TRENTHAM

Evening Star, Issue 15859, 19 July 1915, Page 7

TRENTHAM

COMMISSION 1 OF INQUIRY. FURTHER EVIDENCE, WELLINGTON, July 17. Captain Thomas M'Cristoll (Camp Quartermaster at Trentham) said his department attended to the equipment and: feeding) of the men in camp and camp sanitation. Regarding the. shortage of boots, witness said There had been no difficulty in the issue of the first pairs-of boots, except when an extraordinary “12” or “ 13 ” , was wanted, as in the Third' Reinforcements; but there had been delay ar times in issuing the second pair, The Second Reinforcements came in on six weeks’ notice, but there was delay in obtaining the second issue of boots, which, though requisitioned for, had not come to hand. His Honor asked witness to obtain the exact dates on which he requisitioned for stores and on which they cable to hand. ■ Captain M'Cristell stated that or the second,, lot of ffioots for th© 2,200 men came to hand on July 8. His Honor: Arc there any other stores that have not come to hand. Witness: Yea the blankets for the big body did . not come. . We managed to get over the difficulty by getting the blankets from town. Asked by His Honor whether the drainage was satisfactory, witness pointed out several defects. Thor© was a great deal of mud. and eilt got into the various manholes. Grease and silt also escaped the cages, and gob into the soakpit. It was found eventually, what could nob ho foreseen, that the soakpit was not' adequate for the purpose, and a new one had to be constructed. Grease traps should have been constructed at- a sufficient distance from the cookhouses to allow the water to cool. On© was iu course of construction when the camp broke up. He had complained verbally to the commandant, and also to the Public Works man, who was opening up the drains. Each set of huts or cookhouses should have its own soakage. He considered the soil all round was good for drainage, with splendid gravel. There were soakpits in .use now which had been in use in October. They were covered by manuka'fascines so that they could he inspected from time to time, and had proved quite satisfactory.

After some examination by Dr Martin, witness said that he had never made a report in writing of the defects in the drainage, hut he had mentioned the matters to Colonel Morice and Dr Finch. To Mr Ferguson : At ordinary times his staff-was sufficient for the work. No request of his for assistance had been refused.

To Dr Martin; He had not inspected the drainage system in company with the medical officer. At first witness used to go the round with the sanitation officer, but it took him five hours, and he had to send the quartermaster-sergeant. To Mi* Gray: Everything went all right in connection with sanitation Up to May 29. when defects came under his notice. Ho mentioned them to the medical officers. Captain M'Cristell said that there was a sufficient supply of clothing, apart, from hoots. In the eafly days the construction of the boots was unsatisfactory, but that had been remedied. On one occasion 500 uniforms issued through the stores department were returned to him by th© officer commanding the Trentham Regiment. Ike stores department stated that th© uniforms were all right, except as to size. The majority of the uniforms were subsequently reissued to the unit. Lieutenant Phillip N. Pettie, supply and transport officer, stated that the quality of the food was good, and any individual complaint of shortage was generally found to be due to a mistake. There was' no ground for the suggestion that fruit and vegetables sent to the camp as gifts had not reached the men. Captain M'Cristell (recalled) was asked if he had seen statements in the Press that men had lain. in. tents that had been neglected. Witness said that some of the statements were true, but they were not true as to sick men lying in the tents. The only men he knew to be lying in tents were those who had been given what was known as light duty. ■ The Commission adjourned till 10 a.m. on- Monday. *