H.—l9b.

48

[W, H. MOBTON.

99. As regards the hospital, you do not claim to be an expert in hospital arrangement?— No. 100. The matters of the design and requirements were left to Dr. Frengley as the medical expert?— Yes. 101. In your opinion is the system of hutments satisfactory? —I cannot see any reason why the hutments should not be satisfactory. T may say that I anticipated some complaints would be made to the system of ventilation. Some people, I know, cannot live where there is an open space, and I felt that possibly 7 complaints would be made. And I think T was responsible at the meeting of the Board for suggesting that before the Government committed themselves to the construction of the whole of the huts they should put up one hut and find out if there were any complaints found with it. That applied to the huts for the officers as well as to those for the men. 102. The Chairman.] The sample hut, as it has been called? —Yes; but it was really put up to see whether it met their requirements, because there was very little to go upon with regard to the difficult, conditions under which they 7 were working—they were to be neither temporary nor permanent, 103. When the test hut was put up was there any 7 report made as to how far it met the requirements?—No written report, We visited the ground, and a number of officers went round with us to see it. We found that the construction of the hut had not been carried out, as originally intended in regard to a fascia-board. 104. Mr. Gray.] That was remedied?— Yes; since that T have heard no complaints. The only information I have about the matter is from the " man in the street" and what I have seen in the Press at times —that there have been complaints about draughts coming from between the corrugations. Special provision was made in the drawings for that, which we thought would be sufficient. It may be that shrinkage of timber has had something to do with this, but I cannot see any reason why it should not, have been prevented when the occasion arose. 105. It, would be a simple matter?— Yes. If tar and sawdust were jammed in that, would fix it. 106. I suppose that many men who went into those hutments were unused to sleeping in such places, coming direct from their homes? —That is very 7 likely. 107. They would feel it more than men accustomed to camp-life?— Yes. 108. You have done a good deal of camping out yourself?— Yes. 109. You would have no objection to sleeping in one of those hutments?— Not the slightest. Joseph Patrick Frengley sworn and examined. (No. 10.) 1. The Chairman.] What office do you hold? —Deputy Chief Health Officer for New Zealand. 2. You might perhaps mention your qualifications?—l am a Bachelor of Medicine, and a Doctor of Medicine of the Royal University, Ireland, a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland. I hold the diploma in Public Health of the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of Ireland, and also diploma of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians, London, and Surgeons, England. 3. How long have you held the position of Deputy Chief Health Officer of New Zealand?— Some two years, sir. I have been a district officer since 1902—thirteen years; my position includes also the Deputy Inspector-Generalship of Hospitals. 4. You have had certain duties to discharge in connection with the camp ?—Yes. 5. What, was the first duty you had to undertake? —The first duty—l was asked to confer with Mr. Morton and Mr. Campbell, and go into the question of the plans for the hutments, the order of reference being the plans actually prepared by the military authorities and a report to the Minister of Defence. The plans disclosed that the hutments were, being built upon open-air principles—that, is to say, there was a through-current space, a space allowing for an inlet and outlet of fresh air. That principle is by no means new 7 to New Zealand. I present to the Commission the plan used by my Department since 1904 for shelters for consumptives, which shows the system of ventilation under the eaves, and on a par with that for these hutments. These plans are the outcome of much detailed work by Public Works officers and Drs. Mason and Makgill. We have had a medical officer from the Brompton Hospital, London, now Medical Superintendent of the Cambridge Sanatorium, and he has expressed very great satisfaction with the arrangement of our open-air shelters. Therefore, when the Defence Department, suggested huts on the open-air principle, knowing that our shelters had given satisfaction for delicate persons, I thought hutments on a similar principle would give every satisfaction for the men at the camp. 6. These were the conditions under which they would be housed in the field? —Yes. Further, by Army Regulations, 1912, page 1010, it is provided that "The windows of every barrack-room will be opened sufficiently to allow of free ventilation, and will be kept open as far as the weather and season admit." Tn'a former regulation of 1906 it, said that the top sashes were to be kept open 3 in. Now, these huts provide for a 4 in, top sash right, round the whole building. At Hamilton there has been put, up a building open to the front, and it has given very great, satisfaction. It is built of ferro-concrete. Further, there have appeared in the papers within the last two months references to the wonderful success of the open-air wards at Cambridge, England. There appealed in, I think, the Sketch pictures, which were shown to the Minister of Defence, showing by photographs the construction of these places. Unfortunately those pictures have got lost, but I am making a search for them to endeavour to show the Commission that the walls of these hutments are practically identical with the walls of the open-air shelters at Cambridge, about which we have heard such good reports,