D. HANNAN.]

57

H.—l9b.

5. That is over and above the ordinary supply?—Yes. 6. AVhen were they sent out?— There were several issues. They were ordered and sent out as follows: April 21, 274 pairs; April 23, 260 pairs; April 27, 80 pairs; April 30, 468 pairs; May 1, 156 pairs; May 4, 126 pairs; May 7, 91 pairs; May 8, 182 pairs; May 11, 162 pairs; May 12, 148 pairs; May 13, 80 pairs; May 17, 160 pairs: total, 2,187 pairs. 7. Then the reason you say that those deliveries wen- spread over that period was that you had not the boots to supply?—That, is so. Immediately (hey oame in from the contractors they were inspected without any delay and sent out. 8. None of those came out, of stock ?—No. 9. You would only 7 perhaps have excess of the sizes that were not required?— That is the position. 10. Had special orders to be given when the order came in?—The position was that on the Ist April we had a contract with two firms to supply 2,250 pairs per month. That would have been quite sufficient were it not for the additional Trentham Regiment. Then an arrangement was made with other firms, and three extra firms are making now, but have not made any deliveries. 11. Mr. Ferguson.] In normal times, when there were no Expeditionary Forces, what stocks of boots would you be likely 7 to have?—2,250 per month. 12. But before the war?— Before the war we had a contract for only 5,000 pairs per annum, but they were to be bought by Territorials—not for free issue. 1.3. Still, they passed through your hands?—Yes. 14. What stock would you have in store al any one time—l,ooo, 2,000, or 3,000-—taking the average through the year?— Yes, easily 1,000 pairs. It all depends on the time of the year. Just after camping-time there would be a big run out. 15. The Chairman.] Your range in sizes is usually up to ll's?—Yes. 16. You did not keep 12's and 13's?—No ; s's to 11 's were the main sizes.

Daniel Cross Bates sworn and examined. (No. 12.) 1. The. Chairman.] You are the Government Meteorologist ?—Yes, Director of the Meteorological Office. 2. It is an official post that, you now hold I—Yes,1—Yes, lam a Civil servant. I have prepared a statement of the weather and statistics for Silverstream, which adjoins Trentham, and although I am not able, to correlate the sickness with the weather, you will be able to consult these statistics, and I therefore hand them in. [Statement and statistics handed in.] 1 now wish to make a short statement which will cover the points I wish to bring before the Commission. The general conditions of weather since the camp has been in existence are shown in the following table based on the Wellington Meteorological Observatory records ;-

This may be regarded on the whole as a mild and fair season. Records from Silverstream or Trentham show that the rainfall is from 20 to 25 per cent, greater than in Wellington. The temperature-conditions are controlled by the, physical features of the neighbourhood. It is situated in a broad river-valley lying north-east and south-west, surrounded by 7 hills to the north-east and west and almost to the south. It would therefore be colder by night and warmer by day —the cold air descending from the hills on to the flats. The frosts at night are very severe, and I estimate them from 15° to 20° lower than Wellington. The winds are generally from the north-west, and squally. Under settled anticyclonic conditions day winds are up the valley, and night winds down. Fogs are often prevalent in the evening and mornings, and are caused by a humid atmosphere being cooled either by cold surfaces or descending currents of air. lam well acquainted with the site of the, camp, and have twice recently visited it—in the last week of May and again on the 10th June, when I took out two minimum thermometers, with which I hoped to secure an absolute determination of the results of radiation which I believe from knowledge and personal experience, to obtain there, for I have had experience of such huts and tents both in Australia and in South Africa during the war. I examined the hutments at Trentham, and regard them as dangerous and unsatisfactory. They would be draughty in stormy weather, and very chilly and unsanitary in calm or damp weather. Corrugated iron has a high coefficient for the

B—H. 19b.

Month. Weather. (Sunless Days. Rainfall per Cent, of Average. Remarks. October November .. December . . Dry, windy Changeable, passing showers Sunny, windy Seasonable Dry, windy Dull and wet Bright and dry Fair and dry Unsettled, dull, and humid 3 2 I 4 I 33 50 60 50 27 135 17 23 47 <'<• Id 8., -65 rain, 28th. January February March April May June 7 0 3 6 Average temperature. Six days also with less than one hour of bright sunshine, and five days in succession without sunshine--viz., 22nd-26th.