TRENTHAM CAMP INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2534, 7 August 1915, Page 7

TRENTHAM CAMP INQUIRY

> . QUIT TRENTHAM? " C.G.S. ON THE POSSIBILITY CRITICISM RESENTED ; ff PERHAPS EVEN INQUIRY SHOULD END" Yesterday tie Trentham Camp Commission heard, further evidence. The Coinmission consists of . Mr. Justice Husking, Dr. A. Martin, and Mr. W. Ferguson. « _Tlie Superintendent of the Wellington Public Hospital, Dr. W. J. Barclay, gave evidence as to the arrangements made at the ; Public. Hospital for the, reception. of • military • patients. Twenty measles" patients were-sent in from Trentham camp, and • trere accommodated in -the isolation [tvard, known sometimes, as tho "Tin House/' which was a substantial iron building, lined;-witlr wood. Tie-services of extra'doctors and nurses -n ere provided by the Defence Department. - , A skid about the access, friends and relatives -were given to patients, Dr. Barclay said: "Being an infectious disease, the. visiting was kept down as muoh as possible. Parents and -near relatives were admitted at practically all times if they .wished." ' - His Honour: If anything had occurred among the civil population there would lave beenxohsideraole stress? Dr. Barclay: Yes; the isolation ward was our emergency ward. His Honour: Is it that the isolation ward should' have been left as an emergency ward for the civil population? Dr. Barclay : I don't know that I can say that. This waa an emergency. . . . I think it was a proper thing to make use of that ward .while it was unused. His Honour: The fact is that while that was going on you had to take the risk of anything happening among tho civil population? Dr. Barclay: Yes. . ' . . Dr. Martin: You remember Pte. Colley, >rho died on Juno 11? Dr. Barclay: Yes Dr.' Martin: !We had'two diagnoses of that case.. . . Dr. Barclay: i .: Pneumonia following measles is the diagnosis, I remember: Dr. Martin: It is said that Wellington Hospital was to act as a base hospital for Trentham camp. Do you think it could act as a base hospital for a camp of 4000 men for ordinary medical and surgical cases? At a Tate of 25 per thousand sick, are you able to take in 100 patients (minus 16 who would bo dealt with at camp) ? * Dr. Barclay: No. I have 30 at present, and I am not prepared to. take 100. .That ■ would overcrowd the hospital Dr. Martin: Shall we'take it as your ■ opinion, that Wellington- Hospital, is not aft efficient base hospital for 4000 men? Dr. Barclay: No; I should not-like to ha,ve to provide for 100 men. Thirty is about tho maximum, ' More Evidence Concerning the Huts. Dr. Martin : It is said th&t wet sterilisation with formalin is effective. What is your opinon? I . , Dr. Baiclay said that he would riot like to express an opinion. - Dr. Martin: Then will you say .what your method of sterilisation is? Dr. Barclay: Steam. • -i Dr. J. M. Mason, formerly Chief Health Officer, for New Zealand, expressed the i opinion that the hutments were not" built on the principle of the consumptive shelters. The huts were not lined, the studs .were too low,, and ; the,\men ,slept, on the floors. Consumptive''Altera'were' not. built of galvanised iron, and with such lWtorial lining -was necessary. One of the most marked defects was the absence of a';' portico where the men could clean the mud off their boots and hang their wet f overcoats. With, certain improvements the huts should accommodate tnirtyi five men at most. The huts were too - close together, and the sun could not pet to some of them until well on in', the afternoon, and to ensure a. better supply of sunshine, tlie huts should have been built to lie almost north and south. He thought that eveir alternate hut ought to be removed. With improvements Trentham would be an'_excellemt camp. Even at a oost of .£IOOO it would.be best to instal steam sterilisation for clothes, etc., at the camp. There was a sanitary military medical corps in existence, and he knew of no reason whatever why it should not have been consulted. The corps was set up by the/Defence Department, and was a branch of the New Zea- , land Medical Corps. The past sickness / would not. be the last camp, epidemic .which we would have. On the question of whether everything was being done for. the comfort of the men, His Honour remarked that it seemed to him that the huts were not there till,the end of May, though they, were thought of in December, and if they wero to be of value at all they should have been up before they were, . Dr. W. E. Herbert deposed that he was called in consultation regarding the cases of the late Private Pollard and the late Private Fordham, and that when: he saw < them at Berhamporo they were dying, ■ and were not in a fit state to be Temoved to tho Wellington Hospital. Witness stated that he had examined Christopher Thomson, who had stated on the previous day that he had been discarded as inedi- - cally unfit. Thomson, he said, waa suffering from neurasthenia, and had no or- . ganio disease. I The| Chief of the General Staff. - Colonel C. if.; Gibbon, Chief of the New Zealand General Staff, was asked his opinion as to the suitability: of Trentham for a military camp. He: said that'he : con-' sidered. the site eminently suitablo in every 'way —for the training of men, in musketry convenience, and'as to its soil. Ho knew Salisbury Plain, and the soil there was rot as suitablo as the soil at Trentham, The olimate at Trentham'wasgood. It was not too hot in summer, which was a big consideration when it was wanted.-to. .work, men:; at high pres-,. sure, 'and the winter was much milder than winter in the United Kingdom. The camp was large enough for the training of between 6000 and 7000 men, as tho military had been granted the use of much of the land adjacent to the camp. ■The whole of the Mangaroa Valley, and the whole of tho Hutt Valley, with the exception of one man's property, had been placed at their'-disposal,, and. as that one property was for the most part swamp it . did not matter. Tho' .military owed a ( great deal to the settlers 'in these valleys. His Honour: la the Ml country there ' of ;value? " ' - Colonel Gibbon: Very, valuable for our advanced training. f... His Honour: Is there ample facility for Shooting? ; Colonel Gibbon: Yes; we have severityfive targets. The only drawback of the camp is that the ground is not as suitable as it might be for the training of mounted men. The Wairarapa is much ■ more suitable for training mounted men. Witness said that ths sanitary arrangements at Trentham were a good deal more satisfactory than any he'bad seen in any camp in the United Kingdom, and it was correct that, improved surface' drainage ani;l sanitary -drainage arrangements were now being made. When speaking of the value of huts as against tents, he said that from the point of view of effi- , ciency, it was necessary to have a camp of a permanent nature wliich' did not require incessant "fatigue." He believed that the Trentham huts compared favvourably with the huts ho had hed exjjerience of. Regarding the need for drying facilities it was the business of the medical men- to advise the Camp Commandant of any need of the kind that arose. , Men on sick parade should not have had to stand out. in the rain. Shelters should have been provided for them. Allocation of Responsibility, His Honour: Who is responsible for that? . - Colonel Gibbon: Tho Camp Commandant is primarily responsible, but the medical staff have to advise him. Colonel Gibbon said that on one occasion he had found fault with Dr. Maquire for not, reporting a complaint to Colonel. Potter." Dr. Maguire' had- said . that he had reported the matter to the i' Director; of Medical Services, aid. Cplonel

