J. O'SULLIVAN.J

39

H.—l9b.

20. Could not the contractors give you those quantities ?—No. 21. When did you begin to get them made outside?—l suppose, about the time or before the Trentham Regiment came in—about the time they rushed some extras on us. 22. Have you not a book to give the dates? —Yes. 23. You must attend again to give the dates. What we want to get at is whether there was sufficient activity displayed in getting those boots, having regard to the date of the order and the date of announcement?— Yes. 24. You say you tried to get as many boots made as possible outside?— Yes. 25. And you did not get enough ?—And we have not, enough to-day with all the factories coming in—that is, if they are keeping seven thousand men going on training as they have been lately. 26. You have not enough if you provide extra boots after a man gets two pairs?— The Camp Commandant lays down the rule that they get a new pair when they go into camp, and about a fortnight before they leave they get a second pair. It, occurred through the wet weather at Trentham that they wanted boots quicker, so that the men could get, a change of boots, and we were not able to meet the demand. 27. Has not the Camp Commandant altered the system : does not he now issue a new pair within a week?—l could not tell you whether they altered the system at, Trentham. 28. Do you get the communications yourself from Trentham?—They come into the office through the post, and all the requisitions will be in the office and open to me. I think it would be better for the men who deal with the requisitions to attend before the Commission—there are two of my officers who do that work particularly. 29. We want to find out why the boots were not there?— Well, we did not have them. 30. Your two men could give us all the information you can?— Yes. 31. Now, I understand when the men arrived the blankets were not out at the camp, and they had to be sent for on the Sunday?— Yes. 32. Do y 7 ou remember that incident?— Yes, very well. 33. How was it the blankets' were not out there?— There is a man in charge of that particular department,—underclothing and blankets. He got an order some days before to send outsome underclothing and blankets, but he neglected to send out part of the supply of blankets, and the reason was that he had been at the camp a day or two before and some storeman told him they 7 had more blankets than they 7 required. 34. Who was this man?— Mr. Sewell. 35. Did he report, that to you ? —No. he did not. 36. Ought he to have done so?— Yes. 37. You did net know then but that the blankets had gone?— Certainly not. 38. Is Mr. Sewell in y 7 our department now 7 ?—Yes. 39. It was not that you were short of blankets? —No. May I explain. I was communicated with by telephone at, my own house on a Sunday morning that there had been an insufficiency of blankets for the men coming in that day, and T was asked if T could do anything. Mr. Williams and myself communicated with Munt, Cottrell, and Co. and hired a motor-wagon, and we put the blankets on the wagon ourselves and sent them out to Trentham. They 7 arrived at Trentham at 2.30 in the afternoon, so no man was without a blanket that night, as I went out myself to see. 40. Ought they not to have gone out on the Saturday?— Yes, unless something happened that we could not get sufficient, transport. 41. Have you had other eases occurring like that where verbal instructions have been acted on by your subordinates without, reference to you?-—No, sir. T have not, I should like to say. sir, that, in the newspaper report of Captain McCristell's evidence he said that there were five hundred defective uniforms returned to the Defence Store from the Trentham Regiment through bad fitting. T should like to say that that statement is not according to fact. T have here the correspondence, which T hand in to be read. [Correspondence put in.] 42. They were 100 big in the neck?— Yes. 43. AA T hose fault is that ?■—Colonel Fulton did not like the large-size neck. 44. AVho was responsible for the difference?— The Inspector of Clothing, Mr. Frost, 45. What, is his military title?—He is a civilian. 46. Ts he in your department?— Yes. 47. Ts he to blame for taking those collars?— Yes. 48. Ts he a professional tailor? —He has been with us for five years now examining the clothing, and has two other tailors with him. 49. Who was the manufacturer? —The correspondence shows that Blake was. 50. Were they made to a pattern ?—Yes ; there is a set sample of uniforms. 51 . AVas it the fault of the sample?—No, the fault, of the make. 52. They were faultily made and received in the store and passed by the Inspector?— Yes. 53. And sent out to the camp and then returned ns being too large in the neck?— Yes, that is the position. Personally T cannot say as to the fault, 54. Mr. Salmond.] How many boots were to be supplied under those contracts of Hannah and Co. and O'Brien?—Hannah 100 a month and O'Brien 1,250. 55. How many reinforcements did you expect, at that time?— One thousand seven hundred for two months. 56. You were supplying 4,500 pairs of boots each month—more than two pairs apiece?— Yes. 57. What additional boots were ordered afterwards from other firms?—As many as they could supply. 58. No fixed contract?—No, only at a price. As many as they could turn out, The Northern Boot Company, Auckland. Staples and Co., AA T ellington. the Colonial Factory, Wei