TRENTHAM CAMP.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1915, Page 4

TRENTHAM CAMP.

CUNTINTATIO.V OF ]\"QUi:V. By TclOL'rauh.—Press Assoeuirun.. Wellington, Yesterday. At the sitting of the 'lVntham Camp Commission to-day, .Mr. W. 11. M.artoii, city engineer, oxplaituMl in <lot:iil the ■sanitary and general arrangements at tlie camp. He stated thiit he could so-' no reason why Die camp should not be in every way sanitary, in view of the situation, the winds and the nature or the soil. tf the camp were in the middle of 'buildings, he might consfdcr it congested, 'hut, as it was in the open, he did not see how it could he crowded. Dr. Freugley, Deputy-Chief Health Officer, said that in New Zealand it would be monstrous t 0 have barracks or lints with small air openings as stated in th•> 'Knglish regulations. The Tientham huts were designed to accommodate "id men as an absolute maximum. On June 21), he visited the camp on a warm, muggy night, and found in one nus .-.,1 men. He was- informed bv a. medical officer that there were more than fifty <>n other occasions. His Honor: Who would he responsible lor that? Witness; I think the medical authorities should, and would have been asked. Dr. Martin: This could occur frequent. I.v without'a doctor knowing it? (Witness: <Possibly; but that would lie a breach of di*i,pli]| P . Dr. Miartin: Tf the men had been put "U by the military officers without consulting the medical officers. tTien military odi'.ers would have .been to blame' Witness: Yes. Dr. iMartin: You do not know whether they were consulted? Witness: 1 have an idea, but I am not definite.

• BR. FRENGLKVS EVIDENCE. Continuing, ])r. Frengley said that tie hart put his views in writing, and reported to the Director of Military Hospitals. He had no military position to enforce his recommendations. Up had visited the camp as deputy chief health oilicer. The hospital rule'had been i'ollowd in assigning the distance between the hutments, the distance being half as much again as the height of tho buildings. He regarded the air space between the huts as ample. "I should like to appeal to the Commission to alter the huts," Dr. Frengley added; "my reasons are these. It 'has bc.-n suggested throughout the dominion tint the Trentham camp is nothing more nor less than a deathbed. Much of the criticism has fallen on the hutments. It has been argued that because the epidemic arose when the men went into the hutments these were at fault. In consequence, it has been suggested to doctors and others that there is something wrong with the camp, and especially with the hutments. That suggestion is reducing the resisting power of the soldiers, doctors, and everyone else against these epidemic diseases'. It has been suggested that the men going out there, after reading all about the so things, think the trouble is much worse than is actually the case, and thev are in greater danger of contracting 'these diseases than they would otherwise b«. The camp is quite sanitary, and the.vfore I would appeal to the Commission to alter the huts in some way, because If they continue to be occupied as they are those fellows will always have tho nation that they are going' into deathbeds, which is all nonsense. W« put consumptives into places like these and they get well." Tho Chairman suggested that it would he desirable if the doctor could give a lecture on the lines he had indicated, which would improve the mental star., of the patients. Dr. Frengley said he would be very glad to do this. "In plain language," he. remarked, "the whole colony is in a funk regarding the camp, politicians and all." Continuing, Dr. Frengley suggested th,«.t the number of men in each hut be reduced from 50 to 30, and that th.'y be provided with movable stretchers. The Chairman ..commented" that the men had to be made hard, and could not be sent from feather beds to the front. Dr. Frengley explained that the organisms of influenza, pneumonia, and cerebri) spinal meningitis could not live for any length of time-outside the human body. It followed then that the diseases at present in the camp (leaving out measles) did not live about the ground of the camp, so they were not associated with what were called insanitary conditions. It meant that these epidemics had been carried to the camp by what were known as carriers. Dr. went on to point out that within "the last six months, in the Wellington dis-' net, influenza of an extraordinarilv severc type arose in a public school which, in sanitary condition and design, was probably one of the best south of the line, and over 80 per cent, of the boys were affected.

Charles Holmes Sewell, who has charge of the underclothing (including blankets) at the defence stores, stated that orders for the camp were issued (o him sometimes verbally and sometimes in writing. On May 24 an order came in for 0000 blankets. Owing to the inadequate storage for the big stock.-, of blankets they were holding, a load of blankets was sent to camp from time to time. When lie received the order for the blankets in question he explained to the olTicers of the. Accounts Office how the blankets had been sent to camp to relievo stock. The total of blankets sent to Trentnam up to M»v 20 was 34,!>7!>. He queried the order .or IiOOO because the total number of blankets required, according to the schedule of men who had gone into camp, was 33.17(1, and there should have been a surplus of ISOO blankets instead of a shortage. There should now he a surplus of over 4000 blankets.

CORUICSPONDKNCE READ IN THi' HOUSE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Yesterday. In the House tliis afternoon 'the Minister of Defence, read from the oilicial file, correspondence between the department and flic I'.Wtish Medical Association, relative to the c»tablishment of a base hospital at TrciHham camp, with a view to .-bowing that since January 21 the department 'was in Hie closest touch with the ISrii-isu Medical Association. Mr. Wilford p.ii<i that he was convinced there had been ; prions neglect and delay in tic hospital.