A SOLDIER'S PROTEST.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 March 1918, Page 3

A SOLDIER'S PROTEST.

Sergeant-Mnjor Evans writes to the Wellington Evening Post from Petone making complaint that Gorman prisoners of war are receiving medical treatment in the Wellington Hospital in. 1 the same ward as the other patients. . Not only, ho says, do the other patients i have, to suffer the indignity of mixing; j with these men, but the prisoners are not under any regular guard, and, being have free access to other parts of the hospital. Visitors talk freely to them, and recently a naturalised German who Was also a patient used to spend hours a day conversing with them. The correspondent states that he was so indignant, that , thong’ suffering severely, when he found out the state of affairs he at once left the hospital, Mr Evans who states tinho has had 11 years Imperial Service in India and had two years’ service Egypt, says that such treatment of prisoners is unheard of in the Imperial ser vice; even ordinary prisoners in peace time being kept apart, and if sick attended by orderlies, and not by female nurses; he says that one of the nurses who had lost a. brother at the front, felt very keenly having to wait on the prisiners. The letter goes on to say that there was nothing to hinder the prisoners escaping if they so desired. Another phase of the matter which increased the writer’s indignation was the alleged turning out of the hospital of an elderly man who was suffering severely from rheumatism while the German prisoners, who were able to walk about were still kept in the hospital