H.-6c.

32

[f. debenham.

348. Can you give me the name of the officer who stated he supposed he could not do much, when a complaint was made to him ?—No, I did not take particular notice. 349. You could not give the name of that officer?—No, sir. 350. Do you know whether the complaints you referred to increased in number the longer you were at sea? —No ; Ido not think they did. The complaints were general right through the voyage. 351. In regard to the growth ou the potatoes, you do no not suggest that there was any disease?—No, sir. Some of the potatoes were watery and unpleasant to eat. 352. The growth on the potatoes was simply the potatoes striking? —Yes, sir. 353. And you know that at a certain stage they always do sprout ?—Yes. 354. And it was simply a case of leaving the sprouts on when cleaning the potatoes? —Yes, sir. 355. In regard to the fish, you complained about the groper that there were scales on it? — Yes, sir. 356. Are you aware that if you boil groper you must not scale the fish ?—We thought it ought to be cooked without the scales. 357. You are aware that boiled-fish is cooked with the scales on ?—I did not know that. 358. About the hammocks : Did you notice whether the same men invariably used the same hammocks, or did some of the men sleep one night in hammocks and another night on the floor, or did the men always sleep in the hammocks and always sleep on the floor ?—I think the men who slept in the hammocks kept to the hammocks. 359. And the men who went on the floor kept to the floor?— Yes ; some got hammocks and some did not. Every man did not get a hammock. 360. Did any of the men who had hammocks issued to them sleep on the floor ?—Yes; some men did, sir. They laid their hammocks on the floor and slept on them. 361. Have you ever been in the Volunteers before?— Yes, sir. 362. How long?— Well, I earned two capitations. I held the position of corporal. 363. Did you ever see any complaints in the Volunteer camps ?—Yes, sir. 364. Were they complaints of a similar nature as to those on the troopship ?—The complaints were about the quantity of the tucker. Some tents used to get more than the others. I think it was owing to the fault of the quartermaster-sergeant; the food was not issued out fairly. 365. You know that at camps men are drilled all day, and have a lot of field-work to do ? —• Yes, sir. 366. Do you consider that the meals on board ship were inferior to what they would be in a Volunteer camp ?—Yes, I do, sir. 367. Do you think that if the men on board the troopship had had their appetites sweetened by roaming about the hills and doing a day at field-work the meals might have appeared just as nice to them as in a Volunteer camp ?—No, I do not think so. 368. Mr. Millar.] You state that you had potato-hash every morning for breakfast ?—Not potato-hash—it was soup with boiled potatoes in it. 369. And the potatoes were very small, and only fit for pigs ?—-Not in the soup, sir ; those were the ones issued for dinner. 370. You got about four of these potatoes ? —Yes, sir. 371. Did you say that you were the mess orderly ?—Yes, sir. 372. Did you report that ?—I thought it was the Imperial ration, so I did not report it. 373. Was it your duty to report it ?—lt was my duty to report any complaint, but the men thought it was the Imperial ration, and they lodged no complaint. They just complained amongst themselves, not to the officers. 374. Colonel Davies.] You say that the bath was removed after a week or two out from Durban ?—Yes, sir. lam not positive about it, but I have an idea it was. I wanted to have a bath one day, and found it was not there. 375. You went there one day to look for it ? —Yes. 376. You did not apply for a bath ? —No, sir. 377. Did you ever hear a man apply for a bath and not get one ?—No, sir. 378. You were mess orderly out from Durban, you say?— Yes, sir. 379. And you saw me go round on inspection in the mornings ?—Yes, sir. 380. And you heard me ask the men if they had any complaints ?—Yes. 381. Did you hear the men make complaint ?—Most of the men said the tucker was all right when you were there, but they used to complain during the meals. 382. I turned round and asked the whole room if there were any complaints ?—Yes, sir. 383. No one made any complaint on any occasion ?—No, sir. 384. If a man made a complaint it was remedied, as far as you know ?—Yes, sir.