H.—6c.

82

[SERGT. E. .T. MARSEY.

428. Did you sleep below in a hammock? —Sometimes ; not always. 429. Why did you not sleep in a hammock ?—Sometimes, if I was late in putting up my hammock, my space would be taken. 430. Did men constantly go up on deck during the night? —That I could not say. 431. Did you often go up during the night?—No, I never went up. 432. The latrines, you say, were dirty: were they very dirty?—lt was just the overflow of water that made them uncomfortable ; it used to come over at one end. 433. Was it not all over the floor ?—lt worked backwards and forwards. 434. What would be the depth of one end?—lt would be about an inch at one end, unless it worked back. 435. Did you ever see it 3 in. or 4 in. deep ?—No, sir, I could not say that. 436. Did you see the gratings awash? —Yes, everything used to get washed. 437. Did you see the gratings swim about from one end of the latrine to the other ?—I have not seen that, sir. 438. Was this latrine near where the fish was?— This was the forward one. 439. Colonel Davies.] You say that the men were always ordered up on deck after breakfast so that the quarters could be cleaned ? —Yes, sir. 440. Do you remember, on perhaps three or four cold, wet mornings, when orders were given that the men were not to be turned out of their quarters, and you were not turned out on deck?— I remember one or two mornings we stayed down below. 441. Mr. Millar.] Have you any fault to find of the want of attention on the part of any officers during the trip ? —No, sir ; none. 442. You think that your commissioned officers and your non-commissioned officers paid as much attention during the trip as it was possible to do ? —Yes, sir. 443. Mr. McNab.] Your complaints are more in regard to the ship as a ship ?—Yes, sir. 444. And to the effect that there were so many men on board that you had to suffer a good deal on account of the crowding ?—Yes. Sergeant Edward John Massey examined on oath. (No. 25.) 445. Mr. McNab.] What is your rank?— Troop-sergeant of H squadron. 446. You desire to give evidence before the Commission regarding the food and accommodation on board the " Britannic." The Commission will be pleased to hear you?—As regards the food, I have been in four transport-ships now, and I think the food on the " Britannic " was equal to anything I had in any of the other ships. In troopships going out, no doubt, the food is better than in those coming home. Still, I had worse food on board the " Gyineric " going out than I had on the " Britannic " As regards the sleeping-accommodation, there would be hammocks, as usual, in troopships. In the quarters in which I was there seemed to be plenty. There were always plenty of hooks to spare at night, but most of the men preferred sleeping on deck. The only fault I have to find with the ship is that there was not much room to knock about. She was a very wet ship on deck. That is about all. I will answer any question. 447. First of all, regarding the meat: did you see meat which was not fit for human consumption ?—I never found any fault with the meat. 448. Were you in the sergeants' mess ?—Yes. 449. Did you see much of what went on amongst the troops ?—Yes ; the sergeants' mess was alongside F squadron of the South Island regiment. 450. You saw the F squadron : was the meat they got wholesome food ?—Yes. No doubt on one or two occasions they had cause to complain. 451. What was the cause? —The meat was not cooked. 452. Then, you would say that when they made reasonable complaint it was really a complaint against the cooking, and not against the food itself ?—Yes, against the cooking. 453. You spoke of the sleeping-accommodation : did you refer to the sleeping-accommodation of the sergeants or of the troops ?—lt was all the same; we hung our hammocks on the same hooks. 454. Then, in your quarters there were troops as well as sergeants ?—Yes. I do not know the number, but there were two squadrons on that deck. 455. Do you mean that all the men allotted to a particular table could get hooks for their hammocks ?—Yes ; there were plenty of spare hooks. 456. You sometimes slept on the table?—l always slept on the table. 457. Was that from choice?— Yes. 458. Could you have got hooks for your hammock at any time ?—Yes. 459. How many men were there at your table? —Sixteen. 460. When you say that there were plenty of hooks do you mean that you could take the hook of a man at another table?— Yes; there were always plenty of hooks for the sergeants. 461. There were sixteen sergeants at your table?— Yes. 462. And the sixteen sergeants could hang their hammocks over the table ?—I do not know that there was accommodation for sixteen, but all those who wanted could do so. 463. When all the hooks were occupied how many were sleeping in hammocks ?—There never was a night the hooks were all occupied. 464. How many could sleep in hammocks over the table?— About eight, or half the men. 465. Then, out of the sixteen only eight could get sleeping-accommodation over the table?— Yes. 466. Was there any other place than over the tables to hang hammocks ?—Yes. 467. Where was this?— Between the two squadrons in the centre of the ship. 468. Then, the tables on each side could get half that space ?—Yes.