H.---6c.

44

Tteoopee c. w. dodd.

865. Was it bad once a week ?—Yes ; sometimes more. 866. In what way was it bad ?— It was green when it came into the cook's shop. 867. Was this beef or mutton ?—All beef. 868. Was the mutton all right ?—The mutton was pretty fair. 869. How often was the beef issued ? —lt might be issued perhaps four or five times following, and then you would have mutton next day. 870. Did they get more of beef than of mutton ? —More beef. 871. When the beef was only half-cooked, did you remonstrate with the cook?—I told him about it. 872. Why did you remain in the galley, where everything was so bad ?—Simply because I preferred going there and be working, and I could get my meals from the officers' galley. I got pretty well looked after by the chef of the officers' galley. 873. Then, you looked after yourself rather than after the men ?—Well, I was working there. 874. But it was purely voluntary on your part ?—Yes. 875. The tea also was bad? —Yes, awfully bad. 876. It was rilled up with cold water: was that to make it drinkable?— There would be two boilers for the tea, and they would be half filled with hot water, and then filled up after with cold and boiled. 877. How long would it take to boil the cold water with the steam-jet?—We would have the cold water in about 2 o'clock, and it would be boiled at half-past 3. Then we shoved in the tea, and after an interval of about fifteen minutes the milk was put in and the sugar. 878. Did they have vegetables with their meat ? —Yes ; they would get some of these desiccated vegetables and put them in with the meat and boil them, and then they would fill it up with cold water. 879. Do you think the officers paid attention to the complaints made to there ?—Yes, as far as I saw. They would come into the galley and ask the cook, " What is the meaning of this? " and have it altered. 880. Who was to blame for the condition of the food given to the men ? —I suppose it would be the Government to blame. The officer would come along about fifteen minutes before the meat was served out, and the cook would cut off a piece from the edge—the best part —and in the middle it was only half-cooked. 881. What was your occupation before you went with the contingent?—l was barmau at Searl's Hotel. 882. You saw the stewed apples, and you say there were maggots in them ?—Yes. 883. How often did the men have them?--About three or four times on the voyage. 884. Were they always maggoty? —I could not say so, but these were fairly bad. 885. They had them on three or four occasions, and they were bad on one? —Yes. 886. Were any complaints made or any steps taken to remedy that?— Yes; a complaint was made, and a man came to the slide and chucked the apples at the cook's head. 887. But that was not a complaint. Was there any complaint made to the officers about the stewed apples ?—That is all I know about it. 888. How often did they have rice?—l really forget. No doubt it was pretty often. 889. We were told they had rice very seldom indeed : was that correct ?—I could not say for certain. 890. Did they have it more than once? —Oh, yes. It had got damp and mouldy. 891. As to the fish on the deck, how often did it happen that the dogs used it to cock their legs at ?—I noticed it only once. 892. And then what happened ? Were the men obliged to eat it ?—No ; they simply chucked it over the side. 893. Were they given something in place of it ?—I think they were given bully beef instead. 894. What steps did the cooks take to clean the boilers before making the tea ?—Very little. 895. Did they turn in the steam-pipe, or anything of that sort ?—lt was in the afternoon, and they had been boiling meat; they chucked the water out, and gave the boiler a wipe round with a rag, and in went the water for the tea. 896. They did not put in the steam-jet ?—Yes ; but there were several occasions on which the water was not boiling. 897. Did you often see the water greasy?— Nearly always. The coffee was made at night, and left till morning. 898. You say there was no room to hang the hammocks ?—No. 899. How wide apart were the hooks?—l could not tell you. I went down on two or three occasions, and could not get room, so I went up to the stewards' place. 900. Was there room to hang the hammocks?—No ; men were sleeping everywhere. 901. Were there hooks for them? —No, there were not. 902. You have no idea how far the hooks were apart?—l could not tell you ; but I know they were all taken up, every one there was. There were two or three men who paid the stewards to allow them to sleep in their bunks. They paid them £1 10s. 903. You had to wait for water?— Yes, on three or four occasions. 904. What do you mean? —It was because the water was off, and we had to wait till it started again before we could fill the boilers. 905. Did it cause a delay ?—There was one occasion on which there was a delay of an hour and a half. 906. Why could they not get water ? —I do not know. 907. Was it on account of an accident to the machinery ?—I could not tell you. 908. You were never in the hospital ? —I was never an inmate of the hospital.