SICKNESS AT TRENTHAM.

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 July 1915, Page 5

SICKNESS AT TRENTHAM.

'.: ; "- : - : FUfcL v ' PROMISED. MINISTERS CROSS-QUESTIONED ,1N PARLIAMENT; [By Tele&rspta—Specie] lo tbo Star,] ' !' 'WELLINGTON, This .Day;,; ; - ,' \ The Minister of Defence and', the Minister in Charge of Hospitals had,a-, busy half-hour when the House ;! met yesterday afternoon replying to Iqiiesthins., regarding -excessive sickness at Trenthaih camp, and a, full report on the ; subject was' promised for Thursday. ,', ",-- ■ ■ '•' ■ ; ' : .'-.' Mr. C. H. Poole (Auckland West) called the Minister's attention \to,„a trooper's letter published iri Auckland which ,-alleged that 600 cases were .iii,' Wellington hospital, and that men' who reported at 8.15 a.m. at the medical tent were kept waiting in the rdin . until llVclock before their cases were dealt with, Avhile some were not; able to receive attention. The sick meri^had, in some cases', to sleep in wet tents and in their wet clothes. The member add- „■'•'■ ed that- he was anxious not to emb'arras> ' . the Minister of Defence, but reportsyof such an alarming state-' of affairs re- ■ quired the closest investigation. /.,-•'< Tlie Hon. James Allen replied? with some warmth that he questioned if a Trentham soldier wrote such a letter, , one so full of gross and pure* inaccuracies. It was a violent attack oit th« Trentham authorities and was s$ full of untruths that' next day! he #>uld lay before Parliament a. complete- re- ~ port from tire authorities on thei?hol»positiori, to show how grossly inaccurate was this letter. He wished to point out that instead of 600 soldiers';beiiig in .Wellington Hospital -there were not 600 beds in the whole institution. |omi» of the men preferred the tents't r & the hutments; A complete force of doctors . was attaehed to' each reinforcement ", draft, but a fortnight or three ago he advised that it was necessary-,"to secure continuity of,medical policy in the camp. • Consequently a permanent medical officer, Colonel Morice, :;Jdrad. , been appointed and had gone into camp that day. '"" A CHANGE IN CONTROL.* ,

A fortnight ago last ' Allen continued, it was reported to him that there was a- considerably increase in the rate of riieSsles ari-dl influenza, and that the Berhampore Hospital was overcrowded. The Public Health Department promptly (repdfted, at his request,; and he personally ed Berhampore. Coming to the cqliclwsiori that things wer% unsatisfactory a immediately set . about making ] a change. Colonel Purdy, who was'"33irector of Medical ServiceSj-was rele&ted to the treatment of dealing with transports, sind arranged that the Chief Health Officer, Dr. Valintine,. should "take in liana the treatment of the sick in hospitals and the. sick at Trentham. \ a

Mr. Russell: Is he over Colonel Furdy or Colonel Morice? ~\ The Minister: Yes, he will beaver the doctors as an inspecting offiber. The number in the general hospital at present is 43. - - , '. ,* Sir Joseph Ward: And there 'are •■' others in other hospitals ? • ■

• The-'Minister replied that., including convalescents and measles and iiifluenza cases, , the re were approximately 400 patients. They were allocated to the general hospital, the Berhampore hospital, a large warehouse at Kaiwarawara, Mr. Izard's house at Trentham, and Mrs Hadfield's house .at Waikanae. Tliere was ample provision for all, though he admitted there was overcrowding gt-first; - - ; ~-; • . ■■»■> BREEZE WITH DR. THACKER;

The Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes, Minis--ter of Health, announced that""ther« were 30, convalescent patients in Mr; Izard's house, 209 at Kaiwarawara, ! 43;' patients in the general hospitalj 21 at Berhampore and two at «Trentham. There were no patients actually in:the camp; the only ones in the vicinity were those in buildings loaned by the Wellington Racing Club.- '■

Mr. Wilford : There are some in-the horse-boxes. ■ ' '■ . The Minister: Pardon me. It was not a horse-box- .«

Mr. Wilford : I know/ because:! saw'

The Minister added that there were, patients in the tea kiosk, mostly influenza convalescents. None of the cases were such as would have to be treated in hospital; some would not even hare consulted a doctor in'private life. Dr. Thacker: Because they are riot septic? - ,| ' ;. : '""" --•'■ '';■' ''. .'■ -' The Minister : They are hot fieptic.** Dr., Thacker : You state that as ' * fact?- . ". , - v"-,vi '•''.'

'. The Minister': Tee. I know tie hpn. gentleman went out and poked iround without a permit or anything *!§«.', Dr. Thacker: Don't Be nasty 1' . Continuing, the < Hoh. R •'; Heratoa Rhodes said the cases were removed to the tea kiosk -or shelter,;"'befcsuia it was less draughty than the tents arid; hutments. He and the;Minister of Defence personally questioned those men and-they said they were all the bettfee for sleeping on.'the kiosk verandan; The Victoria Ward of the Wellington Hospital had been-made available for measles patients. .He Visited the convalescents at Kaiwarawara. arid'found them well occupied' ,end cdnteritaed. Members could be assured that-all tn» patients were provided•• for in,an, adequatel way. .'">■ '"-•', '-"'. : : IS THE TROUBLE ABNORMAL? Mr. G; W.. Russell v asked 'if s ißa Minister of Defence considered the rat* of sickness ai Trentham abnormal, arid if he had enquired'into the cause with" a view to removing,it?. „ ' .; ( . The Minister replied that -he hi#l constantly enquired if anything. further could be done to reduce, sickness.: tfo did not consider the abriornial, nor anything worse tliah wliat'ofecurred in an influenza epidemic among civilians. ' \,'." ■'■ ■. ", ' ■- '•

"Is it influenza? May I ask the Minister of Public Health if the ;cMes, h<j says are influenza are xiot really septip cases?" asked Dr. Thacker.'

The Hon, R... Heaton Rhodes: I say the-medical officers. informed me they: are chiefly influenza cases. Dr. Thacker; (doubtingly): means nearly all of them. .-, ; -■