H.— 19a

18

85. Could you say whether they were mounted men or infantry? —There was a mixture. There were both mounted men and infantry. 86. They were amenable to discipline ?—Yes; when I commanded them to halt they immediately did so. They were perfectly under discipline. 87. Can you tell us anything further with regard to the rations or the accommodation? Were the Stoke Rifles all right in their billet?— Yes; they had good accommodation, and the rations were first class and well served up. There was not the slightest complaint of any description. I was there when the rations were served up, and was down in the X shed too. The Stoke Rifles had tables to sit down to, but in the X shed the men were in the straw. 88. Colonel Davies.] How long is it since you landed in the colony?—I arrived on the 28th March, 1891. 89. You have been here about ten years?— Yes. 90. What was your regiment at Home ?—The Ist North Lancashires. I was colour-sergeant No. 1 in that regiment. 91. I suppose you have been in camp with your regiment often enough ?—Yes; and I marched with the regiment in India. I was also in camp with them in the Turkey Expedition in 1884. 92. What is your opinion of the way in which the men were fed here, taking into consideration the bad weather, in comparison with the way in which the men are fed in the army out in camp or on the march ? —I should say the men were fed a great deal better here than in the regiment I was in when on the march. There was a greater supply of food. 93. You do not know anything about the feeding in Newtown Park ? —I was not up there. 94. Do you know anything about the proportion of cooks to men in the regiment or district to which you were attached in Wellington?— There would be about five cooks between five and six hundred men in the X shed. 95. Was the cooking done under cover ?—Yes. 96. In the sheds ?—Yes ; covered with corrugated iron. 97. You say that in this procession some of the men were infantry and some mounted men ? —Yes. 98. Have you any idea of the proportion ?—No ; but there were twenty or thirty men altogether in the procession. 99. Could you identify any of the other men if you saw them ?—No, I could not. 100. In the Nelson District you say you have a quartermaster?— Yes. 101. I suppose, to constantly go into camp with the Volunteers ?—Yes. 102. Do you not find that is generally a weak point—that the Volunteer officers are not properly trained and do not look after their men properly ?—That never happens in our district. 103. You have big camps ?—Yes ; and the work is carried out without any trouble. The officers look after it. 104. What I mean is that many Volunteer officers, and the Volunteers generally, have a notion that every one who is a soldier goes out to knock people's heads off, and do not realise that there is other work to do? —I do not know that. 105. Major Hawkins.] Sergeant Rankin, you say, incited the men to carry on this procession ? —He incited the men to go into the passage where I was and bring the meat out again. 106. Did you have any altercation with him ?—No ; I simply asked the man for his name, and took it, and walked straight out again. 107. After you had taken his name did he then incite the men ? —Yes; I had taken his name, and he afterwards incited the men to carry on the procession. 108. From your knowledge of mounted men can you say who were associated with the several corps at the schoolhouses ?—There were no mounted men at the schoolhouses, only the officers of the mounted corps of the battalion. 109. From your knowledge of the men do you know whether they came from Newtown Park or from those schoolhouses ? Were they here in the capacity of mounted men, or were they only temporary associated with the infantry ? —I could not say. 110. You do not know any of the men individually ? —No. Sergeant Bankin was a mounted man ; there is no doubt at all about that. 111. The Chairman.] Did you notice what puggarees the mounted men had on who were in that procession ? —No ; I did not take much notice of the men, because there was a mass of drunken civilians with them, and I did not want to have any unseemly brawl in the street. One man wished to interfere, and I thought the best thing was to get the meat away and let the men go quietly. The civilian swore at me, and said he was not a soldier, and could say what he liked ; and I replied that nobody ever took him for a soldier, and walked away. 112. Major Haiokins.] This happened about 2 o'clock in the afternoon?— Yes, from 2 o'clock to 2.15. 113. What were the luncheon-hours at your camp?—We had dinner at 12 o'clock. 114. That would give these men ample time to make a parade in the street at the time mentioned ?—Yes. 115. The Chairman.] What day was it when the complaint was made about the rations in X shed? —I am not sure whether it was Monday or Tuesday, but I think it was Tuesday. 116. What was done about the meat that day ?—lt was destroyed. 117. Is there anything else you can tell us about it?— That is all, sir. Henry Redmond examined. (No. 5.) 118. The Chairman.] What are you ? —Colour-Sergeant of D Company, Ist Wellington Rifles. 119. How long have you been in that corps ? —Since it started about four years ago.