JOHN CHAPMAN.'

9

H.—7a

John Chapman, Sen., examined. Witness (to Mr. Beetham): I have been eight months on the staff. (To Mr. Kennedy): I have seen two petitions and round-robins that have been got up, and have signed them both. I signed of my own free will. You asked me to sign them; several others also asked me. Ido not think that the petitions themselves, or getting them up, has caused any unrest amongst the attendants. The unrest and dissatisfaction existed before these petitions. As far as I have seen you, I have known you to be a straightforward and reliable man. Ido not think that you have purposely or in any other way caused discontent; nor that you deserve the term " agitator." (To Dr. Levinge): My brother is an attendant here. I sent to Australia for him to come over. He told me he had tried to see if he could be taken on here, and he has been. (To Mr. Beetham): When I signed these petitions there were several things about which 1 was dissatisfied. When I sent for my brother, I did not know he was coining here (to the Asylum). I sent for him to come to New Zealand, not to come to this institution. Albert George Brailey examined. Witness (to Mr. Beetham): I have been in this institution three years and a half. (To Mr. Kennedy): Ido not think that during this term your behaviour has been calculated to cause unrest and dissatisfaction amongst the attendants, nor that you are entitled to the name of " agitator." Ido not think that, purposely or otherwise, you have caused discontent amongst the men. I have seen some of the petitions and round-robins that have been drawn up and sent to the Minister; I have signed three. I did so of my own free will, and knew what I was signing. Getting up these petitions has, of course, to a certain extent unsettled the attendants, to know whether or not they would get what they wanted; but the dissatisfaction and unrest existed, of course, before the petitions were got up. The men were not satisfied with the wages and the hours of work. There were also some complaints with regard to the food. I signed the last round-robin to Mr. Witty. (To Mr. Beetham): I should think there were about twenty involved in these petitions. There was a committee appointed. All hands were on it; I was one. We made Mr. Kennedy secretary. Mr. Kennedy asked me to sign these petitions. They were signed in his room; that was the office of the committee. (To Dr. Levinge): The petitions were signed after duty — i.e., after 8 o'clock. (To Mr. Beetham): I was on night duty for two years. The night attendants were dissatisfied. (To Dr. Levinge): I was not present at a meeting of attendants a few evenings after Kennedy was suspended. (To Mr. Kennedy): I have been on night duty. I asked in the petition to have my sleeping arrangements altered; I had not asked before this. I prefer day duty. I did not make any application to the Head Attendant to have my sleeping arrangements altered. Charles Boys examined. Witness (to Mr. Kennedy): I have seen some of the petitions and round-robins that have been sent from the attendants to the Minister and others. I think I signed two of them. The drawing-up of these petitions was done by a committee; every one was in it. (To Mr. Beetham): I could not say how many attendants signed it; I did so myself. There may have been twenty or twenty-two; I could not say exactly. Practically, it was signed by a committee of the whole of the attendants. There was practically no meeting, no formal meeting, with the exception of our consulting one another through the building; we appointed Kennedy as secretary in that way, not at any meeting Practically, Kennedy did all the work. I could not say who drew up the petitions. (To Mr. Kennedy): You have not, to my knowledge, taken any part calculated to cause dissatisfaction and an unsettled feeling amongst the attendants. (To Mr. Beetham): There seemed to be general dissatisfaction throughout the building. Without exception, every man at the mess-table spoke of it. (To Dr. Levinge): To my knowledge, there was not a meeting of attendants a few evenings after Kennedy was suspended. Richard Blackburne examined. Witness (to Mr. Kennedy) : I have seen some of the petitions and round-robins that have been got up. I signed two. You asked me to sign them. The first one, you submitted the paper to me, and the second one you asked me to sign. (To Mr. Beetham): lam not an attendant. I am nominally employed as a "fireman," but am really a second-class engineer. (To Mr. Kennedy): Ido not think at all that you have caused any dissatisfaction or unsettled feeling amongst the attendants. The petitions have not caused the dissatisfaction; it existed before —as regards hours of pay, and some little variety in the food. (To Dr. Levinge): I knew the pay and hours before I came here; you offered me £4 10s. for a start. My grievance is that I want more money and less hours, and a little variety in the food. Ido not remember there being any meeting of attendants after Kennedy was suspended; at any rate, I was not present. I have twice applied for an increase in salary bj word of mouth, and once by letter. (To Mr. Kennedy): I do not think the term "agitator " should be applied to you; I do not think you are any more of an agitator than any one else, 2—H. 7a.