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L—— R examined on oath. 1. Mr. Russell.] What is your age?— Eighteen years. 2. How long is it since you came to the Home? —Two years and a half. 3. Are you out at service now?—No, I have just come back. I was there a year and four months. 4. Why have you left your service? —My license expired. 5. I suppose you will be going out again?— Yes, as soon as Matron gets a place for me. 6. You were in the second division while here?— Yes, for a year. I was never in the first. I went from the second into service. lam in the first now. 7. Were you one of the wood-choppers? —Yes. 8. Did you find that very hard work? —No. 9. Did it ever prevent you learning your lessons or doing your school-work '?—No. 10. Was the food you had here good or bad?—l had plenty. 11. Was your bed-clothing in the winter time quite warm enough?— Yes. 12. And you had sufficient clothing of your own?— Yes. 13. While you were here did you get time to play and do what you liked?— Yes, on three afternoons in the week. 14. While you were here, did the staff treat you nicely or not?— According to how I behaved. 15. When you behaved well were you treated well?— Yes. 16. And when you did not behave you got into trouble?— Yes; punished. 17. Were you ever punished when you ought not to have been?— No. 18. You know you came here for your own good?— Yes. 19. Do you feel that since you have been here you have been helped in any way by the training at the Home? —Yes; I have been better here than I would have been at home. 20. Are you good friends now with the Matron?— Yes; I have never been bad friends with her. 21. When you were at service, did you look back on this place as a prison or a home?—l always thought it was a pleasure to be able to come up. 22. If you were in any trouble, to whom would you go?—To Matron. 23. You know Miss Howden? —Yes. 24. Did she speak to you here about anything?— Yes. 25. Tell us anything she said to you?— Miss Howden told me the Matron and staff treated the girls very unjustly. 26. Anything else? —She also said she would like to have an inquiry about the Home, and all the girls to have their say in it, and they would soon see who would come out on top. 27. Where did this conversation take place?—ln the workroom. 28. Were you friendly with Miss Howden?—l did not know her very well. 29. You had not much to do with her? —No. 30. Generally, from what you can see, do the staff treat the girls who behave well fairly? —Yes. 31. Have the girls anything to complain of, so far as you can see?—No; some of them were very discontented. 32. When you were here, did you have to work as hard as you did at service?— No. 33. Are you glad to be back here from service? —I do not feel so tired here as I did at service after a day's work. 34. And it is a pleasure to you to be back here? —Well, it is a rest. 35. And a pleasure? —Yes. 36. Mr. Salter.] Before you went to service, did you find everything as satisfactory?— Yes. 37. Were you ever punished? —Yes, I was put in the cell. 38. How long were you kept there? —About an hour, I think. 39. Do you say you thoroughly enjoyed that wood-chopping and tree-felling, and so forth?— I did not mind doing it. I did not like doing outside work, but I knew there was not enough inside work to keep the girls going. I knew we had to do something, and therefore I did not mind doing my share of outside work. 40. Do you think it is suitable work for girls of your age?—l rather like being outside. 41. Do you think it is suitable work for girls of your age?—No; but, still, it does not hurt them. 42. Did any of the girls in your hearing complain about the food they got?—No; some of them would say they got hungry between meals, that is all. 43. Have you ever seen the girls eat carrots? —Yes. I ate them myself. 44. Because you were hungry?—No, because I liked them. 45. Did the staff in every way treat the girls kindly, so far as you know? —Yes. 46. Did you ever hear the staff say to the girls, " You must keep at it; it is not time to get tired "?—No. Sometimes when some of the girls were not working very well they would tell them to get on with their work ; but if a girl worked hard she could have a rest. 47. Have you ever seen girls having their ears boxed? —No. 48. Or being thumped?— No. R M examined on oath. 1. Mr. Russell.] What is your age?—l will be nineteen in three months. 2. You have been here about thirteen months? —Yes. 3. I think you have some outside duties to perform with the cows?— Yes. 4. You milk them in the morning?— Yes. I milk two at present, 5. Have you anything to do with the wood-chopping? —Yes,

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