TRENTHAM INQUIRY

North Otago Times, Volume CI, Issue 13329, 31 July 1915, Page 6

TRENTHAM INQUIRY

DR. THACKER'S EVIDENCE,

Ii'OSMTAkACCOMMODATION . : CRITICISED.

*■% • (P«r Pre>« Aisociatioa)

£ ■'" WELLINGTON, July 2D. Tn'ilay further evidence was given. Wore the 'lVentliiini Commission..

. Pubf , . lie said tlie Qovcrn : jnenfcpuid at Trenthani was 400, aeres. : /I:it jjpd 80 acres hills, . /The greater pai't"|uf'tlio--ll:it area could be used, only ..a sntiill'part being swampy;-' 'There . were!approximately 80 : tents to the ' aere.f . He was informed bv Captain J : McCfjsteH v tiiat', ''though* the '*oliliatrines : ' the tent area, no tents hail ,| . actually been pitched on the:site. L , Drji Thacker, M.P., said lie. was a J . Surgeon-Captain of tile Reserves of the; , . 2\ T ew l 'Zealaii(l Fortes. He conteiuled'iu j tlie li'iist place that the military authoritics Had previously been warned of the ~ possibility of an epidemic by'an expcri- j . • oncost Christcliurch, The authorities j ■ knevsthat Trentham was likely to be '; nuulds,. 'as itTwasat'the Winter . races. 4 Theyitknew also" that there would be a. < shortage ft', tents, and they would have ! ■" to 'tliey (lid not get the material on the ground in the , dry weatlieiv autl - eventually had to-use (lamp timber. No provision was made .for reotdii!g ) .,w]iereas ; if: the .authorities 1 •had |ifk'eii 'the ".matter'in' hand early 1 •: they jiould have put down tarred maca- . ; (lam.y, Fog hung very long over TrentJiatti. '; Had the authorities desired to *vpiil-;ii gl|at ileal*,of; ijnulj. they "njjght ; liavi' in a railway siding to the ; ciiinp!;: As far back as October and witness-had troopers from 1 •'Tjentliuiii calling on him at ChristVliurch;- differing 'from septic throats. * , On .fflhe- -witness continued, he ..Trentham, 'and, nieti four , stretcjier-bearers, who said they had just . ; cimM aiHuieonsciouii imin froiir a tent : ■' to tiicVliio.sk. One of .the stretcher- - bearers liiiiisel'f should have s beeiv in hospital., his throat having been com- , pletely ulcerated. . .in the tea. kiosk '. were .about 220'inen in their own clothing, \vjitli otic or''two blankets. Some ;of their clothes were semi-damp,. Twothirdstot them had sore-throats. ; : - Dn Tjiacker went on to. say that. . .everything was in a .chaotic state. '.I here .were 110 pillowslips, sheets, lav.i- ---•... ton- accommodation, bed slippers, or : 'hot-water bottles. :. He looked for the , patient- who had been carried in,, and fotindi Di reiguspn shoutingin' a Mipci voia I '' to ask him if he had any jiaiiij /ivho he was? and where he came fiojn Witness found -the man semi: :;.rmiseuws, his brain partially narcotised. ' He concluded that lie had either "typhoid, ■ ]tiifiuniqina/or cerebto spinal meningitis. - . Tlie man died the next ilav. Swabs "houliriiau 1 been taken of tlie tluoats, and uiltuies obtained Mi'feiguson How do wi know that Has not done/—The answei gneh to mi in«the House Vis that the nicu hid ( olds and liifiiien/a Uiebio spin il 'meningitis had been expeuemed in I iighbh t medical ]onijii|ls t9 Nrn; .Zealand had r lt The authonties should 0 \ OIL tii"u guaul, a]!|l '•omething m<ne than < i influx/Mini =pie V JJiudiei'sud he wno signs of , Thoic neie tince sh Mio had anncd ilic day l'ii uously the nursing had been in the ° JC

hands-of "orderlies, who did their best, but did not understand the work.

