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268. Should not you have passed your suspicion on to the medical men so that it could have been investigated? —It was being investigated. I think Dr. Valintine had summoned a specialist. 269. Was Dr. Champtaloup in AVellington? —He had been summoned from Dunedin. 270. You have kept to yourself until you gave it to the Press, or spoke in the House, or came here your conclusions upon various matters, and did not think it your duty to communicate I hem to the authorities?—l would have communicated directly to the House. I asked to be allowed to make a statement. 271. First say whether you did or did not communicate your conclusions to the authorities? —To the Minister of Defence, yes. 272. In the House?— Yes. 273. Let us leave out all the interviews with the Press, the statements in the House, and the evidence here: you have not communicated the result of your investigations to the authorities?— No; it depends on what you call the authorities. Dr. Francis Wallace Mackenzie sworn and examined. (No. 49.) 1. Mr. Skerrett.] You are a medical practitioner I—Yes,1 —Yes, 2. Have you a military title? —Yes —Major. 3. What are your civil medical qualifications?—B.M., M.S., University of Edinburgh. I. How long have you been in practice in AVellington . —Twenty-eight years. 5. AVill you state your experience either on service or in connection with encampments in New Zealand or elsewhere? —I joined tlie Volunteer Force as Surgeon-Captain in 1890, and I attended every camp that, was held in Ihe Wellington Provincial District from that time until the Boer War took place. 6. And what is your experience elsewhere?— Then I went to Trentham'. 7. How long were you in camp at Trentham?—AVell, I used to be there sometimes with the contingents, and I was altogether in camp at Trentham I'm- about three or four months. 8. What years were you there?—l9ol and 1902. !). The Chairman.] That was the time when the South African contingents were being sent away? —Yes. 10. Mr. Skerrett.] AVere you in an official or military capacity in that contingent?— Captain of the Bearer Corps. 11. Will you tell me Ihe maximum number of men in the camp?— There were not many. I do not think we ever had more than five or six hundred men. 12. And the situation of the encampment was approximately the same situation as the present ? —Yes. 13. AVill you please tell me your experience elsewhere than in New Zealand?—l went to South Africa during the Boer War. and 1 was stationed at Newcastle, in Natal, after Newcastle was taken by the British. We had about eleven thousand troops (here. 14. Were they under canvas? —A r es, all of them. 15. In what medical capacity were you engaged in connection with the camp!— When 1 went there first of all I was Surgeon-Major of one of the New Zealand contingents camped there. Then afterwards 1 was appointed Assistant to the P.M.0., who was an old man, and my duties were to go round the different camps and see that everything was carried out efficiently. 16. Would you describe the Newcastle Camp as a standing camp? —Yes, in the ordinary sense of the word it was a standing camp. 17. Its occupation was intended Io be more or less of a permanent nature?— Yes. 18. One spread over months? —Yes. 19. Now, bad you in that encampment to deal with any infectious disease or any great amount of sickness? —We had to deal with infectious diseases. 20. Describe (lie general condition that you had to cope with? —We had an outbreak of measles, scarlet fever, ami a little enteric, but not much. We soon stopped it. 21. Was the outbreak of measles or scarlet, fever relatively large?— The measles came on badly. AYe bad the first time about a dozen cases reported, and two days afterwards perhaps twenty more came in, and then I got to work and dealt with it. As soon as ever I saw the first cases appear I began to prepare for isolation. I formed an isolation camp, and got tents for isolation hospitals. The first cases were sent in to the Newcastle Hospital, about four or five miles away, and tlie patients had to go in mule ambulance-wagons. They were the worst cases we had. The rest of the cases we treated ourselves in tents with floors. We made stretchers for them out of wire netting and timber, and mattresses out of si raw, and they did well in the camp. AYe bad scarlet fever in the camp too, and we treated the patients in the same way. 22. A r ou know there has been a considerable epidemic of measles and other complaints at the Trentham Camp, and I want you to state to what you generally attribute the cause of the continuation of that outbreak?— Well, I believe the, cause of the outbreak was some case of measles introduced from outside, or else infection got by a soldier from outside. It must have been introduced into the camp first of all. The reason il went on, 1 believe, was because, sufficient steps were not taken to check its progress, By the reports you will notice that in the earlier stages there were few cases —perhaps ten or a dozen and the next month twenty cases, and so on, and this epidemic was creeping on steadily. Tt was thought at the time in the camp by the Medical Officers that those eases were being introduced new from outside, but I do not think that was at all likely. These men bad been examined shortly before by medical men and certified as fit, and it was not likely they would pick up measles that would all come from outside. I believe there were fresh infections going on in the camp. A great deal has been said here about

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