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[P. YV. MACKENZIE.

the British Army books. Now, I saw a little about the British Army when in Africa, and lam perfectly convinced that their rules and regulations, and especially their method of carrying them out, want altering absolutely. I do not believe the officers here are any more to blame than the officers are to blame for what goes on in England. There is no preparation beforehand for what is almost sure to happen in stationary camps. The men are crowded together, as many as 640 and 650 to the acre, and we know that crowding men in large numbers in a small space in itself predisposes to illness, and then no provision is made for dealing with those epidemics on the spot. My experience has been that transporting measles cases over a distance is very unfavourable to the case. Tlie only cases of pneumonia that we had in Newcastle following measles occurred in the base hospital, where they had been sent some miles. 23. Do you think that provision should have been made at the outset, of the establishment of the Trentham Camp for hospital accommodation in case of sickness? —Some hospital accommodation, not a great deal. 24. The Chairman.] That is, not for an epidemic? —No. 25. But for ordinary camp maladies? —Yes, what they used to call a "field hospital" in the old days. They call it a " base hospital " now in France. You can call it what you like, the name does not matter. 26. Mr. Skerrett.] Are you prepared to express an opinion as to the measure of hospital accommodation which should have been provided in this standing camp without any reference to the outbreak of an epidemic—any ratio? —The number of beds provided per man in a hospital in a standing camp would depend upon Ihe distance you would be removed from the principal base hospital. 27. You suggest, I understand, that, the ratio to population of a standing camp would depend upon local conditions?— Yes. 28. And you would not like to say definitely what it ought to be? —No. 29. You have already said, and we know, that from November to March there was an increasing quantity 7of sickness in the camp, increasing month by month, and including infectious diseases and measles : what do you think should have been done, and by whom, in thai connection ?- -AVell, T believe it is the duty of the Quartermaster-General to attend to those things. 30. AVhat should he do? —He should have instructed the Principal Medical Officer to take steps to control the epidemic. 31. In what manner to control the epidemic?—By quarantine regulations and isolation of the cases. 32. The great complaint made about the medical side at Trentham is that they 7 saw the epidemic coming on and they made no adequate provision for the proper treatment of the cases? — Ido not think there was really anybody 7to do the work at Trentham. As far as I can find out one gentleman was appointed at a salary of £150 a year, and then he had to earn his own living in other ways. 33. The Chairman.] You are speaking of the Administrative Officer?— Yes. He did not have enough to live on, and had to do something else. He had to be down here examining soldiers, and T do not think he could be called upon to stop this epidemic. I do not know whether the Quartermaster-General called upon him to do so or not. Tt seems to me it is not, the fault of any particular individual, but the fault of the way that these things arc always managed, that we began without any organization. AYe put men into positions who are not, capable of filling them efficiently, and we did not, pay them enough money to enable them to live. The saving of a few pounds has been effected at the risk of the men. 34. Mr. Skerrett.] You are speaking in a general way, and referring entirely to the general military operations?— Yes; I do not want to cast any 7 reflection on anybody in connection with this camp, because I do not think anybody is responsible : it is the result of a general muddle. You must look at, the characteristics of the people you are dealing with in order to find out how the things happened. 35. Have you got anything to say 7 about, the desirability during the time Trentham was occupied by an encampment of shifting the camp-site by degrees and from time to time? —Well, opinions differ to some extent, but the Japanese, who are the greatest medical authorities in military matters, shift camps often. They shift the site of the tents- often. They 7 will take a tent up and move it to the next site opposite or beside, ami the next one a tent-distance away to use a fresh piece of ground, and then move it back again after a fortnight or three weeks. 36. What is y 7 our opinion about that? —Well, if the weather is suitable and dry it is a good plan to do it—after the weather has been dry for two or three days. 37. But, in had weather? —T would take the ten! up. burn Ihe straw and sweep the site, and put the tent back again, with fresh straw. By that means you pretty well kill all the little chaps in the straw that get into the men's clothes. That could be done always when fresh drafts came in. Either the, tents should lie shifted and fresh straw put in. or the tent lifted and the site cleaned and fresh straw put in. 38. That, relates to the shifting of the individual tents Io a new place: do you think the further precaution is necessary namely, of shifting all sections of the tents to entirely new situations from time to time?— Yes, that ought always to be done. 39. Tell the Commission what you think about that?—l do not think a body of men should occupy one set camp—T mean one site on the same spot or a number of acres, say, an area for an indefinite time. 40. AVhat do you mean by " indefinite time"? -I think at least once in every three months it would be a good plan to shift camp. AYe used to shift once in every six weeks in South Africa. 41. The Chairman.] AVas that because the Boers drove you off? —No: we were in a stationary camp. AA r e shifted camp for various reasons; sometimes we had horses, and we used to burn the