MrFergusoii: Could they have got a nursing- staff together iii the time?— Certainly. ; It is Jiot for me to say what theyv shouldhave done; but . r li know what I woum have done. What they wanted wert, not expert qualified nurses, but capable women, such, .as, they have now. ■'■"■• ', • The means of transport for men suf-, firing with measles and incipient pneumonia was,. witness, added, in open j motor-cars." ■'■" "

.'. His Honour: -Do you consider.,' that'. two doctors- were snllicient?—No, -it was impossible. They, needed tlireo' to five more; doctors, -:'''"■' Berhampore, witness"went :dn to say," was a cold, bleak place, hot." suitable for sick men. •-' Not far from the hospital there was a beautiful'new-school, and. had the authorities;, had: initiative they' could ,]tave coiiiiii-kndeered that building, put in .elcc-tric-'wi'fes; and ,vcrv soon have had it very comfortable with' radiators.;-.. Ther- was; also a fine school a'i ; tlie Hiitt, which could :have-bep',!o'sed for measles. Tlie.authorities, iii'stead, tried to do with the minimum. At the kiosk, ; 'iiien' who.were getting convalescent were putting on boots which' had been so'a'kofl" through'' and not pro-, perly dried, also .clothes not. proper]}'; 'dry. Sonic of the nurses at Trentharii hail fakeii measles and septic throats, which pointed to the virulence of, the. trouble. Siek men who had been at Trenthain Said that the food 'was often, very indifferently cooked. ' They seldom saw fresh vegetables.

Dr. Thaeker said there -should!• havebeen 500 or 600 shower baths iii tlie camp, and if : they coiikl" nk l)'c waViii they should be tepid; "so that the men could wash themselves. . They had no facilities i;or washing themselves at alb. if they could steal some hot water from the "Dixie'..'it.was all." They could see the Defence authorities had sent to.'.thefront.a large„,,quantity of 'iiidtorambulances,. but there had not'been one in connection with- the'-camp till' the present disturbance "began.-.-.; Witness expressed.au„ opinion .that. the-.expeitdi.-•'tare, of an additional £SOOO or £IO,OOO would have made all the difference between a state almost of•' perfeeli'bii and .the muddle that had been experienced'in "connection with the camp, •; twdif Ijbusami pounds'' would ;Jiave"established <a base hospital, tho-e((tiiiiinent;ot--;which waste have.been jjjveivby the iliUies.of .. '■ '""'";■ ;,'■";■; i The Com mission, on Saturday^will mjt Trenthain to take: the evidence of soldiers there. . ..'. '■.-.'', YESTERDAY'S EVIDENCE, ;.•': \

ALLEGED NKGUICT W SICK MEN

(Per Press Association) WELLINGTON Juh o0

At the Ticiitham impniv tod.n, Chili It's Don/in, tcmpoiiiij Staff Set i gCrint il,t|oi, stationed at the Hutt UinalcMcnt Home, that he icuMU'd measles patients in the imal stages of u'i'oven Tie had to send tlnce men bark to Tienthain lacecouise, tuo ot whom had lompletelj ieio\cicd. He ha<t sill the assistance he a\anted, and he had no lontend with in tojiuetfion wi'th'the sidy pai ades The dispensaiy at the hospital njs in a sepuiate tent Thcie ius auiple Mipplj ot diugbj luuU'licie ahiiu lorn oi h\e dispeais'eis If fa man .wanted to get out of the Iso Li* tion Camp' poliLCwen.' Some must liave bioken camp and got as be found whisky mUhe waid,- '

"Mr"; Justice Hosking (sotto' voce) 'iPolrliiips Hie whisky' saved -lii'm.'.'

-AskLHl at to ; tlio examination of patient's .throats', witness explained that 'ordinary, throat brashes, were* used, They"fr(!re'dipped'in 'lysolj and washed afterwards. ' -

Dr. Martin: "Did/ydu soc v the same throat b/ushes used twice?" "We had to, because we had 30.0r 40 sick throats a day to attend to, iiud \j'e had about it dozen brushes," i.", What strength, was the lysol w.ix t ttareF ■ ■• . , ■,

• : ,, A..twispoonful,.tp about half a pint of''water. ■ , The throat brushes were, rinsed with cold water before and after being : iu, the. ,l\*sol."

> '' That' is what yq'u saw done 1 /" "'"That was done,'" ' ".."That .was the..procedure,?'' ' ;:"Yes.» ". :.-. ' ' ■'' That w;as, done, uiitler it-he eye -of. the ' . '

•:■"?<??•" '■:■■..■ -,.'M.i\ Justice Hosking 'rend the.evidence given- by Dr. Yates as to the brushes being: dipped in. hot water. . ..." .;iWitncss: •'■' There was always boiling water in the dispensary, and it might have been done!"

