TRENTHAM INQUIRY.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13825, 21 July 1915, Page 7

TRENTHAM INQUIRY.

[Uwted. Pkess Association.]

Wellington, July 20

At the Trentham Royal Commission, W. H. Morton, City Engineer, explained in detail the sanitary and general arrangements at'-,the camp. He stated -tinit he could see no reason why j the camp should not be in every way j sanitary j' in view of the situation, the! winds, arid the nature of the soil. If the camp were in the middle of buildings he might consider it congested, but as it. was in the open, he did not sco how it could be crowded . Dr. Frengley, Deputy Chief Health Officer, .said that in New Zealand it would be- monstrous to have barracks or huts with small air- openings as specified in the English Regulations, llie Trentham huts were designed to accommodate 50 men as the absolute maximum. On June 29th he visited tho camp on a warm, muggy night, and found in one hut 55 men. He was informed by a medical officer that there were more than 50 on other occasions. Mr Justice Hosking: Who would be responsible for that? ~,-.,' Witness: I think the medical ■ authorities should have been asked about it, and would have been. Dr Martin: This could occur tremvMitly without a doctor knowing it Witness: Possibly ; but that would be a breach of discipline Or Martin: If the men had been put in ray military officers without' consulting medioe 1 officers then the military officers w-wld have been to blame?

Witness: Yes. Dr. Martin- You do not know whether "they were consulted ? Witness: I have an idea, but 1 am not definitely certain. '. \ Dr. Freiiglev said he told the medical man that there should not be more than 50 men in a hut, and that he was satisfied that if the openings were clos ■ ed up it would bo very dangerous to the health of the men. He put his views in writdnir. and reported t«> the Director of Military Hospitals. He.had no military position to enforce his recommendations. He had visited the camp as Deputy-Chief Health Officer. The hospital rule had beer, followed in as signing the distance between tho Juitments," tho distance teing half as nui.:l) again. as .tli© height of the buildings. He regarded th© air space betwocr- tho huts as ample. "I should liko to appeal to the Commission tn alter tho hutis,'' Dr. Frengley added. "My reasons are these: It'has been suggested throughout the Dominion that the Trentham Camp is nothing more nor less than a deathbed. Much of the criticism has fallen on tho hutments. It ■ has-been argued thai) because the epidemic arose whtn the men went into the hutments these were at fault, in consequence it lias beer; suggested to doctors and others that.'there is something wrong; with the camp, and especially with the hutments. That suggestion is reducing the resisting, power of the soldiers, doctors, and everyone else against trhese epidemic diseases. It has boe-n suggested that the men going out there, reading all about these things, think the trouble is much wors>> than is actually the case, and they are in greater danger of contracting these diseases than they would otherwise be. The camp, is q\iite sanitary. Therefore I would appeal to the Commission to alter the huts in some way, because if I-they continue to be occupied as they i ar©'these' fellows will always have the notion iihafc they are going into deathbeds, which is'all nonsense. We put consumptives into places like these, and thfiv get well.'" : Tho chairman suggesttd that, it | would be desirable if the doctor could i give a lecture on the lines he had indicated, which would improve the mental state of the patients. Dr. FroKgley said he would be very glad to do this. "In plain language,"' he remarked, *'the wl^ole colony in if. a funk a'ega-rding the camp, politicians and all." Continuing, Dr. Frengley suggested that the number of mon in each hut» should be reduced from 50 to 30, and that they should be provided with movable stretchers.

Tlie chairman commented that men had to be made hard, and could nob be sent from feather beds to the front.

Dr. Frengley explained that the organisms of influenza, pneumonia, and cerebro spinal meningitis could not. live for any length of time outside the human body. It followed, then, that the disease Ait present in the, camp (leaving out measles) did not live about the ground of the camp, so they were not associated with what were called insanitary conditions. It meant .that these epidemics had been carried to the camp by what were known as .' 'carriers." Dr. Frengley went on to point out that within the last six months, in the Wellington district, influenza of an extraordinarily severe type had prevailed, and in one instance influenza of a .severe type arose in a public school which in -sanitary condition and design was probably one of the best south of the Line, and 80 per cent, of the boys were affected. Charles Holmes Sewell. who has charge of tho underclothing (including blankets) at the Defence Stores, stated that orders for the camp were issued to him sometimes verbally and sometimes in writing. On May 24th an order came in for 6000 blankets. Owing to the • inadequate storage for the bi"- stocks of blankets they wore hoidin" a load of blankets was . .sent to camp from time to time. When he received tho order, the blankets had been sent to cann> to relievo the stock, 'iho approximate" total of blankets sent to Trentfiam up to May 29tb was 34,979. He queried the order for 6000. because the total number of blankets required, according to the schedule of men who had Lone into camp, was 33,170, and. there'should have been a surplus oi 1809 blankets. Instead of a shortage, there should now be a surplus or over 4000 blankets. .. . The Commission adjourned till tomorrow. ■