23

D.—2

Enclosure 2 in No. 24. Memoeandum on Issuing-rooms for Immigrant Ships for New Zealand. The principal requisites for an issuing-room are, — 1. That it shall be of easy access. 2. That it shall have sufficient room and ample light to enable the representative of each mess to see that the fair weight is issued to him. 3. The provisions and those who carry them from the issuing-room should be as little as possible exposed to wet. 4. For convenience of replenishing the stores, it is advisable that the issuing-room be as near as possible to where the provisions are stowed in the hold. We are of opinion that there can be no difficulty in finding space to meet all these requirements on the passenger deck below on either side of one of the hatchways, where a side-scuttle and a deck bull's-eye may (if not already in position) be placed so as to suit. Those, with the hatchways, will insure ample light. If the issuing-room be placed under the poop, or in an already-built round house, the messmen and provisions will be exposed to wet, especially in stormy weather ; and besides this, the most valuable part of an emigrant ship would be practically lost for emigrant accommodation, as such places as the poop and round-house, where ventilation is necessarily the best in the ship, should be used for hospitals, surgeries, and sleeping places for women and children. To build an issuing-room on deck would cost a large sum, as it would have to be very securely fixed, and besides would occupy space on deck which ought to be available for immigrants in hot weather. Where the vessel is large and does not carry many immigrants, the latter objection does not exist. We have served in troop and emigrant ships in which the issuing-room was placed below in every case, and no inconvenience was ever experienced. R. Johnson, * R. A. Edwin, 2nd February, 1874. Commander, R.N.

No. 25. The Hon. J. Vogel to the Agent-Geneeal. (No. 23.) Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 6th February, 1874. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 672, of Bth October, 1873, forwarding an explanatory memorandum from Mr. Ottywell on the report of the Immigration Commissioners upon the " Wild Duck," and to inform you that I submitted the memorandum to Dr. Diver, who came out as surgeon-superintendent of the ship, and who has favoured me with his remarks thereupon, copy of which I forward herewith. I desire to call your particular attention thereto, iv the hope that the irregularities and deficiencies set forth may not again be a subject of complaint by medical officers in charge of emigrants. I have, Ac, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London, Julius Vogel.

Enclosure in No. 25. Memoeandum by Dr. Diyee for Mr. Haughton. In consequence of the ship " Wild Duck " leaking so much, many of the immigrants had to crowd into other berths than their own, and those who were unlucky enough to be unable to find room, had to sit up all night upon several occasions. The immigrants were inspected by Dr. Humphreys and myself; i.e., he walked past all of them in about half an hour, and they were not examined at all. I do not object to ventilation by means of scuttles, but in our hospital there were two scuttles ; one could not be opened in consequence of the fastenings being out of order, the other was blocked up because there were no fastenings at all; and when permanently closed, the water squirted in at least a yard, so that the beds, bedding, and the whole place were always wet. The carpenter was always engaged upon ship's work. Upon several occasions I wanted work done and could not get it done. The single men and single women had to stand at their meals in several messes, because they could not get the forms mended. The cook was, I believe, a good man, but complained that he could not obey orders from want of room. I never could get enough gruel for my sick, and what little I did get I had the greatest trouble, anxiety, and annoyance from one and another. With respect to Messrs. Shaw, SaviU's letter, my books will show, and I can produce abundance of proof, that the medical comforts were very short of quantities ordered ; also no extra glass for skylights, no tarpaulins for hatches (so that when it rained it was as bad below as upon deck, no boards, no sand, no quick lime, no awnings or side screens, soup very short, milk ditto, soap ditto, very little charcoal, which is most important, not only to dry and warm the place, but to take away bad smells) ; milk is also very important, for diarrhcea is produced, in children especially, from food not digesting; and amongst people unused to being crowded together, fever is produced, and unless you can give digestible food, the patient must go from bad to worse. I consider it a perfect miracle that half my people did not die, which I am sure would have been the case if I had not insisted upon the greatest care with respect to cleanliness.