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[h. t. J. THACKEE.

100. The latrines are detached from that? —The water had all to be carried up from down below. Sister Hanna told me that that was one of the greatest inconveniences and troubles. There was no telephone, which was, to my mind, a dire necessity. I believe there was no telephone when Colonel Purdy took that place. 101. Was there any water laid on in the main building?— Not when I was there. T saw the men carrying it up. That was on the 29th June. 102. But there were sinks in the main building: plan shows the water-supply— \ in. to the main building?— The sister told me that that was a great, inconvenience. I would like to say that my whole procedure in this matter has been from a humanitarian point of view. 103. The Chairman!] We were dealing with the question of the telephone at Berhampore?— Yes. There has been a gross lack, of telephone communication throughout the whole business—to the tea-kiosk, and to the hospitals in general, and at, the camp. There has been a great, lack of method in replying to the inquiries of relatives and friends in regard to sick men at all the places. I have had innumerable telegrams asking me to get, information as to their well-being, and I have had to do that through the Minister by getting him to wire. Then again, at the tea-kiosk last, Saturday 7 Dr. Crawford told me it, was a terrible strain on his valuable time running to and fro to the telephone-box, because while there they would be unhitched and they would be there for twenty minutes or half-an hour, and the same thing would happen at, this' end. 104. They want an orderly to attend to the telephone? —Yes. Direct telephone communication to the doctor could have been put through to the tea-kiosk where he is doing his work, and also into other parts. It only means a system of one telephone with a system of plugs. The doctor could put his plug in and get connected right through. To come back to Berhampore: the place was a cold, bleak, dreary place —no place to put sick men in at all, and no place to have a hospital of any kind. T might say that the measles men who were recovering were doingordinary work. The semi-sick men were attending on those laid up, and that has been a general thing right throughout the whole business. On Saturday when T was at the camp a great many men who were on sick-leave complained that they were put to do nurse-orderly work and fatiguework amongst the sick men. That is an absolutely wrong thing: those men should be put as far away from the sick men as possible. In the general ward at, Berhampore were mostly men who were in bed. There were two sick men. Pollard and Fordham, whom I was directly interested in, especially Pollard. Fordham had septic pneumonia. They were both lying in stretcher beds right under the windows. There was no attempt made at warming the atmosphere, and a man with septic trouble in his chest or anything like that, should have warm air. These cases, which are called septic pneumonia, are really bronchial pneumonia, and in all eases of bronchitis an up-to-date treatment is to have tents over the bed and have medicated steam blowing in all the time to warm the atmosphere. There was nothing of that sort done either there or at the Victoria Ward. I suppose they did not have the means. 105. Mr. Ferguson!] They would have the means at, the Wellington Hospital?—No; they were overrun with sickness. This was an epidemic. 106. Dr. Martin!] You say there should have been tents over them? —Yes; canopies over the sick. 107. That is open to question?— That is a medical opinion—it is my opinion. 108. That is your opinion, but other men do not do it?—l think in this cold place it would have been a good addition in Berhampore. There is another thing, that all the lavatory excretions from the patients had to be carried down to the two water-closets that were not in workingorder when I was there. Also, there were stalls in stables : T did not see them being used, but there were stable-stalls at Berhampore in which there had been four patients. 109. Mr. Ferguson.] Are you sure of that? The nurse we had before the Commission said there were none in the stables; they were in the men's room attached to the, stable, but none in the stable or coach-house?—l did not see the men there, but that is the statement made to me by the same authority. I think that is all, sir, T have to say about Trentham. 110. The Chairman.] With regard to Fordham and Pollard, they were admitted on the Friday and you saw them on the Tuesday?— Yes. They were excessively ill when I saw them. T saw their charts. They both died, T think. 111. The temperature on the Tuesday had gone up to 105?— That was after T had been there ; it was about 102 1 when I was there in the morning. T took it from the chart, which the nurse showed me. I saw they were both going to die. Fordham was more ill than Pollard. T was there really to see Pollard at the behest of his brother. His brother had also asked Captain Harrison to have me in consultation, but T told the brother that I could not go there professionally tinless I had the right from Dr. Harrison, who was the doctor in charge. 112. T think Dr. Herbert went? —Yes. T do not see why there was any reason I should not have gone, because these people had been patients of mine in Christchurch, and they had come to me as their medical man. After I saw Pollard T told his brother T did not, think there was very much hope for him. 113. Mr. Ferguson.] You saw Nurse Hanna there?— Yes. 114. Did she strike you as a capable woman?—! think she was a very fine, capable woman, but I do not think she had the assistance she should have had. She told me that the sick convalescent men had done all they could for her. 115. The Chairman.] It was said there were only about eight or nine in that ward, with three nurses, who took it in turns to watch right through the twenty-four hours?— Yes, apparently 7. There were 104 patients one time. 116. They could not have attended properly to all those?— She was the only nurse I saw there; there were no others when I was there. 117. There were two others?— Then they must have been sleeping when T was there. Tn connection with Pollard's case, of course, y 7 ou have followed it right, through.