FT.—l9b.

88

[J. R. PURDY

370. I take it there was no daily medical inspection at Berhampore?—No. 371. But civilian doctors had been called up from Wellington to attend the patients there? —Yes. 372. Who?— Dr. Clay, once or twice. He was called in because Dr. Elliott, could not, get there at the time. 373. AVhat other civilian doctor? —No one else to my knowledge. 374. Mr .'Salmond,.] Was it during your absence from AVellington?—No, it was in the evening. 375. The Chairman.] Was this before or after your visit to Dunedin? —I could not, say. I think it was after. 376. Dr. Martin.] I take it the Health Department never inspected the Berhampore Hospital officially as tlie Health Department?— No. 1 rang them up and they asked us to do the thing ourselves. 377. That was about, the buildings. Did you ask them to look after it from the hospital point of view? —No. 378. Did they ask to inspect it? —No; it was not considered necessary. 379. The Chairman.] Is Berhampore equipped with water, fire, and drainage? —Yes. The City Engineer helped us in many way 7 s at Berhampore. The city did everything for us that could possibly be done. 380. Dr. Martin.] Did the Adjutant-General visit the Berhampore Hospital?—l believe he did when I was away 7. 381. Why?—l do not know. 382. AVas it not on account of the complaints of overcrowding?--I believe he went when a complaint of overcrowding was made. 383. Did he make a report to you of his visit? —No, I did not see him when I came back. 384. Was there any 7 report awaiting you when you came back? —No, 1 had to go and see the Minister. 385. There was no report from the Adjutant-General? —No, no written report. •'lB6. Did Colonel Robin visit Berhampore Hospital on the Sunday morning?— Yes. 387. As a result of complaints?— No. not as a result of complaints, but we thought the meeting was going to be there. 388. Colonel Robin and the Adjutant-General were alarmed at the condition ? —No. 389. Colonel Robin did not go while you were away? —He could not have gone, because he was with me in Dunedin. 390. Did either of them speak to you about the condition at Berhampore?—Not till I came back. 391.. What did they say?— They asked me, and I told them exactly what had happened, and how my orders had been carried out to the letter; how the overcrowding had been only for one day, and that there would be no bad results. 392. I understood you ordered the tents to be put up at Berhampore before the Health Department stepped in at all?— Yes; what else could T do? T wanted to relieve the congestion, and we put up four marquees at Berhampore pending the commandeering of buildings. 393. 'Mr. Ferguson.] You said on two occasions you communicated with Berhampore by doctors in Wellington : was one Dr. Elliott? —Yes. I had rung Dr. Elliott up and asked him if he would go up and see a patient at Berhampore. T think on two occasions I did that. 394. AATiat nursing staff had you there? —I think, a sister and two nurses. 395. The Chairman.] AA r as thai what you started with?—T think we started with two. 396. Mr. Ferguson.] And who would be in control, the sister or Sergeant Yallop?—Sergeant Yallop did not go up till the 2nd June. The sister would be in charge, and Sergeant, Yallop would carry out the nurse's instructions. 397. Who was the other nurse?—l cannot remember who the third nurse was. 398. What are the names of the nurses?— Sister Keith. Nurse Hannah, and T am informed the other was Nurse Farron. 399. Although Ihe number of patients had run up to a hundred you only had one more nurse? —The hundred was all at once. It was never intended to have more. 400. I thought you had marquees put up for the extra twenty. It did not rise from forty to a hundred in one day?—No; but there was no necessity to get any extra nurses at once. AYe should have done so if there was going to be an extra strain, but that was never contemplated —that could not last. 401. Mr. Salmond.] I wish to know, first, exactly what happened when you came back from Dunedin on Sunday 7, the 6th June: whom did you see about Berhampore?—The Adjutant-General or some one had rung up my house on the Saturday night to say that T was to meet the Minister of Defence at 10 o'clock at the hospital on tlie Sunday morning. The message was brought to the boat, and it also said that he wanted to see Colonel Robin, who came up on the ship with me. 402. Did you see the Minister? —Yes, at 10 o'clock. 4-03. AVhere?—At the Wellington Hospital, with Colonel Robin, Dr. Barclay, Major Elliott, and Dr. Valintine. 404. AVhat were you wanted for?—He asked about the overcrowding at Berhampore. At the time we met, they 7 were still under the impression that there were a large number of patients in Berhampore Hospital. It so happened that the message T got said that T was to meet the Minister at the hospital, and T naturally concluded it was at the Berhampore Hospital, and I went to the Berhampore Hospital at 10 o'clock. AVhen the Minister did not come up I went to Ihe AVellington Hospital. Colonel Bobin and myself went over the hospital, and found there were not sixty men there. The Minister and Dr. A'alintine and others did not know that, and I told them. There were only fifty-eight on the Sunday morning.