H.—6c.

F. DEBENHAM.]

29

236. You telegraphed you were prepared to give evidence ?—Yes. 237. Would you kindly make any statement you like to mention? —I think the food on some occasions was not fit for human consumption. The stewed apples that the men got to eat in the puddings were full of insects, and the biscuits were alive with insects. The soup issued to us was very poor, and the vegetables were not sufficiently cooked. They were rather hard. And the potatoes, I think, were only fit for pigs. They were very small—on some occasions about the size of marbles. "We used to get about four a man, I think. On other occasions the potatoes were much larger, but they were issued to us with long growths on them where they had been growing in the ground. The coffee was very bad. I believe it was made the night before. It was issued to us at breakfast, and it was stewing all night. Some of the jam was very good, but there was one issue of jam which was very unpleasant to eat —that was rhubarb-jam. 238. Why was it unpleasant? —I think it was fermenting. It is jam that does not keep very well, and it was very bad. In addition it had a horrible taste. The raspberry, plum, and goose-berry-jam was good and the butter was good, while of the meat I saw I had no complaint whatever. It was very nice to eat, I thought. And the bread was good, but there was hardly enough of it. We could eat our issue at breakfast alone. 239. How much did you get?—l do not know exactly—it was like a large-sized bun. And the fish we had issued—we got groper for tea one night—had scales on it as big as a shilling. It was unsealed, and we had to pick them out or they would have choked us really. 240. What was the quality of the fish ?—lt was very fair to taste, sir. It was just the scales that were on that we took exception to. 241. Were there any other complaints?—l think the boat was too overcrowded, and the accommodation. I believe there were only nine or ten hooks for a mess-table, and there were sixteen men at our table ; therefore a large majority of them had to sleep on the tables, or on the floors wherever they could get. As regards the bath, sir, I believe we had a bath about a week between Durban and Albany. There was a canvas bath erected on the boat tilled with sea-water, but when the cold weather came on it was abandoned. 242. Was it taken away ?—Yes, sir. We could not get a bodily wash. As regards blankets, I think they were very unclean when issued to us. 243. Can you think of anything else—were you in hospital ?—No, sir, I was never in hospital. 244. Anything about the beer?— The beer was not very good on account, I suppose, of the vibration of the boat. I believe, had it been on shore, it would have been just as good as Burton ale, which is reckoned one of the best beers in England, I think. On account of the vibration, however, it got shaken up, and was rather thick when issued to the men. If we had had bottled beer it would have been much better. The latrines, I think, were good ; there was ample accommodation. But I think that the food issued to the men—that there was not sufficient to eat. I really think the men could have eaten double their issue. In the stew on some occasions that was issued for breakfast the potatoes would be too hard and uncooked. We used to get jam issued, I think, once a day for tea—it was to be consumed at tea alone. For breakfast we had no jam or butter or anything. The bacon was good that was issued to us. The salt fish that was issued the men complained about. I think it was a ling or barracouta or something. I was mess orderly from Durban to Albany, and I was well acquainted with the tucker, as I had to issue it to my mess, and the fish was not very good, sir. 245. How often was the fish bad ? —I think there was only one case they complained about it— the salt fish. In fact they would not eat it, and it had to be thrown overboard. 246. Was that the quality of the fish or the treatment of the fish ?—I think it was the treatment really. 247. Was it eatable? —It was a salt fish, and you could not expect a much better taste, but I believe the treatment was the cause of the complaint. 248. What treatment ?—I hear the latrines were run on this fish. It was packed up on the side of the ship, and the latrines overflowed one day and run on this fish that was issued to us, and the men saw this and refused to eat it. There were several dogs on board, and they used to put their legs up against it occasionally. I did not see it with my own eyes, but I just give you the opinion of men on board. 249. Did you have salt fish on more than one occasion ?—I remember only one occasion. 250. Can you tell us about the ventilation ?—The ventilation was not very good in our troopdeck. We could not open the portholes. 251. What deck were you on?— No. 5 troop-deck—the lowest. We could not open the portholes because the water would have come in. But there were several air-valves from the deck. The weather being very wet, we could not wash the floor every morning. The weather was fairly rough between Durban and Albany, and the men would have a rough time, the water coming over and°wetting the decks, and the men sleeping on the wet decks at night caught colds. There were several occasions when the men made complaints and no remedy was made. 252. You mean no notice was taken? —Yes, sir. 253. Can you give us some specific instances of that ?—The men complained about the food that was issued, and told the officer of the day about it when he came round for complaints, and there was no notice taken of it at all. 254. When the complaint was made did the officer say or do anything ?—He said he would do what he could for us, but he did not think he could do much. I think that is all. 255. How often, now, were the apples full of insects ?—Every time that we had them issued I noticed insects. 256. What sort of insects ?—Very small maggots—little white ones with brown heads. 257. In every issue the apples were in that condition ?—Yes. 258. And you say the biscuits were alive with insects? —Yes.