DRAINAGE OF TENTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2507, 7 July 1915, Page 8

DRAINAGE OF TENTS

I DELAY IN ERECTION OF HUTS. 1 A question regarding the surface drainage of Trentham camp was asked by the Hon. D. Buddo in the House yesterday. ' The> Hon. D! Buddo (ICaiapoi) said fi S 1 P aron ' : ' cne of the soldiers liad called upon liim and pointed out the 'bad • arrangements in connection with tho tents at Trentham. The' speaker had been on tlie ground himself in May, and had seen . water running in under the ten is: He saw the same thing on June 6. Nothing had happened then to warrant him in raising trouble, but thero ; no drainage done. Could not Me > Minister see his: way /to have the tents. now being. '.ised re-erected on a /piece of fresh, graded ground P. ■r • A" en '' sa id that any man who lived iiv it tent-must tuko caro to dig ■a trench around it to lead the' water away. A marked difference might he seen between the tents of the Sixth and seventh .Reinforcements.'• The Sixth had become thoroughly organised, and their tents were being properly looked .'after, in cases .where this was not so, blame \yas •. attachable to the men for not taking care, and also to the officers ; for not seeing that suoli caro ~\vas. taken, and to the staff for not seeing that the officers did their duty in. this respect. The shifting of the tents of the Seventh Reinforcements to higher ground . started last Sunday, and the 'tents of the 7tTi were 'to have been removed on Monday or Tuesday. Huts were- 'being erected as quickly as -possible. The .tents, of the Seventh had never, been intended to remain in their position so long, but. there had been de-; lay in the erection of huts. The number of carpenters had fallen from over a hundred v to about sixty, "and apparently therb was difficulty in' getting carpenters, .but.he. hoped that in a few days the tent's of the Seventh would all be done away .with. Mr.' T. M/ Wilford, referring to' the delay in the erection of. huts, said ho had been informed sinco the. House met that carpenters at the Camp had decided not to remain unless there'wero a clear understanding that, if they contracted diseases there,: their dependents would bo.looked.after. ' If ,tliat understanding were arrived at lie was told that the Camp could bo filled with carpenters,' but they were afraid of falling ill of diseases .contracted. at camp. The."Minister of Public' Works said that' he had before him,.that day a statement that - the men had- come' to the conclusion that .ihoy should bo paid, not what Mr| Wilford said, but, in the event of their contracting any illness, for the time when they were ill Ho had assented, on the understanding that the illness should be contracted at the camp. The town, was full of influenza—indeed, there was more influenza in town than in the camp. Dr. Thacker: - Havo • you sden the bacillus? v . ■ Mr.'Fraser: The lion, gentleman's aim has been to impress the House and the public that the camp is a pesthouse. .'. '. I. have agreed to pay 'the men half-wages while laid up with.illiiess contracted in the camp. , ' Mr. "Wilford asked if the men would not be paid full wages. ; Mr. Fraser: The lion, member doesn't have to pay for it. Mr. Wilford: Neither have you. Mr. Fraser: Yesj I am a Minister responsible for the' administration, and you are not.. . . ' j , An hon. member: He would like to be. Continuing, Mr. Fraser said that the statement that the camp could be filled with carpenters,was nil nonsense. The question of illnoss had not been the cause of tho men leaving. Some of them had enlisted, and some had obtained work in town.: Men were obtained wherever they could be, and he would see that they were fairly, treated while at the camp: A SAD CASE PARENTS NOT INFORMED OF ILL- ' ' NESS. - An instance of alleged neglect of duty on the part of some person connected with Trentham Camp control was referred to by Mr. G. Witty in the Houso of Representatives yesterday. .Mr. , Witty said, that his attention, had been drawn to a paragraph in a Wellington uowspapcr oJ.that day, relating to Private Badger, of Christchurch. He was ill for over fourteen days, and died oil Friday. His-par-ents did not get to know that lie was ill till Thursday, and lie was unconscious when they, arrived. If the; statement was correct, it showed gross negligence somewhere. i The Hon. J. Allen said that he had not had an opportunity to inquiro into tho matter. In the early stages of tho outbreak , of influenza ho thought tliero had been some dejay in notifying people. Ho had immediately issued instructions that relatives- should bo informed of illnoss, and should havo regu-. lar reports sent them, and ho under-' 1 stood that the Minister of Publio Health had issued regulations to that effect,. .11 - there had. Moa dojjy. w the . early

stages it had been corrected. As for Badger, ho liad not died of measles or influenza., but of internal hemorrhage. Everyone of these cases would have to be reported on. The Department wanted to know how the illnesses originated, their progress, and how they could be checked in the future. All eases would bo fully inquired into. Tho Hon. It. H. Rhodes said that parents were being notified of their sons' illness. That was 0110 of the first things Dr. Valintine had been, asked to seo to. and it had been placed in the regulations. Parents were to be notified of any change for the worso. . In reply to a question by Mr. H. P. Hudson (Motuoka), Mr. Rhodes said that there were, not-, and never bad been, any cases of typhoid at tho camp. ANOTHER DEATH Private Going, of A Company, Second Squadron, Trentham lleinforcements, died in the Victoria Hospital at ten minutes past 10 o'clock last night from pneumonia, following measles. Deceased, who was 20 years of age, belonged to Kamo, North Auckland.