G. G. PEABSON.J

245

H.—l9b

29. Just tell us what happened when he visited you : can you recollect ? —The sergeant called out my name in the ward. I was lying on the bed, dressed, and I went to the sergeant, and he said there was a visitor, wanted to see me downstairs. I went downstairs and found it was Mr. Hornsby. He said that my people had not been able to get word of me since I had been taken ill. I had written on the Tuesday night before I was taken ill. 30. When you were taken ill : that would be before you went into the loose-box ? —Yes. That was the last they had heard of me. 31. You yourself had not written ? —No. They had become anxious and asked Mr. Hornsby if he could do anything to find me out—which he did. While, he, was there he asked me how I had got on, and I told him that I did not remember anything for three days, and, by the remarks the doctor passed to the nurse, that I was pneumonical, because he sounded me. 32. Who was it . —I could not say exactly which doctor it was. 33. At Kaiwarra . —No, at Wellington Hospital. He sounded me, and that night I had a plaster put on my left side, at the back. 34. But you got better ? —Yes. 35. You did not have pneumonia, really ? —No ; almost, I suppose. 36. I see they put you down at the Wellington Hospital as having had measles only ? —Yes. I do not remember having measles when I was in the trainers' quarters or in the bunk ; but when I came to myself you could not see a white spot on me : I was covered. 37. You came into the Wellington Hospital ou a Monday, then ? —I could not say when they brought me in. 38. They say you came to on the 28th June : that was a Monday. You do not know how long you were in the Wellington Hospital before you recovered consciousness ?—All I can say is that it was Saturday evening when I lost consciousness. 39. That would be from the Saturday to the Monday ? —lt was till the Tuesday. 40. Then you must have come to on the 29th ?—I did not know what date it was until I asked a man lying next to me. 41. You were not taken from Trentham to Kaiwarra : you were taken from Trentham to Wellington Hospital ?—Yes. When I told Mr. Hornsby he evidently misunderstood me and thought I said I had been taken from Trentham to Kaiwarra, because I saw in the paper of the next day that he had said that. 42. Did you tell him that you had been unconscious for three days ? —Yes. 43. That was a mere guess on your part, was it not ? -No, sir. 44. The Wellington Hospital record it as the 28th, not the 29th, as you have it. Satuiday was the 26th. That is the date that it is said you went into Wellington Hospital ?—-It was on the Saturday that I went into Wellington Hospital. 45. However, that clears the matter up as regards Mr. Hornsby. He made a mistake as to tho place ?—Yes. 46. But it is a fact that your parents did not hear ?-— That is the main thing. 47. They did not hear until you got to Kaiwarra ? —That is so. 48. And were found by* Mr. Hornsby ? That is so. 49. You yourself had not written ? —When I went into the hospital I had not a penny with me, and I did not know any one from whom I could borrow to buy writing-material. 50. Do they not provide writing-material ?—Yes, but this was when I was taken ill. I went out of camp on a Wednesday : that was our pay-day. 51. Had you no writing-material at Kaiwarra ? —No. 52. Up to the time you left . —About four days before I got out of Kaiwarra I met a friend and he gave me two letter-cards. 53. There was nothing provided for you ?—Nothing provided: you had to provide your own. My writing-material had been left in the box where we keep our odds and ends in the tent. 54. Dr. Martin.] Did you ask the nurse at Wellington Hospital to send word ?—No. 55. You know that is usually done by a patient ?—I did not like to ask the nurse, as I had nothing to pay with. 56. Did you make any effort to send word to your people ? —As soon as I could get material I sent word ; but I had no money to pay for it and did not know any one there. 57. You had not money to pay for a stamp ? —No, not a penny on me. 58. Mr. Gray.] What is your complaint ?—I have no complaint to make. 59. You have no complaint to make against the camp authorities, or the hospital authorities, or doctors, or nurses, or orderlies :is that so ? —I have no complaint. 60. You told Dr. Martin that you did not ask the nurse at Wellington Hospital to write a letter for you to your people. Had you asked anybody at the kiosk hospital or elsewhere to send word for you ?—At the kiosk I got a reply-paid telegram from my people. 61. Did you send a reply ? —Yes. I told them I was in hospital but thought I was getting on all right. 62. Then when you were ill subsequently in another hospital you did not ask anybody to write or send word for you ?—No ; I did not like the idea of asking strangers. 63. So the net result is that you have no personal complaint to make about anybody ?—That is so. 64. And you are not responsible for the advertisement about your name ? —No. The whole trouble arose through my not having the money to buy any writing-material. [At this stage the Chairman read communications which had been received from the Rev. D. C. Bates, regarding the ventilation of the hutments at Trentham, and from Mr. P. G. Morgan, Director of Geological Surveys, with reference to Trentham as a site for a camp. See appendix.]