C A .]

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46. Gentle or severe? —Very severe. I could take twelve from the Matron, but hardly six from Miss Hunt. 47. You could not see your back yourself, but the girls told you your back was marked?— Yes, and I could see it myself. 48. How could you see it? —Because the marks are up on our backs. 49. It is the lower part of the back you see? —Yes, and above the back too. 50. Did you find any difficulty in lying on your back after the strapping by Miss Hunt? — Yes. I could not lie on my back. I kept turning on my side. 51. Do you think you always deserved this punishment you got?—l do not think I deserved the strapping I got for hitting M F , because she gave me real cause. 52. Do you ever consider you were unjustly blamed for anything?— Yes. 53. Why do you think that?—l have lost plenty of marks for things I have not done. 54. Have you ever tried to explain that you were not guilty of any of the things you were charged with? —Yes. 55. What happens?— The Matron always sides with the staff, and the girl's word is never believed. 56. Does the Matron ever speak to you about your faults privately or publicly? —At times, but mostly publicly before all the other girls. 57. But sometimes she will speak to you privately?— Yes. 58. Have you ever been punished in any other way besides being strapped and sent to the cells?— Yes, I have slept in the cell with only two blankets and a pillow. 59. How many nights have you done that?— Two nights. 60. No mattress? —No. That was when I hit M F . 61. Do you ever have your ears boxed? —Yes. 62. By whom?—By the Matron. 63. Gently or how?—lt was not very gentle. 64. Why did she box your ears?— Because Miss McPherson gave me a garment to mend on a holiday, and the garment did not require it, and I said I did not see why I should spend my time doing it. 65. Because you were impudent to Miss McPherson ?—Yes. 66. Did the Matron inquire what the cause of the trouble was?— No. 67. She took Miss McPherson's word, and boxed your ears?— Yes. 68. Are you always able to eat the food that is put before you?— Yes, but it is not very nice at times. 69. If you happen to leave any, what happens to it? —It is put before us again until we do eat it, and if we do not eat it we get smacked. 70. Have you ever had a conversation with Dr. Alice Moorhouse? —Yes. 71. What about?— She said if I got into such violent tempers she would see Mr. Bishop about sending me to an asylum. 72. Do you know C T ?—Yes. 73. Do you remember C having a bad hand at one time? —Yes, she had chilblains. They broke out on her hands, and festered, and she was told to bathe them in hot water and Jeyes's fluid, and she did not do it in water as hot as Miss Hunt thought she should, and Miss Hunt came into the work-room one night and got a great basin of water just as hot as it came out of the kettle, and she held her hand in it for a long time. 74. Do you know the water was too hot? —Yes. 75. How do you know? —Because I tried it myself, and I could not keep my hand in it. 76. What was the hand like next day? —It was all blistered on top and underneath. 77. And before it was put into the hot water there was no sign of blisters?—No, it was just a sore. 78. You know H M ?—Yes. 79. Did H ever ask you to go away with her? —Yes. 80. What did she say? —She only told me if we went away she would take a place and work and clear out of Christchurch. 81. Did she suggest to you that you should go to a house of ill-repute?— She never mentioned anything like that to me. 82. Do you try your best to do what the Matron wishes?— Yes, at times. 83. Do you always succeed? —No.-' 84. Have you had a chance to go home to your father? —I do not know whether I had a chance, but he wrote down to ask whether I would like to go back again. 85. Did the Matron say anything tq you about writing a letter?— Yes, the Matron got me to write a letter to say I did not want to go home. 86. To whom?—-To the Matron. 87. Was that against your will? Did you want to go home? —Yes, I would like to have gone home. 88. Why did you write that letter? —I was told it was better to stay on at service than go home to my people, as they were not very good. 89. What happens when you lose your marks?—lf we lose the whole six we are sent to bed for a whole week's play-nights. 90. When you are at work, are the girls allowed to speaft at all to one another ?—ln the sewing-room or laundry we are not allowed to speak to one another. If we do we are reported. If we do it after that we get punished in some other way. 91. Then, you have to work in absolute silence?— Yes, unless we make a necessary remark to the staff,

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