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camp ?—1 do not know. I have not seen Captain Fitzherbert since, and he may have other papers now. 230. Colonel Davies.] Do you know how many cooks there were in the camp ? —There were six on one occasion. Three left and three others came on, still making six ; and on the last two days I think two more came on. 231. The Chairman.] Do you think eight cooks were sufficient in number?— Not under the circumstances. For dry weather eight would have been enough. 232. Could you not have detailed some of the men to assist ?—I could, but I did not think it was absolutely necessary, and the work about the place was so bad that I did not think it was worth while putting the men at it. There was not any reason for it, because after the first two days there were sufficient. 233. Had you a brigade-major?—No ;we were short of officers of all kinds. 234. Who signed the orders ?—I did. They are all in my handwriting. 235. Did the orderly sergeants come to the Brigade Office every night ?—Yes, and took the orders. There was no camp adjutant. 236. Were there any crimes reported ? —No ; it was a very good camp indeed.

Tuesday, 9th August, 1901. Arthur Pole Penton examined. (No. 3.) 1. The Chairman.] What is your name, rank, and official position?— Arthur Pole Penton, local Colonel and Lieut.-Colonel of the Royal Artillery, Commanding the New Zealand Forces. 2. You are Commandant of the New Zealand Defence Force? —Yes. 3. And were so in the month of June last during the Royal visit ?—Yes. 4. You are aware that a mounted camp was formed at Newtown Park?— Yes. 5. Will you tell the Board how the camp came to be fixed there ?—Tnat I cannot tell you, because I was away ; but before I left Wellington, about the middle of April, when the Government told me they were going to have a camp, I took Lieut.-Colonel Newall with me to look for a site near the Manawatu Railway-station, and we went into the whole matter. Of course, we did not know what troops were coming down then. That we could only guess at. • 6. How many did you anticipate would come ?—We could not say, because there were so many new corps. I thought with that ground we might be able to scrape through with seven or eight hundred men. 7. In your opinion was that a suitable place?—lt would have been cramped. 8. But so far as weather is concerned?—lt would have been better than Newtown Park. There might have been sanitary difficulties. 9. What about the water iying there ?—We would have drainage there. 10. What was decided then ? —My idea, was to have the camp on the Manawatu ground. Then I went away to Australia, and when I got back two or three days before the Duke arrived, I found that everything was settled, and the men were arriving at Newtown Park. 11. Did you think it necessary at all to inspect Newtown Park ?—I did not have time. 12. As a matter of fact, you did not?— No. 13. What was your objection to Newtown Park in the first place ?—I knew what a bad place it was in rainy weather. The ground gets so terribly muddy, and there is no drainage there. It is surface drainage. 14. Were you informed at all in reference to the cooking in the camp ?—No. 15. Were you consulted about the commissariat arrangements there ?—No ; it was all settled by the District Commanding Officer. 16. Did any complaints reach you as to the accommodation the men had at the Park, or for the horses? —No. The only complaint that reached me was on the morning of the 19th June, just after the Duke had given away the medals. Colonel Sommerville came to me and said that, owing to the weather and the mud, the people at the park were very uncomfortable, and the horses particularly so, and he wanted permission to make any arrangements he could for dispersing the camp. I gave him instructions then that he might break camp at once. That was about half-past 11 on the same day. 17. Did any complaint or report reach you in reference to the rations at the camp or at any of the billets ?—None. All the rationing and forage matters are left in the hands of the commanding officer of the district. 18. No complaints reached you officially ?—No. 19. You have heard about the demonstration by the men in the streets ?—Yes. I was rung up by the Premier about a quarter to 7 on the 19th June, and he told me that some of the Volunteers were parading the streets with an old shin-bone and portions of the rations on sticks. I did not know this myself at the time, and I told the Premier that I would inquire into the matter thoroughly the next morning. 20. Was any official report made to you about that ?—There was no official report made at all. I then rang up Colonel Newall and Colonel Sommerville, and tried to make arrangements for the men to be housed at the Drill-hall, or wherever we could put them ; but, as a matter of fact, it was too late to get at anybody. 21. What did you do in reference to that procession ?—I went down to the camp next morning. I first of all sent for all the officers and asked them about it. I told them I did not think anything of that sort could go on without the officers being very much to blame; and then I told them to go all round their companies and try and find out who had been creating the disturbance. So far as