''Corporal Bigman; now at -.Bangiotu Camp"; stated, that he.was a couple of months at Trenthani, from Aprjl ,28. Wen in a hut he was sick twice, There was a complaint iiiaile- about over"crowdiug, there hot being enough hut accommodation. On one occasion there ■was only-one doctor for sickyparade, and the'men were.kept waiting in the, .rain,; ■.;:. ~ .:.•■•'"-. '' ■■■.;

Ulwin \itlun tiutlett stitul tint lie v, \i suit tium fiLiitliani to Willing ton llospitil on I miluv JlJth, ami was dlblliaigul on hbiuun ''tli JU wis gi\Lii lia\e of ibsuiu toi tlnu wuka, hut attei two weeks, tbioiigh tin hl>ic sentition ot a iloLtoi ,it ltiwua, he got in e\tia weik On i chiming to lwinic tint) lit \\iii iileiiid to tin Mutual Boaid, ami on evmniiition h) Di P>ffo he was iound to bc-mptmed *\!)d wis ilinhaiged without m\ int. ins to iim on lie liul been hung on the chant* ot lucmls Jle eohsideiod that he was dwliiugcd Jiom the hos |)it«l too boon, and that caused the mi) tine "Glniles biitith miiliooni <luk it Unisjchuiih, bionght uudci the notice jf the Coiuimssion a (Oinphint lo'iuein ng lnb biotliei, Jlinest Smith, who went nto uiinp with the Seventh Rontone neiifs He wiotc to witness coinplun of i slight told Litu i timid tailed, it lus niothii'i lcsidcnct ind niloimed in that his, biotliei >\as, in Wellington iospihl with a bid attack ot inllueii/i )n the r )th, time dns Jatci, lie wind 01 inloiniitioii About his biotliei, nud ot a tclegnm signed In Di B»da\ 'Jcit hospital -vesteid-n " On tin th hi letcned this telegnni "I'matc V binith sciioush ill Ticiithdm iate ouiso hospital, sudden attack " At ei'watds two othci telcgnnw weic it eivulj intiinaling that the londition ot us biotliei was scnous, mil that the editions neie adwsed to tome at tune ■Tit. bipthei died on the same ihj as us people mined He (ould not'dis o\ci e\aith 'what his biothei died ot )ne docfoi told him it i\as niilignaiit ncdblcb, and anOthei looked as it Ins biothei had feen disihaiged iiom the Wellington lospitul piehutmolv JAIi .(.ustice Hosking intimated that )Ojue futthci incijun ivoiild lie made nto th" cJke ' i 'Hi 'Witness* added tin; his iotieed that when his biothei « is dving it Tieiitliain he had onh a tliess iaeket* in, mfhoiit an\»uiideiclothuig - r<}fe vas in a ioom>stt "by 10ft, and anothei ' J * i- i >' -

hooper MJiy'ili i\rs ju the same opftit incut'' ' * J Piivatc Goi'don G Pcaison sUtocltli.it nita. being about tlueo weeks «1 ennip liu i\.is taken ill. One of the medical i oftlcoLs We out a all]) tp admit linn to the ump hospital ]lo Ws put m ono ot tlio loose boxes, and in the evening \\i\i shifted to the Juosli, wlicife lie re' iiumed tiom the Wednesday night till the Satm'day liioining., On the lattei occasion he complained to the- iloctoi ol not being- well, and the doetoi told the oulerly that witness was to be cm ik i| out He was taken to a plaee w lth

t'otu bunk l ) ul it His tcmpeiatUic was | U]i to lOci While he was ljing m tlic kiosk that evening \wi nose staited to bleed, and lie, could not stop it The oideilv tucd to stop it, ami that was the I ist tint witness lomoinbeicd till ho

"lame to" in tho Wellington hospital On Jul} 4th he was tuiustened to the Kaiwuin Hospital, tidiu winch lie was dis.li jigul on the, loth While at Km waii'lJie was viMted by Mi J T, M Ilomsh, M.P., who (nine to him with uteience to the aiixiot> of witness' paieiits at not healing about his con dilion lie wis unable to wiite to his people up till that time, because he had no inoiil'\ with Jinn -when he was taken to the hospital, ~iuil could not bin ma funk or a stamp Setfi'i il othei soldiois, give evidence

iigauling the methods of tieating sick uen, and Mi D 0 B.ties submitted a upoitiin the theimal londitions in and

about th( hutlucuts 1 Mi I' C Moigan, Dnee'toi oi Gcolo gunl fc>lii\e\s, also lepoited on the state ul the gioltlid