H.—2l

0 A .

140. I want to read to you from one of them: "Dear Matron, —Mr. Allen gave me a day oil on Easter Monday to go to the Band of Hope, and told me not to go to the Home. I thought I was doing right and went, and when I came home I was asked who I went with, and a lot of questions, and I did not like to answer them, so I told a lie over it " : Is that right? —Yes. 141. " I said I was with Susan, and I was not. I was with a girl all day ": Is that right? —Yes. 142. When you wrote these other letters to the Matron at this time were you full of friendly feelings towards her ?—Yes. 143. That is up to 1906?— Yes. 144. You left that place and came back here?— Yes. 145. And then on the 3rd August, 1906, you went to Mr. B 's? —Yes. 146. You said yesterday that the reason you left Mr. B 's was because a lot of lies were told about your sister that were not true: is that the reason you left? —Yes; it was the truth; I did leave because the Matron told a lot of lies about my sister. 147. Do you remember when you came back being asked by Miss Mills why you left Mr. B 's?—l never gave any reason why I left. 148. Did you tell her that you were out late at night, and that Mrs. B objected to you being out late ?—Yes, I was going to run away that night, but I had no clothes, and so I went back again to wait a chance when Mrs. B was away. 149. And did you not tell Miss Mills that you cleared out from Mrs. B because she kicked up a row at your being out late at night?—l do not remember telling Miss Mills anything about it. 150. Were you angry because she objected to your being out late at night?—No; it was because of the lies told about my sister. 151. When you came back here do you remember the Matron asking you why you had absconded?— Yes. 152. And what answer did you give her? —Because Mrs. B growled at me. 153. Why did you not tell the Matron then that the reason why you left was because of the lies told about your sister ?—lt was no good, because I spoke to the Matron before I ran away about it. 154. So the reason you gave to Miss Mills was different from the reason } 7 ou gave to the Matron, and the reason you gave to the Matron is different altogether from the reason you give to the Commission ?—Yes. 155. The Commissioner.] Who is supposed to have told these lies?— The Matron. 156. Mr. Russell.] What did the Matron say?—lt is not very nice to repeat. 157. You have a sister?— Yes. 158. Living where? —She is back again in Wellington. 159. She was in service in Christchurch? —Yes. 160. And the Matron did not want your sister to visit you here?— The Matron wanted my sister to come and see me at the Home. 161. Did not the Matron ask Mrs. B not to let your sister see you at her house?— Yes. 162. Was it not on account of that that you got angry?—l told the Matron I saw my sister several times at Mrs. B 's and the Matron got very angry with me. 163. Did the Matron give you any reasons for her objection to your sister speaking to you?— Yes. 164. What were the reasons the Matron gave to you?—lt is not very nice to repeat in front of all the men. 165. Did she say your sister was immoral?— Yes. 166. Had your sister been living in Wellington before she came here? —Yes, at home and in service. 167. Did the Matron give you grounds for her belief that your sister was immoral?—-Yes. She believed what, M W had said about my sister. 168. Then the Matron said she objected to your sister going to see you while you were in service?— Yes. 169. Did you see your sister as often as you liked? —No; she said if my sister liked to come here on Sunday she could send round a note. 170. How many years is it since yoju saw your sister?— About six years. 171. You have not seen her since ?-—No. 172. If the Matron had been told things of your sister that made the Matron think it was not desirable in your own interests for you to see her, do you consider the Matron was not acting rightly in not wishing you to see her ?—Yes, but she ought to have let me find it out for myself. 173. How?—By letting me go to see my sister. My sister has said nothing wrong in speaking to me. 174. What other complaints have you got against the Home or against the Matron?—lt is not exactly against the Matron ; it is about the way we have to go out and slog at the outside work. 175. What work do you object to—wood-chopping and the lupins?— Yes, and digging 176. That is all?— Yes. 177. Then, these are all the complaints you have against the place—you think you ought not to chop wood or dig lupins or dig?— Yes. 178. With these exceptions, you have no complaints of any kind to make against the Matron or the Home?— And sometimes the way we are spoken to. 179. Then, you have four complaints?— Yes; and about the food. We get stew with the potatoes boiled in their skins, and we have to take them out and peel them.

2—H. 21.

9