H.—l9b.

168

[\V. L. SOLOMON

131. The You might have a tap instead of dipping it out?— Yes. 132. Mr. Salmond.] How many men is one dixie of tea supposed to supply tea to? —Twelve. 133. Dr. Martin.] Did you not have canteens? —No; we had to use mugs, and each man had to dip his own tea out from the dixie. 134. You can boil and do everything else with a canteen?—l did not have much to do with the canteen. 135. You were not provided with canteens? —No, I never saw any. 136. Mr. Salmond.] Were you supplied with any soap?—No, we had to buy our own, and still have to. We had to buy our own tea-towels to wipe the dishes up, and buy pepper and salt. We passed the hat round at Trentham and put in 6d. each for pepper and salt, and teatowels for drying the dishes after washing them. 137. Dr. Martin.] Were they not provided?—No; we still have to provide our own. We put in 6d. each when we want anything. 138. Mr. Salmond.] There were no appliances there for drying the clothes or boots?— No. 139. Did you go about at any time with wet, clothes? —Yes; we were obliged to when we had only one suit to wear. 140. But you had an overcoat? —Yes, a big coat. 141. Would not that keep your uniform dry?—lt would for a, certain time, but as the rain came on it would get wet in a certain time. 142. Has that happened to you?— Yes; the overcoat got wet through, but not the whole lot. I have been wet through to the legs. 143. Has your tunic or the upper part of the body been wet through? —No, not wet right through. 144. It did not reach your skin? —No. 145. But it has been too wet to wear comfortably?— Yes, but not what you call wet through. 146. Mr. Ferguson.] You do not wear a tunic in camp —you only wear linen? —We were in camp for over a fortnight before we had the uniform. 147. But you had tlie overcoat? —Yes, the first night we went into camp. 148. Mr. Salmond.] If your big coat got, thoroughly wet, how were you going to get it dry?— We would have to wait till the, dry weather came. When we came back from parade'we had orders one day to fold the palliasses and the blankets, and put them on the palliasses, and then fold the big coats and put them on the blankets. I had to fold mine one day when it was very wet, and put it on the blankets. 149. Was that practice continued? —It was continued until we complained about it, to the sergeant. 150. Was there any place where y 7 ou could hang up wet clothes?—lf you hung them up on the rafters the water would drop down. 151. There were no lines for the clothes to be stretched and hung up?—No; the only line we had was a small line outside, which we fixed up for ourselves. 152. Were y 7 ou allowed to hang up wet clothes-on the tent-ropes?—AVe were in huts. 153. Do you know what was the practice in the tents: where were the clothes hung up?—l do not know. I heard they were not allowed to hang them up to the tent-poles, but whether that, is right or not I cannot say. 154. What about boots and trousers : did you go about in them wet? —Yes. I was out on parade, and it came on very wet. I got wet through from the knees down, and that afternoon we had a lecture, and I had to sit down in wet dungarees all that afternoon. 155. Could you not have changed the wet trousers for uniform trousers? —We did not have the uniform then. We had been in camp close on three weeks before getting the uniform. 156. So that for three weeks you only had one set? —Yes. 157. Was the rest of the battalion in the same position : how many men had not got their uniforms for three weeks?— None in the Ist Battalion got their uniforms for close on three weeks. 158. The Chairman.] They simply had the linen clothes and those they brought with them?— Yes. 159. Mr. Ferguson.] You had your private clothes with you? —Yes, in the kit-bags. It was not much use getting them out, because they were wrapped up in a bag, and they would be as bad as the dungarees. 160. Mr. Salm,ond.] Were you prohibited from wearing them? —I do not think they 7 allowed us to wear civilian clothes. 161. Mr. Ferguson.] You signed for your clothes as you got them?— Yes, for everything. 162. So that the books or cards would show the date on which the men got their clothes?— Yes. It may not be exactly three weeks, but, between a fortnight and three weeks. To give you an idea, when Pollard went into the hospital he had not had his uniform. 163. And never got it?— No. 164. Mr. Salmond.] Did you wear wet boots and socks?— Yes, I was obliged to. 165. How many pairs of socks were issued to y 7 ou ?—Two pairs. 166. Were they both wet at the same time? —One pair would be wet, and before you could got that pair dry the other pair would be wet. They would be both wet at the same time. 167. So that you had not a dry pair of socks to wear? —-No, you could not dry them, because we had no place. 168. The Chairman.] They 7 have marquees and driers now?— Yes. I have not tried it, but I think it would take a long time if you all went with greatcoats. It is a very small affair. 169. Mr. Salmond.] Did y 7 ou ever attend sick-parade when at Trentham? —No. 170. Did you ever see it?— Yes; the last day I was there I saw some men outside the marquee waiting to be admitted.