23

H.—3le.

T. CHAMBERLAIN.]

medicine they were giving her. On night of 9th September I spoke to Nurse Adams. She told me she did not wish me to stay an} - time, as she had given my wife an injection of serum. I said " Serum." She said " Yes." I said, " That's for blood-poisoning, is it not." She said "Yes." I said I thought it was blood-poisoning, but the doctors had been trying to lead me to believe it was chest complaint. The nurse said, " Oil, well, Mr. Chamberlain, I do not know what it was for certain." She said she had never got it definitely from the doctors what it was. 1 went in and saw my wife, but did not stay any time. She appeared to me as if she would not live much longer. I spoke to her. She was really too weak to tell me how she felt. [ left after a very short vi:it. I was roused at my home by one of the nurses at 11.50 that night. She told me that the doctor had been along seeing my wife, and that she would not live more than a few hours. 1 caught the last car straight away. I got to the home about midnight, but my wife was then dead. 1 called at Dr. lnglis's house next morning for a certificate of death. I did not see the doctor. A lady came to the door to inquire about age, &c. She returned after that with a certificate of death. 1 saw it. [Certificate from case-book put in. Caes No. 1325 —indoor case. Copy of entries in case-book put in by consent.] I saw a chart in the isolation ward. As to the notes in the case-book, it is true that my wife's mother (Mrs. Underwood) was staying with us before my wife went to the Hospital. She came to us on the 17th June. She was then suffering from a bad leg. She had varicose veins. Dr. Brockway operated on her about a fortnight later. The wound was open for seven or eight days, then it started to heal up. It was healed up about three weeks before my wife went into the home. 1 saw it, and that it was healed. It is not correct that my wife dressed my mother-in-law's leg night and morning for several weeks. On several occasions I remember it being dressed by Mrs. Underwood herself, in the morning. The day after the leg was lanced my wife dressed the leg. Mrs. Underwood came to my house to lay up. My wife did not do any dressing—only on one occasion. I say this from what I learnt from my wife and my mother-in-law. I saw the leg dressed on most occasions. It was then dressed by Mrs. Underwood herself. On some days she only did it once a day. Apart from the varicose veins, Mrs. Underwood was throughout in the very best health. She left my house on the Bth August. It is certainly not true that my wife had a nasty cough on admission. It is not correct that she had influenza a fortnight before her admission She had neither signs nor symptoms of influenza before this. She was not suffering from anything at all on her admission. 'She had not been complaining to me as to her health. She used to be a little run down at night-time—on some evenings—that is, tired. On the night before she went into the Hospital I took her for a walk for a couple of miles. She seemed very well after it. I got tired first. She wanted to walk some distance further, but I was a little tired myself. Apart from her pregnant condition, my wife was apparently in good health, and in her normal good health. There were no complaints from her except as to being tired at nights. She had the assistance of her sister, a girl about twelve, in the house. She had no cough, no influenza at the time of her admission. My wife complained to me every evening after her confinement as to pain where the stitches were for nine or ten days. She did not complain of any pain in the chest when she coughed. She told me she had a headache on one occasion. At no time did the Matron inform me that my wife was complaining of a pain in the chest when she coughed. Neither Nurse Way nor Nurse Adams informed me of such a thing. Dr. Inglis did not refer to it nor did Dr. Goldstein. Cross-examined by Mr. MaysJ\ I was thirty years of age last birthday. I have worked at Port Albert since my wife's death. 1 went there about a week after the funeral. I remained five or six weeks. T worked with a man named Treadwell. I have taken a direct part in instituting this inquiry. I went to visit the Minister of Public Health. That was in Auckland. I do not remember the date. Mrs. Nicol did not go with me. I went alone. Mr. Bradney asked me to go and see him —the Minister. I came back from Port Albert, though not to see the Minister, though I had the intention in my mind. 1 was coming to town for good. I received a letter from the secretary of my union informing me of some rumours that had been going about, and he asked me if they were true. 1 came to Auckland. I wanted to see the secretary of the union. I had it in my mind all the time that my wife had not beer- properly treated. It was my own idea to see the Minister, but I did not know how to go about it. Mrs. Nicol came along and met me as I was coming out of a shop. I had received a letter from the secretary of the union before this. Mrs. Nicol's name was mentioned in the letter. The letter is at home. I can bring it here. The secretary asked me in the letter if the statements were true. I came down to town shortly after. I went and saw the secretary of the union. He told me the union was quite prepared to take the case up if I was prepared to give evidence. I said I would. Several telegrams were sent to Wellington to different members to see if they would grant an inquiry. The reply was that the Minister was coming to Auckland, and he would inquire into all matters concerning this case, and other matters as well. I had in the meantime made a statement to Mrs. Nicol. It was in writing. Mrs. Nicol took it down in her own handwriting from my lips. A full statement. I signed it. I made statements to the Minister. The statement to Mrs. Nicol was the only one that was taken down. I went and saw the Minister. He asked me to state the case to him. I did so as I had done to Mrs. Nicol. I assisted Mrs. Nicol and others to get the Minister to set up this inquiry. I would not dispute that it was the 19th November when I saw the Minister. I had my wife's body embalmed. There were two objects for it. One was so that the body could lie exhumed in case there was an inquiry; the other was that the body had to be taken a long way for burial —to Port Albert. From the burial till the time I came to Auckland five or six weeks later I took no steps to have an inquiry or to bring the matter before the authorities. I did not quite believe that my wife did not recover from her confinement owing to chest trouble. I did not believe it in my own mind. I thought there was something wrong about her treatment in the Hospital. I would have come to town quite apart from the letters I received. I was greatly grieved about my wife's death, and I wanted to stay away from town for a while. That was simply on account of my grief. T spoke to many