TRENTHAM ENQUIRY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8207, 3 August 1915, Page 8

TRENTHAM ENQUIRY.

YESTERDAY'S EVIDENCE,

(Per Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 2. The Trentham Camp Royal Commission resumed to-day. George Robb, architect,, in response to a request from the- Commission, gave lengthy technical evidencv . • . ' Sister Alice Fayam said she .was at Berhampore from June 2 toJuly,JL7. She assisted in attendance, on FordhaVrn. and Pollard. Pollard arrived with" a temperature of 101.8, and had a cough. Fordham told her later that it had been suggested that he should \ go .to Wellington Hospital, but ho had preferred to stay at Berhampore. Pbl- • lard's .temperature rose after four days. :Fordliam did, not appear so iU as Pollard. He developed a/.temperature about tho same time as the' other patient. To Dr. Martin: Witness could not say why an exception to the rule of sending seriously ill patients to Wellington was made in the case of Pollard '. '• ■ '.• ■;

Dr. Martin-: Do you a pneumonia" patient could, get as good treatment at' Berhamporo as '■ aV' Wellington Hospital ? ■ . No.doubt pneumonia could be treated better at the general hospital. . ;•',.; And you" donH know /why Pollard was not moved;.? .....;, . No; \t was hot mentioned to me. '; Sister Faram said that when, the iiospitnl was being vacated she•'.asked .whether papers, etc., wore'to. be sent down to the Department. .She was told to destroy'what had been in.the wards. Pollard's' and^Fordham's charts wjer<? among tho papers. . Dr." Martin: On what date weiva, i ypu| told to destroy these charts ? "'"... After the patients had left. . . • "VVitneßii. continued that slie rang, up the' StoresV Department' p.Vjii.. could not 1 say who .gave- her the .'instructions. Charts were not: specially, mentioned. She inquired because ..she .t|ip\Vgh;t .it; undesirable to-send papers ..tyKipli might carry infection.

Percy Morgan, recalled,. : stated that the drainage from the camp,after.passtrig through the gravel, would., roach the Hutt Jliver and .tyv conveyed to AVellintcton TTarhoixr:. ' lt.,.w ; ould!,reac.h the riv'-rr abtMit the,.-fi;or<Xfi. ■..IJe...had examined a site 'at Featherstpn,. ,wh.er,e the surface, drainage wouJd- be ..better than at' frontham. If Trentham '."was to ]ya a permanent camp .there' should be some special drainage prjpy.ision. as in course of years the soil and subsoil would become contaminated.

Dr. James Scott McLaurin, Government Analyst, was examined as to a report ho had furnished concerning an analysis he had made of samples of air obtained at Trentham camp from different huts, on July 29. ! ,';, Mr Justice Hosking: What does it indicate—^good ventilation ? Witness: Some of them!are ribt good. Most of thenr are fairly good. '.! No. 8 ;^ample\particularly is not'r good*- 'showing an excess of carbon dioxide pf,.7. After the" luncheon adjournment tho Commission spent an hour inspecting the buildings which had'been used 'as ■a hospital at Berhitmpote, , ..;. Frederick ' Charles' Gentry, supply officer, stated, that he had asked the .nurses to let him kiiow what was to 'be returned from. Berhampore. ,He told them .through the taleplioiie.tha't,,,they xlid not.w.ish. to cajrry. avvay any..books tha.t raiglit convey infection. The books were \?f-t at Berhamporo. ,He Keard .nothing about, "temperature charts. '. Nothing was said about them. He acted on his own authority.' "When Ke board' that; the hospital, was to be closed "he told the nurses that everything to be '.taken away-,'was to be thor'oiigjily ■ disirifec,tod. .', He. ;mad,Q. r fjp ajrrahgemehts ' for" the 'destruction .'...0f. finything;' books. he; refeiTed -to tvere'. those 1, patients ,had b<3en reading izi tho w.arde? ' ■ f,., \i. '.'.. Mr, Justice Hosking : . 'Jljf^it is,.skid that you gave orders for the books and charts to be burnti is that coiv "4-ect ? '"...■ ■; ■ . ' ■. -■' ; ■.

Books t not charts; but they were not to bo burnt. We did not want to take away anything that might spread disease. Charts were never mentioned. Private Henry H. Bothamly, of the 6th Reinforcements, stated that he had come forward in response to a subpoena. He joined two months ago. Three days after, .the tents were blown, down. He reported on sick parade and went to the racecourse hospital. He had a high temperature and soie throat. After inoculation his temperature >, as 104 He walked back to tho lines, and some of the men helped him. to cany Ins things to ths hospital. Ho was asked \vbother he was fit to walk, and ho lephed. " Quite fit " He did not like hospital in a loose-box with three others Pc and another were lying on tho ground They had a waterproof sheet and mattress Onro, on niaking a request to an orderly, he was told to go to a hot place, and on another occasion he could not get the doors shut, as the.orderli.es were, going. on parade." He* was afterwards, at the kiosk, where the orderlies did not seem to "'know much about the game!" To the time of his discharge there were no female nurses at the kiosk.

Tho Rev. D. C. Bates,' recalled, stated that when he was at the camp Colonel Gibbon drow his, attention to the fact that no sickness emanated from th" sample hut. This se°med to coiroborate witness's ideas that the want of ventilation was the main cause of sickness. He maintained that in calm and frosty weather tho nuts were extremely dangerous for want of ventilation. , n A letter was read from Dustin and Co., canteen proprietors, denying that theie had been any shoitage of soap in camp so far as' they were concerned. They had sold from 300 to 400 cakes of soap por day, mostly carbolic, and they had nover run short" of the article.

Major SulUvan. gave evidence 'as- t6 getting iristructioils to have the " B'ei'liampore Hospital prepared for patients: -He-, supplied, no. tempera'tiiieg^cha'tts :>: •He' belioVed^piaiftf-'^e%Sft;aisf^: fr-brii l-' /™^llm|^;;i6sp^l ; i:^;^ ■■■>. • "^^; ■■:■£ Mr^ForguKon: tf^thfe "^ursd^sayJth^t: tney rang-up your department andre--2 "18t. r.ucti?^ to burn them, who EKc&n?? nßht Offiror- t0 S-o the

hkely any or our officers would give inatructions to burn temperature charts or books.

Tho Commifi.sion, his Honour stated hoped to finish with the witnesses that had been arranged for by Thursday,, and then an opportunity would be given to any members of the medical staff to. spo«,k if. thoy desired to do so. .'Tho Commission adjourned till to•triorrow 1. ;: ' '•