TROOPER SILBEY.I

51

H.—6c,

59. Will you tell us of an instance where a complaint was made and no notice taken ?— Complaints were made the first few days out from Durban, and no notice was taken. 60. Complaints were made to your own knowledge ? —Yes. 61. To whom were the complaints made? —To the orderly officer. 62. Who was he ?—That I could not say. There was a different officer every day. 63. On any one occasion, name any officer who was orderly officer?—l could not say. 64. It is not that you will not remember, but that you cannot remember?—l cannot remember. 65. Can you tell us any method by which we can fix the day upon which the complaint was made : can you fix a Sunday when you got out from Durban ?—I can fix Monday and Tuesday after we left Durban. 66. The Chairman (to Colonel Davies).] Will you kindly show me who were the officers of the day on these days?— Here they are, sir. [Book produced.] 67. What date was the Monday ?—The 7th July. 68. The Chairman (to witness).] What was the nature of the complaint made ? —The complaint made was that the dinner served out to them, and the breakfast, was not sufficient —that was the complaint. 69. Who made that complaint ?—The troopers themselves. 70. Can you give me the name of any one trooper?—No, sir; they all went up together a day or two out from Durban. 71. On the Monday after you left Durban there was complaint?— Yes ; complaints were made at the mess-room table, and the orderly officer would come round. 72. Were they made to the orderly officer ?—Yes. 73. You said just now they went up m a body : what do you mean by that ?—They did not go up in a body on a Monday. 74. What did they do on the Monday ? —On the Monday they made a complaint at the mesatable. 75. You said just now you were not down at the mess-table?—No ; this was told to me. I did not hear it at the mess-table. 76. You have sworn that complaint was made on the Monday to the orderly officer?— Yes, I know that. 77. Did you hear it yourself: how did you know it ?— The troopers told me. 78. All the troopers ? —Well, two or three of them. 79. Give me the name of one : can you remember a name ?—I know them by sight, but I cannot think of the names of a lot of them. I could say the name of one, but he is dead now ; he is no use. 79a. We want the name of one live man. Take your own mess-table : Can you tell us of a man at your own mess-table who made that complaint?— Yes, I can tell you one. He is a corporal in the New South Wales or Queenslands, I believe. 80. Is he in New Zealand now ?—He is here in Wellington. 81. Give us his name? —Corporal Moore. 82. What was the nature of his complaint?— His complaint was that there was not sufficient food. 83. Did you hear him make it ?—No, I did not. 84. Do you know of your own knowledge that he made it ?—Corporal Moore told me. 85. When?—He told me afterwards on deck. 86. He complained that there was not sufficient ?—He told me so. 87. And he made that complaint to an officer?—l could not say. 88. You do not know that be made a complaint to an officer —he complained to you ?— Yes, sir. 89. You do not know that he made any official complaint ? —I could not say. 90. Then, all you know about the first day is that somebody told you that he had not enough to eat ?—Yes, sir. 91. But that he did not report that to an officer ?—I could not say. 92. Did he tell you that he reported it to an officer?—He did not. 93. As far as official complaints, we have done with that day. Will you give us another occasion? —On the second day I was told of the same—that was on the Tuesday. They complained they did not have sufficient. 94. Did they tell you they had complained to an officer ?—No. 95. Did you see the food they got ?—Yes. 96. When did you see it?—l saw it served out. 97. Did you see the portion served out to each particular man ?—Not to each particular man. 98. You do not know what each man got ?—No. I know from each orderly that came up from the mess-room table what quantity they got for each mess-table. It had to last sixteen men. 99. What do you consider sufficient for each man? —A pound of meat a day. 100. You consider that is enough ?—Yes. 101. And if there is evidence brought that a pound of meat was given, would you say it was false? —I would say that, according to the meat served, it would not last sixteen men. 102. Now, the meat was blue when it was brought up ?—Yes. 103. How often ?—On two or three occasions. 104. Were you present in any capacity at the serving-out of the meat?—l was present, sir, on some occasions—not all occasions. 105. Were you there as cook's mate, or what capacity?—l was there as vegetable-cook's assistant,