TRENTHAM CAMP.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 July 1915, Page 4

TRENTHAM CAMP.

WKTHEK KViJDENCE. Vy '-Telegraph.— n,« Aosoeiation.. Wellington, Last Night. „i ' '"'">' "tatcd mat the following Vnf ."/•' " H m ■ bmi receivwl lru » l U '« In •|w"" Cl 1'" ho,lll °" 'V tllc Minister painted corrugated iron or weather boards; „«,,!„, asbestos sheet boarding; roof boarded and tar felted or corrugated iron; door jointed board >»g. Separate dining hut preferable, but, not absolutely necessary." Chas. Dorizav, temporary staff ser-geant-major, stationed at the Upper Hutt Convalescent Home, stated that lie had charge of the place. He received measles patients in the final stages of recovery. He had to send three men Duck to Irenthnni racecourse, all of whom had completely recovered. H» had all the assistance he wanted, and he had no difiieulties to contend with in connection with the sick parades. I n the first instance he received the men after they were mustered by the corporals I hey were attended to by the medical oihccrs and two clerks. There was no record of prescriptions kept apart from flip originals sent to the dispenser. A*. ter the Second Reinforcements the diapensary was in a separate tent. There were always four or five dispensers available m the ranks. If a man wag not able to walk at the sick parade ho was reported by the orderly corporal, and a> Mi etcher party was sent for him for the isolation camp. There was one policeman. If a man wanted to get out ho would do so despite twenty policemen Some must have broken camp and got to the Trciitham Hotel, as he foun.l whisky in the ward. One man who was a contact showed the elFects of drink. Mr. Justice Hosking (sotto voce'i: "Perhaps the whisky saved him." Witness said that he knew of no confusion arising at the sick parade tent. as suggested by Captain Yeates. The only chance of any confusion occurring would be in the ease of Captain Yeates, who would not write Ids prescription*! but dictated them to the clerk.

Asked as to the examination of patients' throats, witness explained that ordinary throat brushes were used. Thcv were dipped in lysol and washed afterwards. Dr. Martin: "Did you see the same throat brushes used "twice?" Witness: '-We hud to, because we had 30 or 40 sick throats a day to attend to, and we had about a dozen brushes." Dr. Martin: "What strength was the lysol mixture!" Witness: "A teaspoonful to about half a pint of water. The throat brushes were rinsed with cold water before and after being in the lysol." Dr. Martin: "That is what you saw done?" Witness: ''That was done." Dr. Martin: "That was the procedure?'' Witness: ''Yes." Dr. Martin: "That was done under the eye of the doctors?" Witness: "Yes." Mr. Justice Hosking read the evidence given by Dr. Yeates as to the brushes being dipped in hot water; Witness: "There was always boiling water in the dispensary, and it might have been done."

Corporal Bizman, now at Rangiotu, stated that he was a couple of months at Trentham, from April 28. In the first instance he was in a tent, which he preferred. When lie went into a hut he was in a corner out of the draught. He was sick twice. There was a complaint made about overcrowding, there not being enough hut accommodation. On one occasion jthere was only one doctor for sick parade, and the' men were kept waiting in the rain. He was sent away with a rupture. Edwin Arthur Bartlett said that ha was sent from Trentham to the Wellington hospital on January 20, and was discharged on February 8. He was given leave of absence for three weeks, but after two weeks, through the representations of a doctor at Hawera, he got on extra week. On returning to resume duty he was referred to the medical board, and on examination by Dr. Pyffe he was found to be ruptured, and was discharged without any means to carry him on, and he had been living on the charity of friends, He considered ho was discharged from hospital too soon. When he went to camp lie was as fit aB anyone. His trade was that of a carpente'r. Charles Smith, mail-room clerk at Christchurch, brought under the notice of the Commission a complaint concerning his brother, Ernest Smith, who went into camp with the Seventh Reinforcements on June 12. He wrote to witness on the 20th, complaining of a slight cold. On July 3 a friend called at bis mother's residence and informed her that his brother was in Wellington hospital with a bad attack of influenza. On the fith he wired for information about his brother, and he got a telegram, signed by Dr. Barclay, "Left hospital yesterday." On the 7th he received this telegram: "Private E. Smith dangerously ill Trentham racecourse hospital; gulden attack." Afterwards, two other telegrams were received intimating that the condition of his brother was serious, and his relations were advised to corns at once. His brother died on the same day as his people arrived. He could not discover 1 exactly what his brother died of. One doctor told him it was malignant measles, and another said it was pneumonia. It certainly looked as if his brother had been discharged .from the Wellington hospital prematurely. Mr. Justice Hosking intimated that some further inquiry would be made into the ease.

Witness added that his mother had noticed that when his brother was dying at Trentham he fmd only a dressing jacket on. without any underclothing. He was in n room sft. by 10ft.. and another trooper, very ill, was in the same apartment.

Private (Gordon 0. Pearson, formerly of Carterton, was culled by the Commission. He stated that ho came down to camp on May 2!), with the Trentham Regiment, but was transferred to the Sixth Reinforcements. After being about three weeks in camp lie was taken ill. One of the. medical ollicers wrote

out a slip to admit him to the camp hospital. He was put in one of the loose boxes, and in the evening was shifted to the kiosk, where he remained from the Wednesday night till the Sntnrdav morning. (In the latter occasion ho complained (o the doctor of not being well, and the doctor told the orderly that witness was to be carried out. He was taken to a place with four bunks in it. His temperature was up to 103. While hi' was lying in the kiosk that evening his nose started to bleed, and he could not stop it. The orderly tried to stop it, and that was the last that witness remembered till he 'vame to" in the Wellington hospital. On July 4 he was transferred to the Kaiwarra hospital, from which he was discharged on the 10th. While at Kaiwarra he was visited by Mr. .1. T, M. lloriisby, M.P., who came to him with reference to the anxiety of witness' parents at not hearing about his condition, lie was unable to write to his people up till this time, because he had no money with him when he was taken to the hospital and could not buy material* or a stamp. Several other soldiers gave evidence regarding the methods of treating sick men. Mr. C. D. Bates submitted a report an the thermal conditions in and about the hutments, and Mr. P. G. Morgan, Direotor of Geological Survey, also reported on the state of the ground. To-morrow the Commission will takd evidence at Trentham Camp.