TRENTHAM INQUIRY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 428, 6 August 1915, Page 3

TRENTHAM INQUIRY.

SCOPE or COMMISSION"

COLONEL VALINTINE S EVIDENCE.

Wellington. Aug. 5. A '..lenient regarding the stope cf rhe '1 < .ithani damp roiiiixiissiun was niam- Lv tin- iSi-livitor-Geueral (Mr. J. W- Salimml. K.('.> before th-- < ’’j iioCTMoti resinned the hearing of it i i<m •. 1 lie Sojje tor-t H-neral said that the eoMHiireMon was not essentially or yr.viari.’v an advisory body which tlu Government might shift rs responsibility. Incidental'' inquiry into what had happened in the past must involve the future, also criticism of what had existed amounted to a recommendation, hut as such wto merely incident id, lln e« riiuission had been < >tal.iid. t iinvestigate charges )•> i:--jtd he an opportunity of si-.iu; their grievances and to obtain a jud : • al finding with respect I ) Mich charges. Any recommendations would undoubtedly be welcomed, but the commission could not be regarded as involving a si a;- “f proreedings. Colonel Valintine. Director Military Hospitals, said in th--course of his evidence that when Itr. Thacker visited the racecourse things were, through fore <>f circuinstances. at their worst, and considering that Dr. Thacker must have had Some experience of hospitals and must h’.ve had some knowledge of emergencies, his critic ism was not justified, reasonable, »r fair. In fact, as a result of Dr. Thacker * alarming reports, witness had t-> leave his position at camp and come into Wellington and answer questions. Dr. Thacker caused a degree of such unnecessary alarm as to spread a lot of dismay and anxiety in many a quit-l home in the Dominion. His Honour: Ihd it h".ve aux ehect on the patients.' Colonel Valintine : Of course. Colonel Valintine said that he thought the men realised that all that mortal men couid do was being; done forthem. The men’s behaviour was simply magnificent. Thy serioueases got adequate attention, and he could swear that no man was void and no man w as hungr.x. as he went round the beds e-.ery night. At the verv lieginning the cooking "is not satisfactory, but there wa- no grumbling, and the worst fed were the medical men and the nurses. . Surely, if there was really that cony fusion which Dr. Thacker suggested, and he desired to adopt a humanitarian attitude, he would have taken off his coat and helped the doctors, instead of spreading alarming ie ports. Witness regretted that a medical officer ot his had said that the men received as good treat inent as they cou d have got in any hospital in tii<' Dominion. That was an j exaggeration, but it would have been inrrirt to say that the men got as good treatment as was possible in the eircmnstanecs. The ductors worked splendidly. His Honour: Can you tell me why men on sick parade were compelled tc- stand for an hour or more in the rtin ’

Colonel Valintine stated that it was a fact that that kind of thing occurred. but <»ne of his first actions was in the direction of guarding against it. Major W. L. Robinson. Assistant Quaitmnastrr-General. in the course of evidence in regard to the camp arrangements, stated that tiequestion of drying clothes was discussei at an «arly stage and was put- at ide on account of the expense involv'd.

Can you explain why, although there was an epidemic threatening, no atrangement was made tor au official conference with the nieilic.d branch of the service That would hate to originate from the medical branch through the Adjutant-General. 1(0’1 know of no such request No. ' Witness acknowledged that it was advisable to have two pairs of boots, if supplies were avai’able, but explained that extra troops were tbrost upon th eheadqnarters staff without sufficient not he. The commission adjourned until to-morrow.

AN UNEXPECTED TRIBUTE. (Received •». !t.5 a.in.) Sydney. Aug. ‘I. The “Herald.’’ comment ing on camp administration in Australia, says we lag far behind other States and New Zealand. Our sister Dominion could teach us manx tahiabic lessons in this connection. THE DEADLY MENINGITIS PRIVATE ROBINSON DIES AT DANNEVIRKL. fem rs><» *mo<u*tiok 1 Danm-virke, Am:. u. Private Robinson, of Gisborne, who was taken from the expre-s train on Tuesday last, uhile <-n rout" to his home from M aikapne ~ amp. and found to be Mifferiug from eerc-bro-spinal meningitis, died at the Dannecirkv Hospital last n>ght. According >•> an earlier me, sage Robinson’s »oinrad. s < n the Napier express train, when he was taken ill. sa;d that Robinson was ill when at Maikan.tc camp. He declined Io report sick, being afraid to lose ids leave. He concealed his ionditi<ii from the authorities, and began to get rapidly worse as soon as he left camp.