COL. DAVIES.'

H.—6c.

120. Was the cooking fairly good ?—lt was very good, considering that the galley was so small. They were rather at a disadvantage owing to its smallness. I consider it was too small for the total number on board. Also, it had only one entrance, and the wind all the way to Albany was always on that side. 121. Do you consider that the cooking was what it ought to have been?—l do not think there was anything much the matter with it; but I think they were rather handicapped for room. It might have been a little better, perhaps. 122. I suppose if they had had more room they could have turned out better food'?— There would have been no difference in the food itself. It would have been just the same. 123. Who suffered, the men or the cooks?— The cooks mostly, I should say. 124. You think that the effect of the galley being small did not tend to make the food as nice as it would have been had the galley been larger?—l think, occasionally the food was not so good as it might have been with a bigger galley. 125. Was there complaint to you of the cooking as well as of the rations?— Yes; I remember on one occasion an officer saying to me, when I asked if there were any complaints, that the men had complained that the mutton was rather underdone yesterday. This is the only complaint I can think of. 126. I suppose the men who liked it underdone would find no fault with it ?—No. The officer was rather unfortunate about this case, as I reminded him that the men had had fish, and he said, " Oh, yes, I meant the day before that." 127. You do think, then, that upon one or two occasions the men were justified in making complaints about the cooking ? —Yes ; I think it is quite possible. 128. When you had inquired into this question of the cooking, was a remonstrance made, and did the cooking improve ? —I never had more complaints. I went over the galley again with the purser. Two or three times a week I went to the galley when I went to the rest of the ship, and had a look at the food there. I went in with the purser and inspected the cooking arrangements again, and asked him if he could devise any means by which he could improve it in anyway. They had only a limited number of boilers, and the tea had to be cooked in the same boilers as the meat. He said it was always done on a transport. I said, " Never mind, can you devise any means of doing otherwise? Can you cook the water for the tea where you cook for the saloon ? " He said it was actually impossible—he could do nothing. 129. Was the tea greasy ?—I was informed once or twice that it was. 1 sent for some of the tea myself, and I never found anything the matter with it. 130. Was there a notice that meals could be purchased by the men for Is.—did you see such a notice?—No, I never saw such a notice. I think you are referring to the " Orient." 131. Was there such a notice on the " Britannic " ?—No, I never heard of it. I heard that meals were being sold by the ship's people. 132. We have a telegram from Walter Crook, of Pukekohe, stating that he is prepared to give evidence that he had to pay £5 for food on the " Britannic." Are you aware there was food being sold on the " Britannic"?—At the beginning, the first two or three days out, it was reported tome that some of the ship's people were selling food. I sent for the purser at once and told him of it, and asked him to have it stopped immediately. He said that he did not see what he could do to stop it, as if he put those men in irons he had no one else to put in their place, and said if I could stop it he would be pleased. I said, " Very well, I will give instructions that if any of your men are seen selling food, then my men are at liberty to take the food away from them without paying for it, and give them a ducking for it." I never had any further complaint about it. 133. Where did they get the provisions ?—They stole it from the ship ; they had absolutely no right to do so. 134. What was the food they sold ?—1 do not know what it was ;I do not think I have heard. It is not an uncommon thing on board ship ; they have often-tried to do it. 135. Do you imagine it was done to any extent ?—Not after the first two or three days. 136. Do you think there was any necessity for men in ordinary health to buy food ?— Perfectly certain there was not. 137. Then, any statement such as this (which we will inquire into) —that a man had to spend £5 on food —would be untrue ? —Certainly. 138. What quality was the preserved meat ?—Very good; there were never any complaints about it. 139. By " preserved meat," do you mean tinned meat ?—Yes. 140. The same as is used by men on out-stations, &c. ?—Just the same. 141. It is not like the old preserved meats on board ships ?—No ; it is constantly eaten in houses here. It is sold to hotels as pressed beef. 142. Was the meat supplied to the officers—l mean apart from any poultry—any different in quality to that supplied to the men ?—lt was exactly the same. 143. You had it daily, and you were satisfied with its quality ?—Yes, perfectly satisfied. 144. Do you know what meat it was ?—-No. 145. Whether it was American or English ?—-I fancy it was American, but lam not sure. 146. You are quite satisfied that it was good sound meat ?—Oh, yes. 147. Not lean, poor stuff? —No; it was good meat. 148. You had no fault to find with it ?—No. 149. And that supplied to the officers was exactly the same as supplied to the men ?—Exactly the same. 150. Cooked in the same galley ?—No, 151. Do you imagine that the officers' cooks were better than those who cooked for the men? —They were the same cooks who cooked for the passengers on the " Atlantic."

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