SERGT. E. J. MASSEY.]

H.—6c.

469. How many men could get hammock accommodation in the half-space in the centre ?— I could not tell you. 470. Would it be four ?—More than that. 471. Six?— About six, I should think. 472. Then, over the table and in the space in the centre you might have fourteen men?— Yes, comfortably. 473. Was there any other space associated with each table that you could get hammock accommodation in?— Only just across the top of the table. 474. Then, there always would be two men at least who could not get sleeping-accommodation if the whole sixteen were there?— Yes. 475. At your mess did any of the men sleep on the floor '?—No ; they slept on the table and in their hammocks. There may have been a night when they slept on the floor. 476. Were you on the lowest deck of all ?—No ; in the 'tween-decks. 477. Did you find the atmosphere stuffy and close ?—-Where I was we could always open the portholes. We used to open our portholes in the morning. 478. You had no reason to complain of unwholesome atmosphere for any length of time ?— No. 479. When you made complaints to your superior officer were they attended to ?—Yes. 480. Was it known to you that if at any time you were short of food you were to ask for it and you would get it ?—Yes ; we could always get plenty of tinned meat. 481. From your recollection of the men who went into hospital could you say whether a majority of them came from the upper deck or from another deck ?—I could not tell you. 482. Mr. Millar.'] Did you find, any difficulty in enforcing discipline ?—No. 483. Was it good ?—As good as could be expected on board a troopship. 484. Did you ever see much drunkenness on board ?—No.' 485. At any end of the ship ?—-I only stayed at my end. 486. Which deck were you on, the upper or the lower? —Upper troop deck. 487. In the forward end of the ship?— Yes. 488. How many men were there?— Two squadrons; about two hundred and forty men. That is, if the squadrons were full. 489. How far was it from the hatchway forward to the foremost part of your troop deck ?—I have no idea. 490. Did the companion-way go down the middle ?—There was one in the centre and one at one end. 491. You never experienced any inconvenience from hot air ?—No. 492. You said you went out in the " Gymeric " ?—Yes. 493. Were the men in the "Gymeric" as numerous in proportion to the size of the ship as they were on the "Britannic"? —More so, I think. There was no room at all in the " Gymeric." 494. Where were the troops in the " Gymeric " ?—I think, on the 'tween-deeks. 495. Where did you carry the horses ?—On three decks. The men slept in No. 1 and No. 4, and the horses were in No. 3 and No. 2. 496. What is the advantage of sleeping on deck to a man who has a hammock ?—I myself liked to sleep on deck in all these troopships even if there were plenty of hammocks—that is, on the upper deck. 497. You mean the upper troop deck?— The main deck. 498. How many men preferred to sleep on the main deck in the " Britannic " ? We heard that the spray was coming over, and the men complained that they could not keep on deck ?— There were plenty of places there where you could sling your hammock and get away from the wet. 499. You preferred sleeping on the table itself to sleeping in a hammock ?—Yes. 500. Not because you could not sling your hammock ?—No ; there were plenty of hooks. 501. Do you think that the officers, as a whole, took that interest in their men which they ought to do ?—Yes. 502. No complaints were made to the officers that were not attended to?— They looked after us as well in the " Britannic " as in any other ship. 503. The Chairman.] I suppose the sergeants had a separate mess ?—Yes. 504. Was their food cooked at the same time as the men's?— Yes. 505. Was it from the same galley ?—No ; there was a special galley for the sergeants. 506. Was the food the same as the men's ?—We may have got a few extras. 507. What ship did you come back in?— The " Tagus." 508. Did you ever parade for inspection on board the " Tagus " ?—I had not much to do with that; I was away with the band. 509. Did the men parade for inspection?— That I could not tell you. I pretty well forget the trip in the " Tagus." 510. What was the length of your table ?—About 16 ft. 511. What was the width between the tables alongside one another ? —About 3 ft. The tables varied in length. 512. In your place ?—The table was 16 ft. long. 513. The table at the other side : was that the same ?—I was never there. 514. How far was it from side to side ? —About 20 ft. 515. Then, the men who fed at these tables had with the space in the centre of the ship enough room for their hammocks?— Yes. 516. What was the width of the table ?—-It would be about 2 ft. 517. How far between the two tables ?—About 3 ft.

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