TEOOPER C. W. DODD.]

45

H.— 6c.

909. Mr. McNab.] You said that when the meat was cooked the officer came along and inspected it ?—Yes. 910. I understood you to say the cook appeared to have hoodwinked the officer by giving him one of the best pieces?— Yes. 911. Who was that officer ?—-It might be the officer of the day; it might be Captain Haselden or another officer. 912. Previous to being cooked, when it came from the butcher's shop, was the meat passed by an officer? —I could not tell you that. It was simply put in the cook's shop, and if it was to be stewed we cut it up. I know there was some pork which the officer condemned and had it chucked overboard. 9.13. Before the men got it?— Yes. They had some pork before and they all grumbled over it, but in this case the officer came along and condemned it. 914. What officer?— Captain Young. 915. Did he often come along and examine the meat ?—I never saw him there before or after. 916. That was at the cook's shop ?—Yes. 917. Mr. Millar.} You say the beef was green?— Yes, on some occasions. 918. That beef had come from the butcher's shop to the galley?— Yes. 919. You know you are on oath in giving this evidence ?—Yes, sir. 920. We were told that it never came green from the butcher's shop ? —I know it was green because I passed the remark to the cook. He simply put some sauce over it, so that it should not be seen. 921. Was much returned back to the galley when you saw it ?—Yes, several times. \ 922. Although it was passed in the butcher's shop it was rejected afterwards ?—Yes. 923. How much bacon did you cook in the galley?— Sometimes they got it once a week and sometimes twice. It was principally on Sunday morning. 924. Enough for all hands ? —No ; they were always short. 925. You say you could not sleep down below?—No; I tried to get down on two or three occasions and could not, and so I went to the stewards' place. Of course, the cooks themselves never ate the beef or drank the tea. They got what they wanted from the saloon galley. 926. The Chairman.] Was the meat supplied to the officers' mess different to that supplied to the men's mess?—l could not tell you. I know the officers' was better than ours. 927. Colonel Davies.] You mean better after it was cooked ?—Yes. 928. You did not see it before ?—No, sir. 929. You did not sleep down in the men's quarters or have your food with them ?—No, sir. Trooper Percy Mellor examined on oath. (No. 12.) 930. Mr. McNab.] To what contingent did you belong ?—The Eighth. 931. You have indicated a desire to give evidence before the Commission regarding the food and accommodation of the troops on board the transport " Britannic." The Commission will hear what you have to say. Make your statement concisely, and afterwards you may be asked some questions. What matters do you wish to refer to ?—I complain of the overcrowding. There was not room in our part of the ship to hang the hammocks, and half the men were sleeping on the floor. As for the food we got, some of the meat was fairly rotten. I used to visit the hospital on an average five days a week in the afternoon. I had a cousin and a mate there, and they complained very badly. 932. We do not want to know what other people said ; we want to know what you saw yourself ? —There was a young fellow down there who is since dead. He was delirious all day, and he used to get out of his bed, and it was sometimes a long time before the orderly came back, and I helped to put him back in his bed. He was soon dead. Another young fellow who was suffering from enteric fever used to go to the tap and drink the water, and I had to put him back in his bed. He died in Wellington Hospital. 933. Eegarding the hammocks, how many men as a rule used hammocks, and how many slept on the floor ?—A lot of them used to sleep on the floor. 934. What proportion would be accommodated in the hammocks hung up?— Every night all the tables were filled and there were a lot on the floor. 935. Would half the men spend the night sleeping in their hammocks ?—Rather more than half. 936. Did these two-thirds monopolize all the space with their hammocks ?—Yes. 937. How close would the hammocks be together ?—Too close to be comfortable. 938. How close would that be ?—lf one of the hammocks was a little tighter than another alongside it the man in the tighter hammock would be hanging over the man in the other hammock and half lying on him. 939. Were all the hooks there for the hammocks occupied ?—Yes. 940. Then, there were about half more men to be accommodated than there were hooks to hang hammocks on ?—Yes. 941. Did you usually sleep in a hammock or on the floor ?—ln a hammock. I used to keep my hammock in the rack above me by getting up early and putting it there. I kept it in the same place always, and hung it from the same hooks. 942. Did you ever make any complaint to an officer regarding the want of accommodation for sleeping ?—I cannot say I did so myself personally. 943. When you were sleeping at night was it hot ? —Yes, the air was very foul. What made it worse was when you were on guard at night. You had to go on guard for two hours on deck and then you had four hours off. You had to go up on the cold deck and then go down again into this hot room.