H.—l9b.

450

J. CAMPBELL

3. The Chairman] The fresh air came up from underneath? —1 am nol at all surprised that it, should to a certain extent. We took, every human precaution to prevent its rising. .1 wrote the specification for the huts. I took particular care to state that the timber for the flooringshould be thoroughly dry and seasoned. There was very great trouble, I believe, in getting seasoned timber —there always is. I understand that seasoned timber was got for the flooring in the end. A large proportion had to be condemned, but I believe our Engineer insisted on getting seasoned timber for the flooring. The studding-tiinber could not, possibly be got seasoned, because it is rough scantling, and there is no quantity of seasoned rough limber- kept in the yards. AYe took steps to close all the openings at the base of the galvanized iron—the corrugations; but timber always does shrink, and I am prepared to believe that this timber, battened below the iron, did shrink a little, and there would be a certain amount of air- get, in ; but even in our- own dwellings we can find places where fresh air gets in. I know that I have in my house found fresh air coming in round the skirting owing to the shrinkage of timber. 1 maintain that any 7 draught from that source would be infinitesimallv small. Now. I think you will understand the reason why the Advisory Board did not think it necessary to provide lining for the huts. We admit that the huts are cold ; but is it a bad thing to have cold air irr one's sleeping-apartment? T cannot impress this too forcibly on you, that the Advisory Board—or, if I speak for- myself, I did not look upon these tents as barrack-rooms. My idea of a barrackroom is that, if is a soldier's permanent home. I understood these hutments to be chiefly dormitories. The men had to take their meals in them, but Ihe principal purpose for which they were erected was as sleeping-apartments or dormitories for the men. Now, most people sleep in apartments that, are not heated in winter here. 4. Dr. Martin] You had no idea they were to be used for meals?—Oh, yes; we quite understood they were to be used for meals three times a day; but, we never for a moment considered that they would be used for sitting-rooms. 5. You provided tables? —Yes. We understood that the huts were to take the place of tents, where the men sleep and take their meals, but not as sitting-rooms, and for reading in of an evening, f would consider it a hardship for the men to have to use the huts as sittingand reading-rooms. 6. Where else would they have gone for a reading-room or- sitting-room: there was no other place provided for them?—We understood that there were other plaices provided for them for that purpose by the religious bodies, and for music, and so on. f certainly under-stood that there were such places provided for the men to sit in. 7. The Chairman] Was the view 7 you took rather confined to the structure of the tints than the location of the ground, or (he area they took up, and that kind of tiring?—AVe were supplied with a, block plan showing the position of the huts, and w 7 e considered the placing of the huts as to their distance from each other. 8. And as regards the sun?— Yes. 9. Did you go out and inspect, them?—No; we sketched diagrams at the time. Dr. Frengley measured the height of the huts and the distance between the huts, and it was provided that the right-of-way between the huts should be one and a half times the height of them. That is the rule for hospital-ward construction. We agreed that that space for sun and air was sufficient. I have prepared a diagram showing how the sun strikes Ihe huts. May I say thai the sun. when it gets to 13 degrees above the horizon, will shine into the windows of the huts. 'That can be demonstrated by the diagram. That is a, very low sun indeed. I question very much if it is over the hill when it is 13 degrees above the horizon. Ido not think it is, in Trentham, in the winter-time. As regards the spacing of the buildings, may I suggest thai there are millions of people who ate living in streets that are only in width once the height of the buildings bordering them, so that those unfortunate people get very much less sun than the men in these huts. 10. Mr, Ferguson] Not, the same density of population; though, as in I hose huts?— Possibly not, sir, but not very far from it. 1 know that in Ihe city in which I lived, Glasgow, the streets are 1 chain wide and the buildings are uniformly 50 ft. high, on the tenement system, so that the street, is about one and a fifth the height of (he building. In many parts of Glasgow the population is very dense. I should say the population is quite equal to thai in these huts ; and vet those people lead fairly healthy lives, because Glasgow is very advanced in sanitation matters. Paris is a very similar case. The streets are narrow, except in some of (he main thoroughfares. 11. The Chairman] That may bo quite sound from one point of view, but we have to go on the military experience and rules laid down in these books, which give a certain amount of space per soldier, and they are putting fifty men into a space which is less than according to the British manuals. We have here military experience and rules, and if they are to be departed from there should be some good reason shown for it?— Well, T cannot, speak on that point. 12. I understand from Dr. Frengley that your Board thought that with the extra ventilation you could safely have less space?— Yes. 13. Of course, you get less space in a, cabin on a ship?— That is so. I think that if the ventilation is provided there should be no means of shutting it off. 14. You do not suggest any 7 alteration in the present hutments?—No, sir. I know the benefit of having a lot of fresh air in my room, and even draughts. I prefer to sleep in a draughty room rather than in a stuffy room. 15. But we had such a long spell of still weather?— Thai is the trouble when you are dependent on natural ventilation or natural phenomena for your ventilation. If there is no wind there is no ventilation. The Board never intended that the cave ventilation was the only ventilation for these huts. I could open the windows and there would be abundant ventilation by diffusion. You must have ventilation by wind pressure or- gravity. Yorr cannot get it by gravity if it is cold.