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A. W. BOBIN.J

40. The Chairman.] These men were all accommodated in tents? Yes. 41. And at that time it was summer? —-Yes. 42. AVere the tents floored then ? -No. 43. Is that considered necessary? —No, it has never been considered necessary in New Zealand. I have never had it done. 44. Mr. Ferguson.] Personally, you do not consider it necessary? —No. 45. It has not been tlie usual practice?—No; but I do not say floored tents have never been Used, because in some special companies they had their floors, but, generally speaking, for all our manoeuvres we have never had floors in the tents. 46. The Chairman.] At any rate, in the field there are uo boarded floors? —No. 47. Is it material, in the course of training at the camp, to accustom the men to the conditions they may expect at the front? —1 would not say as far as that, but 1 would not accustom them to things they would not have any possibility of getting at the front. I think a happy medium might be chosen. 48. Having regard to the nature of the soil out there and the season of the year at that time, you consider that boarded wooden floors were superfluous?— They were a comfort or convenience to the men more than a necessity. The tents should be perfectly dry if they were trenched round, with the small trenches running into a central drain. 19. According to that view it is an excellent, ground upon which to pitch tents for the accommodation of troops? —Yes, sir. 50. Then the men who went into camp in October left in December, I think? —Yes. 51. And when they left was the camp left vacant or were new reinforcements coming in?— New drafts came in. 52. The camp was never vacant? No. 53. But tlie new arrivals would be kept distinct from the old hands who were there? —The Third took the place oi the Second Reinforcements, and it was decided later to increase the reinforcements by an abnormal percentage and condense them into a few months instead of spreading them over a year. The result was that we had really twice the number coming in on the Second going out. 54. But there were none of the Third in while tlie Second were there —there would be no overlapping? —The officers and N.C.O.s would be overlapping, but I would not like to say whether it was at that stage that the overlapping commenced. 55. There is some distinction to be made between the First and Second Reinforcements?— The First Reinforcements accompanied the Main Force. 56. So that the Second in the eye of the public would be the First ?—Yes, 57. The next would be the February lot, —the Thirds? —Yes. 58. For the December and. February lots there may have been overlapping? —Yes. 59. Up to December apparently 7 —with the Second—you had no (rouble -with measles or any form of sickness? —Not to any extent, not very important. 60. I mean there was nothing special in the way of measles? —No. 61. Do you remember upon what date the Firsts left in October? -Somewhere about the 2 I st, I think. 62. Were there sickness cases connected with the Second which could not go because they were in hospital?—l think that is very likely. There were cases of measles even in the Main Force. 63. The first measles case reported by the Wellington Hospital as having been received there was on 14th October? —Yes. 64. On that day eight measles patients went in, on. the 15th five measles patients, and four more up to the 30th : have you any personal recollection of the outbreak of these measles coming to your attention? —Not anything more than was reported in the usual way. 65. That would be for the medical department?— That would be for the Adjutant-General, under whom the medical arrangements were made. 66. I understand I here were cases from the "Waimana," one of the ships which conveyed the main body 7 —the measles were not from the camp: do you remember that?---Yes, I remember that measles were supposed to have come from an outside district. There were measles at Awapuni before the troops came down, if I. remember aright. 67. Then all the measles which went to the hospital were not from Ihe camp at Trentham? — No; there were measles at, Awapuni. 68. In the early part of December, apparently, there was an outbreak of measles, because twelve or thirteen cases -went into the hospital at that, time : do you remember anything in connection with that outbreak? —No, I could not give you any information about that. 69. Do you know anything more than the fact that there was a certain measles outbreak?— It would be brought before me at the time, and would be dealt with. Mr. Gray: It was on the 14th November that the first case was brought from the camp to the hospital. Mr. Salmond: They probably did not come from Trentham at all, because the men were distributed about —some were at Miramar, some at Maranui, and some at the Hutt. 70. The Chairman.] Now, following the men who went away in February, another lot went away in April?— Yes. 71. And then another lot has gone since April?- Yes. in June; they go at approximately the middle of each second month. 72. With regard to tfic health of the men, did you know there was an outbreak of measles, which became very violent? Would that be dealt with by you or by the medical authorities.?—Through the Adjutant-General, by the medical authorities. 73. The care of the sick?— Yes. Will it be of any assistance to the Commission if I gave you a statement of the duties of the various officers at general headquarters?

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