FT—6c.

BEIUKT C: O. OHALLIS.

76. Then, sometimes complaints were remedied?— Yes. sir. T was driving the winch on board the boat. I was the only one who could use it, and I used to hoist the food up out of the hold for the fatigue party, and the meat I got up was not fit to eat. 77. When did you first go on to the winch ?—We left on Sunday, and I went on the winch on the Monday. 78. And throughout the whole voyage the meat was never good ? —Yes, sir. 79. Always, without exception ?—Yes, sir. 80. Do you know whether the meat was ever examined by a surgeon, veterinary surgeon, or quartermaster? —I do not think so, otherwise they would have condemned it. 81. When the meat came up out of the hold what was it in?—lt used to be in these canvas bags. 82. And you could see through the canvas bags ?—No, sir, it was not canvas; it was this slight hessian. 83. How often did you get fish ?—We got it once a week if we liked to take it, but we did not take it. 84. Was it always bad ?—I could not say whether it was always bad ; but on this one occasion, when we went to Colonel Davies, it was very bad. You could smell it before you got to the cooks' galley. 85. On this occasion, when you went to Colonel Davies, what happened?—He said he did uot want the whole crowd of us to go up there ; one or two should come up and report the case to him. Shortly after Regimental Sergeant-Major Eogers came down to us below, and said, " Any complaints you have to make, make them to me, and I will forward them on to the colonel." 86. On this one particular occasion were you served out anything in the place of the fish ?— We were not, sir.; those in the other squadrons were. 87. Could you get nothing at all ?—Nothing at all, sir. 88. None in your squadron ?—There was not a squadron of us ; there were eighty-two men and two officers —Captain Heckler and Lieutenant Duigan. 89. Do you think if you did not get beef that it was your own fault alone for not looking after your own interests ?—No, sir ; it was the special neglect of our officers. 90. Your portion of the squadron was specially neglected, then?— Yes, sir. There is also another statement to be made in regard to the coffee. The coffee used to be boiled in the same pot as the meat was cooked in, and an Australian trooper told the colonel that there were 3 in. of fat on the coffee on the same day we complained about the fish. 91. Do you think it was true that there were 3 in. of fat on the coffee ?—I would not say there was that much, but there was a lot of fat. 92. Did you see it yourself?— Yes, sir, I saw it myself, and 1 asked the officer of the day to taste the coffee we had to drink. 93. Did you ever see 3 in. of fat on it ?—No, sir. 94. Did you see 2 in. ? —No, sir. 95. Did you see 1 in. ?—No, sir. 96. Did you ever see \ in. ?—No, sir, I would not say that. 97. Do you wish to convey to the Commission that there were 3in. of fat on the coffee? — I meant to say, in regard to the coffee, that there was a lot of fat on it. 98. You swore just now that an Australian said there were 3 in. of fat on the coffee?—He told Colonel Davies. 99. Did you not mean to convey to the Commission that there were 3 in. of fat?—No, sir; I meant to say there was a lot of fat on it. 100. You do not mean 3 in.?—No, sir, I did not say it; an Australian said it to Colonel Davies. 101. Was it I in. ?—I would not say \m., or otherwise. 102. How much was there ?—A good bit. 103. Yes, but how much ?—A great quantity ; more than what there should be. 104. And you think it is a grievance that the tea should be cooked in the same copper as the meat was boiled in ? —Most decidedly. 105. Are you aware that every sailor who sails under the white ensign gets his tea and coffee cooked in the same vessel as the meat ?—No, sir. I belonged to the navy too. 106. On what boat ?—I was on the " Warspite." 107. You know it is customary to boil the tea and the coffee and the cocoa in the same utensil as the meat is boiled in?— Yes, sir, it is the case. 108. Did you ever know of a case where it was not so ? —No ; I could not say. 109. Weii, now, you say on one occasion you carried a young fellow—Sid. Ashdown—into the hospital ?—Yes, sir. 110. And the doctors ordered him to be put into his hammock ?—Yes, sir. 111. What was he suffering from ?—Lumbago. 112. When was this?—l cannot tell you the date ;it was before we reached Albany. 113. Do you not think that the surgeons ought to have the saying as to whom should be put in the hospital and who should not? —Well, this man suffered from lumbago and could not walk. We carried him down, and I said in front of all the officers—-I sang out, " This is a nice case, sending a man down like this." An officer did come out, and also this other doctor, not Captain Eccles—l do not know his name—and he told me to take him down below. I took him down, and half an hour afterwards Lieutenant Duigan came to me and said, " Fetch Ashdown to the hospital." We carried him to the hospital again, and I put him into the bed myself. 114. Was that the same day ?—Yes, sir; but that was the second day. We took him down the first day and put him back in his hammock, and the second day he was admitted to the hospital. We had to fetch him back—that was the second time, and on the second day.

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