G. DELL.]

255

H.—l9b.

44. Did you hear of any general grumbling by the men ? —Yes, I heard some grumbling. 45. Are you able to say whether there was or was not a general complaint ?—I am not able to say whether there was or was not. 46. Mr. Gray.] I suppose there are some men who will grumble under any circumstances? —1 suppose there are. 47. Do you say there are some in this camp ?—I do not know that I can say so. Michael Ellison sworn and examined. (No. 70.) 1. The Chairman] What are you?—A corporal. 2. When did you come here? —On the 18th April. 3. What were you before? —A station hand. 4. When you came what was your experience: what had you to do?— First to go and get served out with gear. 5. Did you get it? —Yes. 6. Had you to wait long? —Not very long. There was a big mob came in, but it. did not take long to run through them. We were all strange. 7. You went to live in tents?— Yes, till we got back from leave on Sunday, when we went into huts. 8. Which do you prefer? —The tent every time. 9. Why?— There is more sociability, they are much warmer, and you can keep your stuff together better, and it is not so noisy. 10. What was the state of yemx health?— Pretty good till I got measles. 11. When did you get them?—On the 9th June. 12. And what happened?—l reported at 10 o'clock when I was bayonet-fighting, and then the spots all came out, I went to the marcruee and saw the doctor, and he said I had measles. I had to wait till a quarter to 2 and then we were sent to another marquee along the lines, and they gave us some beef-tea and some dry rations. We were there till a, quarter to 4, and then went to the Wellington Hospital. 13. When did you go there?— The same day. 14. Was your temperature taken?— Yes; the orderly took it. 15. What was your temperature?—lt was 98. I was never ill. It only went, up to 99. 16. Had you a cough?—l had a bit of a cough. 17. How long were you in the Wellington Hospital?— For a week. 18. Did you get bad there? —No, never any more than I am now. 19. You left at the end of a week—about the 16th June?— Yes, and then went to Berhampore, and remained there about four days. After that I went to Mr. Izard's house at Tipper Hutt, and was there about, nine days. I then had nine days' sick-leave and then came back to camp, and was back about three weeks when I went on extended leave. 20. You went to Berhampore?—Yes. 21. The convalescents were supposed to be there? —There were some there who were ill. I do not think they were all convalescents. 22. Where were you put when you got to Berhampore?—l was in a marquee on the hillside one night. I went down to the place that we called the "morgue," opposite the stables. It was a single room, and there were six men in it one night, and then it gradually dwindled down to four. 23. Were you looked after there?— Yes; it suited me all right. I was well enough, and we had good tucker. 24. Dr. Martin] Were there any baths there?— Yes; but you had to carry the hot water from the copper. 25. How did you fare at Mr. Izard's house?— Very well. It, was a nice place to stay at. 26. Were you seen daily by a doctor at Berhampore?—There was a doctor went there when I was there. He missed one day, I think. I did not see him one day. I was all right, and he used to go to those in the ward. 27. The temperatures were taken every day? —Yes, by the nurse. We had, to go to the ward twice a day to have the temperatures taken. The nurse told the doctor which men were bad, and she made them go to bed if the temperatures were up. 28. The doctor may have been there that day and you did not see him?— Yes. 29. Did many men go away from Berhampore down town?— There were about three of them went away in the daytime, and the " red caps " caught, them. 30. Those would be the men in the marquees who got, away?— Yes. 31. Mr. Ferguson] Was much liquor brought into Berhampore?—l never saw any or heard of any being brought in. 32. Mr. Skerrett] Did you hear Private Dell's evidence as to the routine of dealing with the tents in C Company?— Yes. 33. Is that evidence substantially correct?— Yes; that, is what we did, 34. How many times do you think your tent was shifted from its site and replaced?— Only just, when the weather was bad —about, three times during the period we were there. We let. the bottoms get a chance to dry. 35. I understand his evidence was that the regular practice on every fine day was to lift up the flaps of the tent so as to ventilate the tent? —That is correct. 36. And to air' their blankets and belongings?— When the weather was fine we used to lay the blankets' out in the sun. That is what we do to-day.