Gibbon lir.d asked how Colonel Potter was to rnako arrangements for tho comfort of tlio men if tho doctors did not report matters to liiin. His Honour asked what the subjcct of the complaint was. • The witness said that one of the dental officers had made a charge against a brother officer. Witness wade the complaint known to tho Commission on the understanding that it would not bo published. The complaint was afterwards withdrawn by the officer -who made it. ' Asked if everything needed had been given him readily, Colonel Gibbon fetid that he had never had any difficulties put in his way, and everything his branch asked for . had been granted, and the cost immediately arranged for. Asked by Mr. Salmond what connection ho had had with tho Berhampore Hospital, Colonel Gibbon said that whilo Dr. Elliott was temporarily responsible for that institution, Dr. Elliott painted the condition of things there in a very bad light. Witness asked Dr. Elliott why he had not reported the matter, seeing that lio had been in charge of the hospital for at least three days. Witness asked Dr. Elliott what he intended to do in view of Berhamporo Hospital being In an impossible condition and overcrowded. Dr. Elliott had 6aid that there should be an infection disease hospital ot Trent ham, and, as to _the immediato present, he suggested entering into an arrangement with the Wellington Hospital, Witness saw tho Minister shortly afterwards, and suggested that the services of the Health Department should be utilised. Dr. Valintine was sent for, and was to hand in favonty minutes, so that the Minister could not'possibly have acted more promptly.. Witness heard that night that Dr. valintine was to take over charge of military hospitals. Colonel Gibbon said, also, that the first time any report on the health of the men went- past the Camp Commandant was on the evening before it was decided to quit the camp. Op that evening Dr. Morico suggested that the Trentham Regiment should be turned out to make more room in the hutment 3. In reply to another question, he said that the behaviour of the men in camp had been exemplary.Dr. Martin: The Commission -will havo tu be satisfied as to who is head of tho medical service from Juno 23. Witness: Colonel Valintine. The Possibility of Quitting Trentham. Colonel Gibbon said that there was one point he wished to put before the Commission for consideration. The whole principle of handling men was to handle them from tho psychological point of view regarding these matters. The idea was to keep the men's spirits up, and prevent them thinking of these - things. On June 28 they had people going out to the camp, and, instead of assisting, finding every fault they could. How were the authorities to carry on the training of recruits if .the whole of the Press and many people were trying to pick out every fault they could, and trying to impress on the men that everything done was wrong, and that they were'- being absolutely neglected? The result would be that they would lose all hold over the men. All that, outcry had an enormous effect on. the health of the men, and accounted for 50 per cent, of the sickness. If they woro going to handle men at all they must' be given a chance to do it, and the whole of the discipline must not be undermined. . , . His Honour: The suggestion I gather is that even this inquiry Better come to an end "as soon as possible. Colonel Gibbons: If the-Commission deems our hutments entirely wrong, and our camp too, wo will have to go out of it, and make the best of things, but I hope they won't do that, as we would be unable to keep our obligations to the Imperial authorities; What we want is a clear, definite statement that will settle once and for all this thing'in thß minds of the public as to whether tho Trentham Camp is all right, or whether it is not." The witness said, also, that then/they would look to the -Press to help them. Ho hoped the seriousness of' tho position would be realised, and. that they would be given a fair run. He had never had a complaint before him that he had no.t threshed out. Geo. William' Heaji, chemist, stated' that .to. report " at camp to take charge of the dispensary department. When he reported, tho camp authorities knew nothing about him, and did .not know that he 'was coming. After his waiting'a few days, it was suggested to him that as the camp was to be broken up he had better go back hopio. He adopted the,suggestion. .. Colonel Purdy, Director of Military Services, was recalled. He said that the utilisation of the 'racecourse buildings for the care of the sick had been suggested by him before ever Colonel Valintine commandeered those buildings._ Colonel Purdy -will continue his evidence when the Coramision resumes this morning at 10.15. . UNEASINESS IN-AUCKLAND. fßj Teleeraph.—•• Auckland, August 6. . Tho Mayor has telegraphed to the Minister of Defence:—"There is still considerable uneasiness here at the proposals to assemble tho Bth Reinforcements at Trentham before the Royal Commission's report is received." He asks the Minister to reconsider tho decision.