RELATING TO IMMIGRATION.

7

D.—No. 16a,

served out; these tins would not hold sufficient water, and without the addition of water the preserved meat could not be used: in consequence, my family had to go without dinner. Instead of a quarter of a pint of preserved milk, to which I was entitled by my contract ticket for my infant child, I received only a quarter of a pint of water with about half a teaspoonful of preserved milk mixed with it. The 4 oz. of rice and the 4 oz. of oatmeal to which I was entitled weekly for my infant, were not served out at all. Our mess was entitled to receive 2-g- pints pickles weekly, but we never received more than 1J pints, except on one occasion. We never got our rice cooked properly, it was always returned to us raw. The cook was in the habit of using most offensive language to both the male and female passengers. On one occasion I took twopence to the cook and he cooked my food, but the captain, finding that the cook was receiving money, ordered us not to give it. On one occasion I made five attempts in one day to see the captain and lay my complaint before him, but, for various reasons alleged, was not permitted to see him. I did not, therefore, make any other efforts to represent these matters to him. Dr. E. W. H. Popham, Surgeon-Superintendent on board the ship " Halcione," states : Once on the voyage, when in the tropics, complaint was made to me personally by one of the single men of the state of a piece of meat which was brought to me as being stinking, upon which I tasted it, it being cooked, and found that it was slightly tainted, but perfectly wholesome. As far as my knowledge goes, there was never any putrid meat unfit for human food served out. I examined many of the casks of meat and found them good. In the saloon, we had sandwiches every night made out of the meat taken from every cask as it was opened, and we found none of the meat bad. There was one cask opened as to which complaints were made by the steerage passengers, and the captain ordered that no more of it should be served out to them from it. This meat was, however, subsequently served out to the crew, and lam not aware that any complaints were made about it. On this occasion a fresh cask was immediately opened in my presence, and the meat served out to the passengers. On one occasion I saw meat thrown overboard, a piece of which was rescued when on the point of being thrown overboard. It was put on the cabin table, and partaken of by the Captain, myself, and three of the passengers at least: they all pronounced it wholesome. Complaints were made to the captain direct without any previous reference to me as Surgeon-Superintendent, but I am not aware that the Captain gave any orders to the passengers to that effect. I frequently, in fact almost daily, visited the galley, and, as far as my observations went, the cook did his duty towards the passengers, and the food was cooked as well as it could be, considering the character of the materials when sent to the galley. There was one cooking galley for the immigrants, who numbered 200, the cabin passengers, and crew, and I consider the cooking accommodation sufficient; at the same time, I think it would be advisable that the immigrants should have a galley of their own. jNo complaints were made to me that the rations were short served, and I only once heard a complaint made to that effect. One day a complaint was made to me that the rice was not cooked, but on examining it I found that it was sufficiently boiled. Henrt Inniss, purser and chief steward on board the " Halcione," states : I always served out the meat to the immigrants; it was all of good quality, both beef and pork; some of it, possibly a piece in a cask, might have been a little tainted, but I do not remember noticing any, and the wdiole of it was certainly fit for human food. I never had to throw any away. One piece was on one occasion complained of by a passenger, but the other passengers standing round pronounced it good. On several occasions complaints were made, and on one special occasion several pieces of meat were thrown overboard by the immigrants. I got a piece of this from No. 21 mess (single men), and put it on the saloon table ;it was all eaten by the cabin passengers, it being known that it had been discarded by the steerage passengers. It was pronounced good by all the cabin passengers who partook of it. In one or two instances complaints were made of tea and bread being short served. With regard to the tea, it was not till nearly an hour after being served out that it was brought back, and then found to be only J oz. short weight, and the passengers, in attempting to divide it amongst themselves, had probably lost some; I made up the full weight As to the bread, one man brought his bread back, saying it was short; this might easily iave occurred in the division of a 3 lb. loaf into six pieces, but I made up the full weight to the complainant. I remember no complaint as to short measure of pickles. James Joss, cook on board the " Halcione," states : I cooked for the Government immigrants on board the "Halcione," as well as for the cabin passengers and crew. I have been cook or steward on board immigrant ships for the last twelve years. The immigrants on board used to bring me their pudding bags with rice so full that it was impossible for the rice to swell and take up the water as it should do. In consequence the inside could not get cooked. I called the attention both of the steward and the passengers to this, and most of the passengers took out a portion. I am not aware that any of the messes ceased to send their rice to the galley because they could not get it cooked. I cooked everything as it was brought by the immigrants, provided I had sufficient room for it. I never refused to cook anything I had room for. I consider the galley accommodation sufficient for the number on board. I had two assistants constantly at work. I received money throughout the voyage from the Danish immigrants. Ido not know what they gave it for. I did not ask any passenger for money, and I was told by the captain not to ask any one for money, but the captain told me I might take any that was given me. There was one special day a week for cooking rice in bags. Bice, to more or less extent, was cooked in hook-pots every day. I commenced cooking at half-past six in the morning and continued till half-past seven at night. The galley fires were lighted at about half-past four in the morning. (Carl E. Warnecke acting as Interpreter.) N. C. Christensen, Danish immigrant per "Halcione," states : Most of the time after we crossed the line, the meat served out, both beef and pork, was bad —so bad that we could only eat a little of it; we threw the rest overboard ; sometimes we had to throw it all away; but sometimes the meat was good and we could eat it all. We cooked the meat, as a rule, the day after wo got it, and put it in water in the meantime —in salt water I mean. Sometimes we kept the meat, in a tin dish and left it down below all night. The meat was often bad when served out. We complained several times to the captain. The captain said it was good, and gave us no more in the place of it. I had great difficulty in getting my food cooked, especially what wanted boiling. Sometimes the food at the bottom was burned and