H.—l9l*.

166

W. P. SOLOMON.

58. And 1 suppose there would be several corporals?—No, I think they were short of corporals. There were two corporals: Bisman was one, and the other man has been discharged through bad health. 59. Mr. Salmond.] Do you know the name of the Lieutenant?— Yes, Mr. Wili'ord. 60. The Chairman.] Has the Lieutenant to see that you are billeted : has he to see that the huts have sufficient men in them or insufficient men ?—1 do not know. 1 never heard him say anything. He comes round to see if the tucker is all right. 61. Mr. Ferguson.] Does he come in at night-time?— Yes, he used to come once; but Mr. Wilford has been on sick-leave most of the time I have been at Trentham. 62. Mr. Salmond.] What did you find the hut like as far as ventilation and draughts were concerned?— There was plenty of ventilation. The ventilation seemed the wrong way. The draught seemed to be coining up from the floor round the body. 63. Were you cold at nights?— Yes, some nights. 64. Did the other men complain of feeling cold ?—Yes. 65. Did you ever see Private Pollard in the camp ?—Y'es, I saw him. 66. Was he a friend of yours?— Yes; we came up from Christchurch together. 67. AVhat hut was he living in?—l do not know his number; he was in the 2nd Battalion, Trentham Regiment. 68. He did not go into camp the same time as you?— Yes, we came together. 69. Did he say anything to you on any occasion about his equipment and what he had been supplied with?—He told me that all he had the first night was three blankets and a groundsheet. It got so late they could not stop to issue more equipment, and they were given what they needed that night. 70. Did he say anything about his boots?— Yes; when I saw him a day or two afterwards he told me he had been wearing his private shoes because he had not had any military boots given to him. 71. It was not the next day?—No; I did not see him for two or three days, because we got mixed up. He had not got his boots then, and he told me he had wet feet. 72. You are positive he told you he had not got his boots?-—Yes. 73. Did you see he was not wearing them?— Yes; when he told me he had not got his boots I told him I had a pair of boots with me that he could have till he got his military boots. He did not get his military boots for about a week, and was wearing his own shoes. 74. Did he bring the boots back to you?—l went down to his hut and got them. 75. When was that? —About a week after being in camp, or eight days after. 76. Did he complain of having wet feet?— Yes, the first time I saw him; that was why I lent him the boots. You could not do anything else but complain of wet feet in a place like that. 77. Did you know anything about the state of his health when in Trentham? —I only saw him the once. He went into ihe Trentham Hospital on the Thursday afternoon. I went to the hut on the Thursday night to inquire for him, and they told me he had gone to the hospital. 78. That would be about a week or ten days after you were there?—No; it would be over a fortnight. 79. You went to his hut to see him and was informed he was in the hospital?— That is right. I went to the hospital gate on the Thursday night and the guard told me I could not see him; I would have to wait till Sunday, because there was only one visiting-day a week, and that was Sunday. 80. Did you go on the Sunday?— Yes, and saw him. 81. AVhat hospital was he in?—lt was a house. 82. Was it the tea-kiosk? —No, it was the first place as you go in the gate. I should say it was the jockeys' or trainers' quarters. 83. What was the matter with him when you saw him?—He had a very bad cold and a bad throat. I went to the orderly and inquired what part of the hospital he was in, and they told me he was in No. 11 room. 84. AVas he in a large ward with other patients? —No, just two men in a small room. 85. Was he comfortable? —AVell, so far as I know he did not make any complaints as regards the bed. 86. Was the place clean? —Yes, the place was clean. When I got there I found the door closed and the window closed, and rather a heavy atmosphere, and I opened the window myself when I was there. 87. AVere both those men suffering from colds? —Yes, and they were both coughing and spitting. They would lean their heads over and spit on the floor. There was a piece of paper by my friend's side of the bed, but whether that got there by accident or not I could not say. 88. Was he spitting on that? —Yes. The other man was spitting on the floor. 89. The Chairman.] Was any nurse or orderly about? —I did not see any nurse. 90. Or any orderly ?—I believe an orderly did put his head in the door and say something and go away. 91. Mr. Salmond.] Pollard made no complaint to you?—He did not make any complaint to me, but he had not been in the hospital very long then. He would have been there two clear days. 92. I believe that subsequent, to that visit you got a telegram from Mr. Pollard asking you to make inquiries about Private Pollard ?—That was after I had written to Pollard saying I had seen the brother in the hospital. Then I got a telegram from Mr. Pollard on Saturday, the 26th. 93. What did the telegram say?— Saying that they were very anxious about their brother, and would like to know how lie was getting on. When I came back from parade the telegram was waiting between 4 and 5 o'clock, and the guard would not let me into the hospital unless I had a pass. I went back again and waited till 8 o'clock, when he agreed to let me in as a