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H. A. DE LAUTOUB.

65. You would really require two-tents space so that each tent could get a shift? —Yes. [Diagram showing spacing of tents produced and explained.] 66. What is the authority for this? —Blake Knox on " Military Sanitation and Hygiene." 67. Mr. Skerrett.] Where did you get the measurements which you have adopted in the diagram as the spacing of the Trentham tents? —I measured them myself when I was out, there by stepping across. I then asked my son what the regulations were, and he gave them to me. The streets were 13 ft, from canvas to canvas, tents 9 ft. In one diagram I have allowed for eight men to a tent, which is 6TB men to the acre, and that, is similar to Trentham Camp. 68. How many do you say 7 there should be?—lf it is a regimental camp, 330; and if a brigade camp of infantry, 262—"Military Hygiene" (Firth), page 268. 69. Mr. Ferguson.] Can you say there are that many tents to a quarter-acre?— You want to take the number of men to the acre. You must not have more than 330 men according to the regulation, for an infantry battalion, a front of 65 yards and a depth of 150. If it is an infantrybrigade it may be 262 men. The more the men the more you must scatter them, because of the greater danger in concentrating numbers together. (See Firth on " Military Hygiene," page 268.) 70. Mr. Skerrett.] Do T understand you to say you arc clear that there are areas of a quarter of an acre which have the number oi tents shown in diagram No. 2 [produced]? —That diagram No. 2 represents practically Trentham when I saw it. 71. You say that in January you are convinced there was a population of over six hundred to the acre in tents?— Yes; and that is at the rate of over 648 to the acre. 72. Mr. Ferguson.] That is to a single quarter-acre: there may 7 be adjacent quarter-acres? —I see what, you mean. 73. Mr, Skerrett.] Was there a number of quarter-acre sections which were surrounded by tents and not in any part enclosed by 7 spaces?—l understand there were no enclosed spaces'. 74. Is this photograph | produced, and marked " A "| a photograph of the camp of the Third Reinforcements ?—Yes. 75. Ts this photograph [produced, and marked " B "] a photograph of the Fourth and Fifth Reinforcements? —Yes. That was the condition of them in January. My sun was camped with the Auckland Mounted Rifles. When be first went into camp they were camped mi one side and sickness arose, and they had to vacate, that site. The site to which Ik- was removed had previously been occupied by latrines. The first row of hutments are on the site where my son was camped that is, the site of the old latrines. 'Ihe Latrines are shown in photograph "A." J met the officer of the day and showed him that photograph, and asked him if they were previously latrines, and he said, "Yes, they had been, but they were only old tin things." That was when. I went in May. In connection with the spacing of tents, 1 produce a photograph taken this year of the New Zealand camp in Egypt, and also a portion of the Australian camp in Egypt. 76. It is suggested that, the photographs arc misleading, inasmuch as the angle from which the photograph is taken may falsify apparently the spacing of the tents?—l do nol think so. I produce a photograph such as one would expect from a properly pitched camp. The. Chairman: Can you tell us, Colonel Purdy, the space at the camp? Colonel Purdy: I reckon the tent-space between I and 5 acres, and the hutments over 1 2 acres. The Chairman : A T ou had for your camp 16 or 17 acres at your disposal. Colon// Purdy: Xo ; Ihe hutment camp was pitched in an entirely different place from the tent camp. The Chairman : Bu! you had 12 acres, which was occupied by tents? Colonel Purdy: Not occupied at all. The Chairman: Then you had 16 or 17 acres available for tents? Colonel Purdy: Much mote than I hat. AYe had any amount of space—we have over 20 acres. The Chairman: AVas that for occupation purposes and I rain ing-ground '! Colonel Purdy: No; we could have at least quite that for occupation purposes if we had wanted 10. The whole question has been gone into. 77. Mr. Skerrett (Io witness).] Do you know of any local condition which required the tentspace and hutment-space in the Trentham Camp to be unduly cramped ?---No, there was plenty of room. 78. There is ample room for a proper and efficient camp? — Yes, provided it fitted in with military requirements. 79. The Chairman.] A proper camp up to how many men?— There is any amount of room over all that area. 80. Having regard Io Ihe requirements for training purposes, what do you say there is ample room for —a proper camp of how many men?— There is ample room for a proper camp of four thousand men, provided the camp is broken up and nol concentrated, The whole fault in that camp has been concentration. There must be three or four hundred acres available for the purpose. 81. Have you gone into the question of seven thousand men? —That could be done by breaking them up into small camps and keeping on moving them, T believe seven thousand men could be camped there with great care, and constantly shifting the site of tlie tents and the whole camp. It is the making of a soldier town that is the trouble. If one only thinks for one moment, seven thousand men represents the population of Petone. Fancy putting Ha-w-hole of Petone suddenly, within two or three weeks, on to one little spot and concentrating them all together in a small compass of ground! They could not live there very long without getting ill. Then- is the process of growth with seven thousand men. and every preparation must be made in advance and by degrees.