H.—l9b.

J. B. I'UBDY.J

77

34. Then the first six men you appointed went with the Second Reinforcements? —Yes. 35. You might tell us their names—Dr. McKillop—he had been in Samoa with the advance party. 36. But let us have the list of officers? —I would like to give you his qualifications, because we have been charged with appointing men who knew nothing at all about camp sanitation. 37. That is important, then : my own mind is rather a blank as to what the charges are?— You see, under the regulations I cannot say anything in regard to any charges. These six doctors were Drs. McKillop, Simpson, Sinclair, Widdowson, Harvey, and Abbott. They were all excellent practitioners. Three of them were asked to come in on Wednesday, and three on the Thursday : Drs. McKillop, Simpson, and Sinclair reported to me on the Wednesday, and Drs. Abbott, Harvey, and Widdowson reported on the Thursday. I insisted that the doctors should be in camp when the troops came in—there should be at least one doctor in camp even if there are only ten men. 38. As a matter of fact, was there always a medical man there to receive the troops? — Always. I appointed Captain McKillop administrative officer of the camp, because he had been in Samoa with the advance party, aud had done good work there. He was on the Special Reserve of the R.A.M.C. He had all the certificates. He had taken the special Army course. 39. In England? —Yes; he was on the Special Reserve of the Imperial R.A.M.C, and he was going Home to join the Army as a Special Reserve man. He had seen seven years' service, starting as a private and finishing as an officer. He had been in camp year by year. He went through the whole of the ambulance training at his university, and he had also been in the so-called Territorials in Scotland, so that he was well up in all the latest details of camp sanitary life. He had just been at Aldershot before he came to the colony. He had been in New Zealand two years, I think, when he volunteered for service at the war. The oilier five officers were all good men also; some of them had had previous military experience, some had not; but they were all excellent men, and had proved good men since they went to the front. 40. Perhaps you can tell us at this stage what was the state of the camp : had it been occupied by large numbers, and had any sanitary arrangements been brought into force up to that time? —The camp was laid out. 41. Before that? —Yes, but not occupied. 42. Where did the ten thousand men —the First Contingent—collect?— There were local camps : there were some of the men collected at the Lower Hutt, some at Addington, and so on. 43. The position was that Trentham Camp simply had the provision that was permanently there for the shooting gatherings?—-Yes, sir. I was surgeon to the New Zealand Rifle Association from its inception at Trentham, and I knew the place well for years. While the Rifle Association held their meetings there I did the medical arrangements. 44. Which included the sanitation ? —Yes. 45. Had you then when you took charge a practically free area to deal with? —Yes; and I made a rigid inspection of everything myself personally, not once only, but at least half a dozen times within about eight days. 46. Dr. Martin.] This was from the 19th October?— Yes; I was there before the troops came. 47. With Dr. McKillop you made these daily inspections?—By myself and also with Dr. McKillop and other Medical Officers. The officers were appointed for certain duties every day. We inspected the water-supply, took a sample of the water, and sent it to the Public Health Department, who had it analysed and sent us a full report about it. All the usual precautions were taken which are laid down by military authorities. I laid out the military camp at Tauherenikau in 1911, when the officers and N.C.O.s of the territorial scheme were mobilized. I was asked to plan a model camp there, because 1 had had more experience than any other officer in the colony. I have had charge of many important camps. I had charge of the Tenth Contingent camp. So they asked me to lay out this model camp at Tauherenikau. I used to take officers and N.C.O.s round and explain matters to them. 48. The Trentham Camp was laid down on the lines of the model camp at Tauherenikau?— Yes. 49. Did the model camp at Tauherenikau conform to the Imperial requirements on the subject of camps?— Yes, absolutely. 50. Could we have the books containing these directions? —Yes. [At this stage Dr. Elliott was examined in regard to the statement made by Dr. Frengley respecting the alleged approval by Dr. Elliott on behalf of the New Zealand Branch of the British Medical Association of the proposals for the hospital at Trentham, and the examination of Colonel Purdy here following has reference to same subject.] 51. The Chairman.] Do you wish, Colonel Purdy, to first dispose of this question of the alleged approval by Dr. Elliott of the hospital at the camp?— Yes. There is, to my mind, a simple explanation of the whole business. There was a general mix-up about the position of the Medical Association and the hospital. I made it distinctly clear that the money subscribed was not for the hospital building.' One morning when I was talking to General Robin he said, " Now this sort of thing must end :we must know exactly where we are. Now, what is the position? " Then I addressed a meeting of the Wellington Division of the British Medical Association. I drew a rough plan of the proposed hospital that the Government would put up. We had a discussion about it. I made it perfectly clear then to the Medical Association. 52. Dr. Elliott was present?— Yes. I told them that the Minister of Internal Affairs, who was Acting Minister of Defence, had informed me that the Government were prepared to do anything I asked them in reason, and that they did not want the hospital to be put up by outside people. Now, I made that perfectly clear, and that the money, that the Medical Association had subscribed for the benefit of the medical side of the work should be devoted to the purchase of