E. YEATES. J

153

H.—l9b.

should be ventilated ?—I consider that I have suffered an injustice which affects every expeditionary officer, and what, has been done to me may be done to any other officer. Ido pot desire to bring this matter further before the Commission, unless His Honour desires. 93. Mr. Ferguson.] Are you a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons?—A Fellow and a Licentiate. 94. A Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland?— Yes, sir. 95. Dr. Martin.] In your opinion were the Ambulance orderlies trained?— No. 96. Did you see any instructions being given Io the Ambulance orderlies?—l have no knowledge of any. 97. Were you attached at any time to the Ambulance at Trentham?—No, I do not know that I was. 98. Were you never given any specific duties? —No; I saw my name marked down as Sanitary Officer, and I did that work, but I had not specific orders. 99. Did you hear of any lectures or instructions being given to the orderlies in nursing duties ? —Never. 100. The Chairman.] AVas there any recognized or regular dispenser there? —In my time there were two very 7 good men. The name of one was Edwards, but I cannot remember the name of the other. They were both very good men. 101. Were the dispensary 7 arrangements adequate?— They were very crude. 102. I suppose it was a dispensing-tent?— The dispensing-marquee was also used for dressing. 103. Dr. Martin.] AVhat arrangements existed for the reception of the sick in the camp?— When I went into camp there was a marquee right, in the middle, near to headquarters, which had a few straw mattresses on the ground and stretchers. 104. How long did those arrangements last? —They only lasted for about three or four weeks, and then they 7 began to get some bedsteads. The arrangements for the reception of the sick were altered a few days afterwards by Major Holmes, who had a marquee put up for the reception of the sick and another for the inspection of the sick. TO5. You are quite definite in regard to that charge that throat-brushes were used on one man and then dipped in hot water before being used on another man?— Certainly. 106. What was the trouble with the men's throats at that time?— They 7 had septic sore throats. 107. Do you know why they did that : were they short of brushes?— They said they 7 could not get them; that was the only answer I got. 108. They had tried to get more brushes but could not, do so?— That was what they said. 109. You understand that they had applied to the A.D.M.S. for them, and they could not, get them?— They told me they had done so. 110. The Chairman.] That, was the orderlies? —Yes. 111. Dr. Martin.] The Medical Officer did not tell you that?—No; the Medical Officer did not say that. 112. The Chairman.] But did the other Medical Officers know that this was going on?— Yes, they did. I spoke about it. 113. Did they not interfere or take some steps to stop it?— That T cannot say. 114. Would it not have been better to have refrained from washing the men's throats altogether if you could not have done it with a fresh brush?— Most undoubtedly. 115. Do you not, think the Medical Officers would have seen to the matter if-they had been fully aware of it? —T do not think T would like to criticize the Medical Officers. ' 116. Dr. Martin.] This is merely a statement of the facts? —Yes, T certainly think they might have done something. 117. The Chairman.] What sort of brushes were they using for doing this throat-painting? —Camel-hair brushes. 118. Dr. Martin.] You are definite about the statement, that men suffering from measles, or contacts, had their mates, who were not infected, coming over to the isolation camp and talking to them? —I have seen them. 119. Mr. Salmond.] But were there measles patients in the isolation camp?—No, measlescontacts. 120. The Chairman.] AYe understood that there was nothing of the sort, but that some men were reported to have escaped: was it not a breach of discipline for this to take place? —That I am not prepared to say, because the men may not have known better. 121. Dr. Martin.] Was there a guard over this isolation camp?— Not for a considerable time. 122! Do you know when the guard was put on ?—Some time in February; I am not prepared to swear as' to the exact date. 123. The Chairman.] It was while you were there?— Yes. 124. We had a letter'from a correspondent who said that one of the causes of the illness was that the men would go home to the camp drunk and lie out all night in the open : did you crime across any instances of that?— No. sir; T think they were a very sober lot of men. 125. Mr. Ferguson.] You said that Edwards was a good dispenser: what rank had he?—He came in as a corporal, I think. 126 Do you know whether he had previous experience?—! know that he was working in the hospital at Samoa for a considerable time before, and he was a very intelligent fellow. The other man. whose name I do not, remember, was also a good man. 127 But T suppose it takes more than intelligence to make a dispenser : you must have knowledge?— You must have knowledge, of course, but intelligence helps you 12R Were they untrained chemists or trained chemists, or men with no knowledge?— Several of the men had no knowledge at all. One or two of them did not know what they were doing.

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