0. DOBIZAC.]

225

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299. Then what happened ?—lt would be posted to the Defence Stores, or wherever it had to go. 300. Did you ever hear of any difficulty in getting your requisitions supplied?— Well, as regards sheets and pillow-slips there was a certain amount of difficulty : we did not get sufficient. 301. Whose fault would that be?—l do not know whose fault it would be. Everything in that line came from the patriotic societies. 302. And did you depend upon them for supplies ?—Only for those sorts of things. They said they would provide them. 303. Then, you did not send requisitions for sheets and that sort of thing to the authorities? —No, sir. 304. Did you hear that Petone residents had sent Captain Fyffe subscriptions amounting to .£lO for the purchase of hospital requirements?— Yes, sir. 305. And domestic utensils were purchased with that money? —Yes. 306. Why was it necessary to buy frying-pans and things like that for the hospital?—l do not know. I did not purchase them. 307. Did you ever know that there was a difficulty in getting these domestic utensils for the hospitals?— Well, I think if you go out there to the hospital you will find that a lot of that material which was purchased with that money is still packed in cases there. 308. AVhy was it necessary for the Petone subscriptions to be expended on the purchase of these domestic utensils by one of the Medical Officers?—l could not say, sir. The most useful things that we got with the Petone money were the sputum-mugs. 309. Were there no sputum-mugs in the hospital before these were purchased?—No, sir; we used to use tins. 310. Had it ever been suggested that, sputum-mugs were required and should have been got?— Not by the Medical Officers. 311. With respect to the sick-parade, you had a hospital marquee in part of the camp where they were held?— Yes, sir. 312. And to that, tent all men were brought who were able to come?— Yes. 313. Had the Trentham Regiments to parade in their own lines?—No, sir. 314. You did not hear of them doing so later?— No. 315. You say it was dusty in the hospital marquee : could that have been avoided in the summer-time?—l do not think so, even with wooden floors. 316. The dust would get, in?— Yes. 317. The winds were very high? —Yes. 318. And the ground was quite dry?— Yes. 319. With respect to the training of the bearer section of the Ambulance men, were you short of men after the Third Reinforcements? —Very short; we had no men at all to train. There was no recruiting for the Ambulance section. 320. But did these men who were not trained in some of the work, regarding which Dr. Alartin examined you, receive training in other work?— They received training in the nursing section, and also lectures on first aid. 321. I think you said there were no regimental stretcher-bearers?— With the reinforcements. I think there were with the Main Body. 322. What about the Trentham Regiments? —I could not say, because Ido not think they are fully trained. 323. Had you anything to do with the Berhampore Hospital?— Yes, sir. 324. What had you to do with that? —Sending patients there. 325. Did you ever accompany patients there? —Yes. 326. How were they taken ? —ln closed motor-cars. 327. You did not always go with the patients?—No, not always; but I sent the patients' away always. 328. To your knowledge, was a patient ever sent away in an open vehicle? —No, sir. 329. And when you were at Berhampore Hospital wore the men properly received and taken in there?— Yes, sir. 330. Had you anything to do with the work there?—No, only starting it with orderlies. 331. Did you put in competent men?— Well, not actually trained men, because there were three nurses there to do the nursing. We sent hospital men who were doing fatigue-work, scrubbing floors, and cleaning the place up, and one was assistant to the cook. 332. They were not, required to do trained nursing work?—No, sir. 333. They were good enough for the work they had to do?— Yes, absolutely. 334. Were your assistants at the camp competent men?— Yes, sir. The N.C.O.s were appointed by the Medical Officers, and it was their place to see that the work was done satisfactorily. 335. Did you see any signs of incompetency?—Well, these men went away as N.C.O.s, but they were not as fully trained as the men with the Main Body. They were either dispensers or attached to bearer companies outside. 336. You did not see very much of Dr. Yeates except on the morning sick-parade?— That is so. 337. Where was he during the daytime?—At his quarters. 338. And at night? —At his quarters. 339. Did you not, see him going about the camp either in the daytime or at night-time?— Very rarely he was there the whole day. " 340. With respect to these throat-brushes, if there was a shortage whose business was it to requisition for more?— The dispenser's, to let me know he was short, and the doctors' place to stop them from being used too often.

29— H. 19b.