H.—l9b.

252

[s. WELDON.

20. What is your idea of what it should be ? —My idea is to divert the draught into a different channel —that is, instead of having the draught running about parallel with the table—it is striking down on the table and.onjthe men in bed, which is injurious to health —my idea is to force the draught into the ceiling so that it will be above the men altogether. If you were in a hut for an afternoon you would know it next day. 21. Are now ?—I could bejbetter, but I am well enough to go on with my duty. 22. You do not think you are bad enough to report . —No. 23. How long have you been like this . —I have been ill more or less for the last three months. 24. You ought to get a thorough overhaul ? —I was examined after going into camp, and I got an overhaul after coming back from eight days' leave. I came back about a week ago, and was overhauled then by one of the doctors. 25. Who was the doctor who saw you when on sick-parade ? —I could not tell you ;he was a young fellow. 26. How many doctors were there at the time ? —Only the one, as far as I could see. 27. And about a hundred and fifty men to attend to ? -Yes, all waiting their turn. 28. Tlie Chairman.] You wanted to say something about the drying-appliances ?—Yes. The present system of washing out the huts is all right, but they cannot be dried with the implements we have. On a day like this they would dry, because it has been lovely weather ; but supposing we had a damp week, the huts would never get dry. 29. You have not been in them more than a week ? —No. 30. What experience have you had ?—I was cleaning them out for those on fatigue duty. 31. What do you say is the best way of dealing with them ?- ■—I think the authorities ought to apply to some ship-chandler and get a couple of squeegees. They would not be very expensive, and would do a lot of good. Leo Friedrich sworn and examined. (No. 67.) 1. The Chairman.] You are employed in the Infantry cookhouse 'I —Yes. 2. Since when .—About a month after coming out to camp. 1 havo been here about three months now. 1 was here about a month before the Fifth went away. 3. Were you laid up while in camp { —Yes, I had measles, and 1 was put in the marquee at the hospital. 4. When did you get measles I—l1 —I could not give the dates. It was about July, and the first night the tent blew 7 down at one end : the whole end came in. That would be about 8 o'clock, and it was pouring with rain, cold, and blowing. We did not feel it very much, but we had to help those at the other end to come out of the wet. 5. Had you to go outside to fix up the tent ?—No. 6. You simply had to push it up from the inside '.—Yes. We were not allowed to go outside at all. 7. Mr. Ferguson.] Were there any orderlies there ? —At night it blew down once, and again in the morning. There were orderlies there the first time it was blown down. Those who wore strong enough got up and gave a hand. 8. In the morning there were no orderlies . —No, no orderlies. The tent was down for about an hour in the morning before any one came. We were calling out, but no one came for a while. 9. Was it right down ? —No, just at one end —the other end was all right. The flaps blew in and the rain came in before the tent came down, and our mattresses and blankets got wet. 10. What, happened later on that day ?—We were all shifted into another marquee, and that afternoon we were shifted to Kaiwarra. 11. Did you have new blankets given y 7 ou ? —At Kaiwarra we had blankets and beds. 12. You did not take the wet blankets with you ? —Yes, we took them but did not use them. 13. You were simply one day in the tent . —Yes. 14. Was there any trench dug round the tent \ —l did not notice, but Ido not think so, because there was a big pool of water inside the marquee. 15. How were you treated at Kaiwarra % —We had the best treatment there after Dr. Valintine came, but before that we only got bread-and-butter and a little bovril for nearly every meal. 16. The Chairman!] You mean that Dr. Valintine came to see you . —Yes, we got good treatment then. In the marquee we got bread-and-butter and bovril: those were the orders. 17. As you got stronger the food got better ?—Yes. 18. Mr. Ferguson.] You had mattresses . —Yes, wo had mattresses and beds, and we had our own mattress besides—that is, in the marquee. 19. Dr. Martin.] You were not lying on straw ? —Some were lying on straw, and those who got in.first grabbed the mattresses. 20. Mr. Ferguson.] It is true some men were lying on straw without any mattresses . —I do not think so : I did not see them. 1 was sitting up nearly the whole time reading. On the first night the tent blew down all tho men at our end got an awful wetting. There was one man pretty bad, and tlie next morning he was taken out. Ido not know what his name was, but when ho canu in he was bad. 21. Dr. Martin.] How many were in the marquee when you arrived ? —There must have been thirteen, and eight more came later : about twenty altogether. 22. Did you see a doctor when you were there ?—I do not know what his name was. 23. Were you there when Trooper Going was there ?—I do not know. There were only two or three there 1 knew. 24. Mr. Ferguson.] Did the doctor come every day ?—-Yes, about every day.