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36. You yourself are comfortable? —Yes. 37. Is your accommodation all right?— Yes. 38. Do you find the hours too long?— No. 39. Have you been in good health? —Yes. 40. You do not feel the physical strain here ?—No. 41. Are the children generally happy and contented so far as you can see? —Yes. 42. There is nothing to suggest that they are crushed by discipline?— No. 43. It has been suggested that the Matron talks to members of the staff about other members to their disadvantage: is that so? —No; except in regard to change of work or doing work. 44. It is not correct to say the Matron discusses members of the staff personally ?—No. 45. When the girls are ill, does the Matron look after them?— Yes; sometimes she is up at midnight with them. 46. Are you satisfied that the Matron's heart and soul is in this work? —Yes; she never has a holiday from it except once a year. 47. You. are satisfied that the general training in this Home is lifting these girls from a life of depravity and making them good women? —Yes. 48. Mr. Salter.] Do the members of the staff punish the girls?— Yes. 49. Without first referring the matter to the Matron?— Yes; we put them in, and tell the Matron afterwards. 50. What would members of the staff punish them for?—lf a girl will not work, or is breaking the set rules of the institution. 51. On one occasion you strapped a girl?— Yes. 52. That girl said, in tears, that she would rather have twelve from the Matron than six from you: do you lay it on very heavily?—l was told to strap her, and I strapped, her. 53. And pretty hard?—l strapped her. 54. Some of the girls stated that when out with you you said, " Now, it is not time to get tired yet. Go on with your work " ? —That was sometimes even before we started. 55. You would not say that before they started? —Oh, yes. 56. Their complaint was that you would not let them have any spell or rest whilst at the lupins or wood-chopping. You are pretty strict with them, are you not?— Yes; you must be strict. 57. You do not mix much of the milk of human kindness with it. You are a fairly firm woman ?—Yes. 58. Perhaps a little firmer than you need be? —I do not think so. Some need more than others. 59. Do you know of any case where the girls have been put in the cell, and not visited for over two hours?— The girls are visited, because I generally look round to see who is in. 60. Do you remember on one occasion when the staff were sitting at tea that a knocking was heard from the cell, and Miss Mills said, " Oh, that is J L ; I have forgotten her "?—I cannot remember, without looking it up. 61. You would not look up a conversation ?—No; but I would look up to see what she was put in for. 62. Do you remember Miss Mills coming in late, and this knocking being heard, and Miss Mills saying, "Oh, 1 have forgotten; that is J L "?—I do not remember that. You see, so many go into the cell. 63. You have never heard the girls speak of the bread and dripping and bread and jam as bread and scrape?— They do not complain to me. 64. Do you remember Miss Howden being ill some time ago and the doctor coming down ?— Yes. 65. Did he say she must have some one with her that night?— Not that night. He told me she must have physic, and to meet the different trams for it, which I did. 66. Do you remember the day when Dr. Mikle said Miss Howden must have a nurse that night?—lt was not said to me. 67. Do you know it was necessary for her to have a nurse that night?— The day on the evening of which the nurse came down I went to Caversham to bring a girl. I did not get back until 6, and then I changed and went straight back to town to the theatre, to keep an appointment I had made four weeks before. I did not see Dr. Mikle that day. 68. Do you know of the girls'having a paper containing a reference to the Home and this inquiry?— Yes; Z MeG had it. 69. W 7 hat did you say to them? —Well, I did not find out that they had it until next day. When the other trouble came out I asked L about it, and she told me. 70. Did you tell them not to talk about it?—As the girls came in on Sunday I told them not to talk about it and they said they would not. 71. They got this information from the paper, and not from Miss Howden?—That was the first-class girls, not the second. 72. Do not the first-class girls communicate in any way with the second-class girls?— They do at times. 73. And give them notes? —I have not caught them at it. 74. You know they do it?— They have done it. 75. So news from one class can get to another? —It could, but they would have to be prettysmart to do it. 76. Were these statements about Miss Howden first made to you or to the Matron?— The first statement was made to Miss Mills, and I heard it from Miss Mills. 77. You believed the girls, did you? —Well, I do not say I believe them and I do not say I do not, I did not understand it at all." We told the Matron, and let her decide.