W. H. TOWELL. 1

235

H.—l9b.

11.9. During the present week ? —Yes. 120. Speaking of the sanitary conveniences, you say you saw the water-closet pipe blocked ?—■ No, it was apparently in the habit of getting blocked at certain times ; and, I should say, because of the mess on the floor, that it was in the habit of overflowing, although I never saw it overflowing. 121. Were you on duty at the time or a patient ?—I was on duty. 122. Did you make any complaint to any one about it ?—Yes, I told the corporal in charge of the hospital about it, and he could see it himself. 123. Was that fixed up all right ?—No, it went on for several days, and then I went to bed, and saw no more about it. 124. With respect to the men who you say went outside : that was their own affair, I suppose ? —Yes, absolutely. There was nothing to stop them. Tho only complaint they made was that there were not sufficient conveniences to go round to prevent them getting up. 125. There were a great many patients, were there not ? —Yes, two hundred and seventy or three hundred at times. 126. You were given ten days' sick-leave to go home and get well, I understand ?—Yes. 127. Why did you elect to go to a hotel ? —Because I could not get home. I understood at camp I was discharged, and I could not get a boat till Tuesday night. 128. Your homo is not in Wellington ?—No ; my people are staying hero. 129. You went to bed eventually at your mother's house ? —Where she is staying. 1.30. When you spoke of home, you meant out of Wellington ? —Yes. 131. Could you not have gone to where your mother was staying in the first instance ? —Well, I do not know that I could, exactly. There were difficulties about my getting a room at the house at the time. 132. Mr. Ferguson.] You said you were on night duty ?—Yes. 133. Were you on night duty all the time ? —Yes, with one exception, when I took afternoon duty. 134. How many hours were you on for ? —Just six hours and a half —from midnight till half past 6 in the morning. 135. And the only light you had was a stable-lantern and one candle ?—I had one candle ; and any one else who wanted a light would have to improvise some candle-holder. 136. There was no general light for the whole place I—No.1 —No. Harold Lockwood sworn and examined. (No. 59.) 1. Mr. Skerrett!] Where do you reside ?-—At Island Bay. 2. What are you ? —A builder and contractor. 3. How long have you been in the building trade ?—Very nearly thirty years. 4. Do you know Trentham well ? —Yes. 5. Have you built houses there ?- -Yes. 6. Were you employed as a carpenter in the erection of the hutments at Trentham Camp ?—Yes. 7. How long were you there ? —Just upon five weeks. 8. Have you had previous experience elsewhere than in New Zealand in the erection of huts ? —Yes. 9. Where ?—ln South Africa during the Boer War. 10. How many huts did you erect in South Africa ?—I erected seven in Simon's Town and fourteen on Cape Point Common at Capetown for the Imperial Royal Engineers. 11. Can you tell me the holding-capacity of the huts you erected for the Imperial Army in South Africa —how many men they were designed to accommodate ? —lt is some years ago, but very nearly the same number at these here ought to hold—about fifty men. 12. Can you remember their general dimensions ? —Yes, they were about 60 ft. by 30 ft., and the height 10 ft. in the clear, inside. 13. Gable-roofed ?—Yes. 14. Were they constructed of wood ?—Wood and iron. 15. Were they lined ? —No. 16. Was the iron painted or unpaiated ? —Unpainted. 17. Do you consider yourself qualified to express an opinion about tho Trentham hutments ? —■ I do, certainly. 18. What is your opinion about them ?—No doubt they are all right in the way of a building, but Ido not think they are suitable for what they are intended. They could have been arranged far better in the way of height and ventilation, and the position they are placed in. 19. Their relative positions to one another ?—Yes. 20. In regard to the ventilation, first, what have you to say about that ?—I do not think there was any need for that second lot of ventilation on the walls. 21. The Chairman.] You mean the openings along the eaves ?---Where the rafters come down on the wall of the building, that makes 4 in. of space. That was quite sufficient without putting the second ventilation of 6 in. underneath that again. Practically they get 10 in. of ventilation all round. 22. On four sides ? —No, two sides. 23. Mr. Skerrett.] Was that in your opinion excessive ?•— Yes. 24. You have lived in one ? —Yes. There are 4 in. on the top where the rafter comes down, and underneath there is 6 in., which makes a total of 10 in. 25. You are satisfied it is 10 in. ? —I would not be certain. 26. We had evidence it was 4 in. ? —No, that is not right. I would not like to be too sure of an inch. At any rate, there is between 8 in. and 10 in. of ventilation.