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DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. AUCKLAND EVJDEN'.CE CONCLUDED. VEXATIOUS DELAYS.

The commission appointed to inquire into the question of Defence expenditure took further evidence in Auckland yesterday afternoon. *ir Robert Anderson presided, with .Mr Chas. Rhodes and Mr I*. Barr.

I Corpnral Wilson, on home service in the Records Oilice, said that when they joined they were given an issue of clothing lit to go to the North Pole with. A 1 man, he said, if he wanted to look smart, ha;l to buy hits own clothes. The underclothing that was issued to witness he gave to a man on one of Snndford's trawlers. :is it much too heavy to wear hero. Khaki drill would be infinitely j belter lor this climate. At times the ; issue was two sizes'too large, and if ;i j man went to get the things exchanged ; lie was asked to take a second-hand outlit or to go without. In one instance a man received an issue of two pair* ol socks. These liad to last a year. When lie went back at the. end of the year for another issue he was asked to produce the old ones. He said it was impossible to do so. He -was told that if he could not produce the socks he must produce, the tops. It was unreasonable, witness said, to ask a man to produce socks witu a year's wear out of them. At the present time there must be over £100 worth of clothing on issue to the men at the office in which witness worked, and there was probably not 10/- worth of the clothing worn. WAITED FOTI THREE DAYS. Claude Stanley Over, pianofortemaker, came before the commission with a complaint. He had been called up I three times for medical examination, he said, the third time being February 6. He was ordered to parade in Kitchener Street before tile Medical Hoard on this date. He paraded in due course, but was told that hie papers were not there, and that therefore they could not examine him. This he did not consider fair, as he had broken up some business in the country in order t<> attend; heaskedthat they do their best to examine him. They replied that they could not do so, and requested him to .return in the morning. Next morning when lie presented himself he was again told that his papers had not arrived, and that ho could not be examined till they did. In reply to this he stated that he could not possibly afford to wait, and asked them to complete the examination and make a comparison of. the papers when they did arrive. They asked him to come hack at eleven o'clock. At that hour he ranjr up and was told that the Board was engaged. Later he rarH» up again, and found that they were still engaged. He then took a train to the country, where he had some business to transact. Having arrived there he again rang up. and was told that the Board was waiting for him. Tn reply to this he stated that he had already been waiting three days. The reply of the man who rang up was that he did not care if he had been waiting 300 days, he was under military orders, and subject to i arrest for failing to attend. Witness said that he could not possibly get in. and asked what was the next best thing he could do. They told him that he could go on to Hamilton and I) 6' examined tliere. lie thought that he would be able to do this on the date stated, hut asked if his expenses would be paid; in reply to which he was told that he would have to pay his own. He said he could Jiot do this, and refused to do so. '■ I hart , lost two brothers at the front." he continued, "and do not mind going myself, though 1 am the last of the crowd: but I think J am entitled to a little more consideration."

The President: You presented yourself at the time you were ordered to?—To the very second, sir.

Colonel P. 0- Andrew, Assistant Director of Mfdical Services, who was present, stated that if witness would present himself at the office this morning he would ccc that he was examined at once. ,

The President: Ts lie not also entitled to his expenses? —I -will see that he gets them, sir.

Colonel P. O. Andrews stated that the medical work in the district was as economically administered as possible. Two of the medical boards had been done away with, and one was now doing the work. The question of the dual control between the Health Department and the Defence Department was one that could be dealt with, but evidence would be given on this subject by Surgeon-General Henderson, with whom the speaker had been in communication.

The Commi93ion tb.cn adjourned to Palmerston North, and will pay a visit to Rotorua to-day to inspect several of "the institutions there.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19180216.2.67

Bibliographic details

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 41, 16 February 1918, Page 10

Word Count
843

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE. Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 41, 16 February 1918, Page 10

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE. Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 41, 16 February 1918, Page 10

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