161

H.- 19b

W. C. POLLABD.J

25. What reply did you get to the telegram?— The reply we got was dated the 28th June, 3.4 p.m. : " John in Berhampore Hospital with pneumonia—not serious." 26. The He was in Berhampore then? —He was removed from Kaiwarra to Berhampore. 27. What did you hear next?—We got a telegram: "Your son, J. W. Pollard, dangerously ill at Berhampore Hospital, Wellington." As far as they were concerned we were not supposed to know that he was ill up till then. 28. What was the date of that?— Tuesday, 29th June. 29. Mr. Ferguson.] That is signed by ?—" Thos. Harrison,' Captain, N.Z.M.C." 30. At what hour was that sent? —2.50 p.m. It, says, "From Trentham M.C.," and is numbered 1008. 31. Is that the only communication you received from the authorities? —Yes, sir. 32. Mr. Salmond.] Did you not even get a letter announcing his death? —We were here at his death. 33. After he died was any intimation received by you? —We were here when he died. We got a wire from the Hon. Mr. Allen expressing sympathy about four days after he died. 34. On receipt of that telegram you came up to Wellington?— Yes, I caught the boat that night. I was waiting to come on the Saturday night —I had my bag packed up ready. On the Monday we got a wire, " Not serious," so I thought there was no occasion to come. 35. On the AA 7 ednesday morning you went to the hospital?—l rang up and asked how he was, and they said he was very, very seriously ill. 36. You rang up Berhampore? —Yes, the telephone was on, but they did not know the number at, first at the Exchange. 37. Did you go out and see him?— Yes, as soon as we had breakfast. 38. AVhere was he—in the main building?— Yes, in the main building, just inside the door. 39. Was he conscious? —Well, he was sometimes conscious and sometimes delirious. He told me he had been having a terrible " scrap " with some Germans outside. 40. He knew you? —Yes; but he was very ill, and we should have been notified before. 41. How long were you with him that day? —The nurse told me we were only to stay a few minutes. 42. Dr. Martin.] What nurse was that? —I do not know her name. 43. At what, hour were you out there? —Between 9 and 10, I think. 44. Mr. Salmond.] Was he comfortable and being properly looked after? —Well, he was in a cot, and he had three blankets on him, and that is all I can say. He had a spittoon on a chair, but apparently 7 everything did not go into it, for there was some phlegm on the wall, alongside the cot. 45. Did the ward look clean?—No; the floor looked as if it, had never been scrubbed: it had a dirty appearance. 46. The boards were not white?— They were not, clean : it would not be necessary for them to be white to be clean. 47. They would have been made cleaner if they 7 had been washed?— Yes. I saw them going along with a mop here and there, but that is not what I call washing the floor. 48. Had you any other complaints to make about the hospital, apart from the cleanliness? —I did not see any sanitary arrangements. 49. The Chairman.] There were bed-pans there, I suppose?—l never saw them. 50. Mr. Salmond.] How many minutes were you there? —Half an hour in the morning and over an hour in the afternoon —that is, in the ward. 51. Was there proper attention being given to the men? —No; he was just lying there, with nobody round him. There was a screen alongside of him. 52. There were nurses or orderlies there? —Yes, there were nurses there; but my impression was that he should not have been in such a place as that. 53. You tried to get your own doctor to go there? —Yes, that is so. I asked the nurse the first morning I was there whether she thought I could get another doctor up to see him. 54. Why 7 did you wish that? —Because I did not feel satisfied with the way that he looked. 55. Were you satisfied with the medical attention? —I wanted to know how he had developed into such a serious condition in such a short time —only twenty-four hours after we had been told his case was not serious. 56. You were afraid that he was not being properly attended to?— Yes. 57. Did they 7 object to any other doctor going there? —Yes; the nurse said I could do nothing until I rang up Dr. Harrison. T got Dr. Thacker, and asked him to go up and see my brother, and let me have a report on his case. I got Dr. Thacker first before I got Dr. Harrison on the telephone. AVhen I got Dr. Harrison on the telephone I asked him what was his opinion of my brother, and he said that he was in a very critical condition. T said that if his condition was not too critical to be moved I would like to put him in a private hospital. He said, " AA r e object to have any civilian interference." Those were his words. He said that if they had the relatives of every patient coming interfering it would upset things. 58. He did not object, I suppose, to the patient being removed to a private hospital?— The words he used were that he objected to any civilian interference. 59. He was objecting to any other doctor coming into the hospital? —He said that my brother was not fit to be removed. 60. But when he spoke about the civilian interference he did not, mean that he would not tolerate a sick soldier being removed from that hospital? —I have told you what he said —you cannot get anything else out of those words.

21— H. 19b.