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35. What happened? —She gave me a fair chance to go, and I declined, and went back. She told Miss McPherson to put me to bed, and I was in bed all the afternoon and until the next day. 36. Now, I believe there were some girls who tried to abscond a little while ago?— Yes. 37. You were one of them? —Yes. 38. Did H M suggest to you that you should abscond with her?— Yes. 39. Did you agree to go with her?— Yes. 40. Did you get away?—No, we got as far as the loft in the laundry. 41. And you were detected and brought back?— Yes. 42. What happened?—l was put into the cell all day Sunday, and I had three meals on dry bread. 43. Were you strapped?— Yes, I had six cuts with the strap on my night-garment. 44. The Commissioner.] Inflicted by whom? —By the Matron. 45. Mr. Salter.'] Was any one present?— Miss Howden. 46. Were they nice gentle taps? —No, they were not. 47. Pretty severe? —Yes, I did not like them. 48. Right across your back? —Yes. 49. You had to lie on the bed to receive them? —Yes. 50. When you were let out, what sort of dress was put oh you?— The runaway dress. 51. What sort of dress is that? —A dress with all sorts of colours. 52. What food do you have for breakfast? —Porridge and a piece of bread and a piece of bread and dripping. 53. Can you have more than one plate of porridge if you want it? —Yes. 54. Is the jam put on pretty freely?— Sometimes it is pretty dry. 55. You mean there is not much jam on it?— Yes. 56. Is the milk always as it should be? —Sometimes it is pretty sour when it comes to the table. 57. Do you remember some girls being ill after eating some fish? —Yes, the doctor had to be sent for, 58. How long ago was that?— About a year. 59. What do you have for dinner? Do you have meat?— Yes. 60. Do you have meat every day? —Not every day. We have soup one day, another day we have stew, and sometimes meat and potatoes. 61. When you have meat, do you have as much as you lik£, or is it limited? —It is usually served out, but we can pass our plates back for a second helping if we wish to. 62. What goes on at tea-time? —We have four pieces of bread at tea-time —two with dripping and two with jam. 63. Do you ever have any cake or other delicacies? —On Wednesday and Saturday evenings we have cake. [At this stage the strap and runaway dress above referred to were handed in to the Commission.] 64. Do you ever have to do scrubbing upstairs in the winter time?— Yes. 65. In what state do you have to do that? —We have our boots and stockings off. 66. Do you use cold water or hot? —Cold water. 67. No matter how cold the weather is? —Yes. 68. What is the result of that? What condition are your feet in?— Pretty cold. 69. Do you ever get chilblains?—l have never had chilblains. 70. In addition to what you have already told us, in what other ways does the Matron punish you ?—The Matron has boxed my ears twice. 71. Gently or severely? —It was not very hard. 72. Have you seen other girls treated in the same way?— Yes. 73. What other girls?—H M and H S . 74. When the Matron wants to tell you of your faults, does she do so privately?— She usually speaks them out in front of all the girls. 75. Have you ever had a chance to go to service? —Yes, but I have spoilt it for myself. 76. By endeavouring to abscond? —Yes. 77. Miss Mills is sometimes attendant over you?— Yes. 78. How do you get on with her? —Not very well. 79. Why not?— Because when you work with her if you happen to do anything she growls at you until you give her impudence, and then when you give her impudence she reports you to the Matron. 80. I believe one of the attendants sleeps near the dormitory?— Yes. 81. What happens when the girls, as girls must, turn over in bed?— When Miss Mills is there she sings out to us. 82. What does she sing out?— She asks us what we are doing. She told J P that if she turned over in bed much longer she would have to go on the board in the reception-room. 83. Do you know what that meant? —I have not been in there yet. I know of girls who have been in there, though. 84. You only know about that from what you have heard? —Yes. 85. Has the Matron ever charged you with any evil practice as the result of turning over in bed?— The Matron has not, but Miss Mills has. 86. When she asked you what you were doing she has insinuated that you were doing something wrong?— Yes. 87. She has told you so?— Yes. 88. Mr, Russell,] Before you came here you were,in St, Mary's Home, Karori? —Yes,

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