system is' defective at present. All lam saying is that improvements can be made in it. On visiting the drainage one afternoon I noticed that water which was showing underneath a couple of stones had risen up. I went back to the manhole and found that the water was backing up. Then Mr. Scott came out and I spoke to him about it, and then to Mr. Mackay and to the Camp Commandant, telling them that there was not sufficient soakage. 146. Mr. Ferguson.] Let me put it in a nutshell, in this way : when the camp first started there were small units; each unit had its own soak-pit and its own surface drainage to that soak-pit ?—Yes.