H.—2l.

39

H. B. SOKENSEN.J

A a chance. I saw her often, and saw she was improving, and personally I had no objection whatever, and told Mrs. Branting so some time after. The matter was referred to Wellington, and Mrs. Branting got a reply that if we did not wish to keep A she could be sent back to Te Oranga Home. I replied that we did not wish to get rid of her, but wanted to give her a chance. 10. Mr. Russell.] Do you know Nurse Early refused to let the girl go back to Te-Oranga when they sent for her? —Yes. Mrs. Branting rang me up to say she had. made a demand for the girl, and that Miss Early refused to deliver her. I rang up Miss Early, and she said to me " No; I cannot deliver her. My conscience will not allow me. You are very wrong, and I will not let her go." In fact, I rang off, as Miss Early was a little excited. Afterwards Mrs. Branting rang up again, as Miss Hunt had been there all the afternoon, and said something about a policeman, and I believe the local constable went and asked for delivery of the girl and was refused. On Saturday morning another trustee, Mr. Bridge, and myself went up and asked Miss, Early why she did not let the girl go. She said much the same as before, "My conscience will not allow me. I think it is sending her to her destruction if she goes back to Te Oranga. It is a shocking thing to let her go back." Miss Early was then suspended, and shortly afterwards the authorities came for the girl. In the meantime we saw A , and she was very willing to go back. She had no objection. We told her there was no punishment in the matter. Rose Morris examined on oath. 1. Mr. Salter.] You are a registered nurse, residing in Christchurch?—Yes. 2. You were nurse at the Samaritan Home when A G was there?— Yes. 3. Do you remember her being brought to the Home? —Yes, on both occasions. 4. Was she under your supervision?— Yes. 5. What sort of girl did you find her? —She was a very good girl, and a great help upstairs. 6. Do you remember Mrs. Branting coming to see her?— Yes, on two or three occasions. I was present, because A asked that I should be present. 7. What effect did Mrs. Branting have on A ?—A very bad effect. It used to make her miserable for days afterwards. It used to take me quite a time to get her back to a normal condition. Mrs. Branting used to rub her up the wrong way. If A said she was getting on well Mrs. Branting would say she was getting on too well, and needed some of her strapping to keep her down. 8. Did you consider her manner objectionable to the girl? —Certainly. 9. But during her stay in the Home she was well behaved? —Yes, except that occasionally, like all other girls, she would get little bouts of temper, but no worse than the others. 10. Mr. Russell.] I suppose you found that the girl was not fond of Mrs. Branting?—Once or twice she would say Mrs. Branting could be kind, but that she was never kind to her. She always thought Mrs. Branting had a down on her. She told me that many times. 11. From what you could see, had the girl a dread of going back to Mrs. Branting? —She looked upon it with perfect horror. If she saw anything in the papers about a girl being committed, she said " Thank Goodness, that's not me." 12. I will read a letter she has lately written to Mrs. Branting from Mrs. Bean's house. " My Dear Matron, —I rung you up to-night, for 1 wanted to say a lot to you, but I had not the chance. My dear Matron, you perhaps think I do not care for you, but that is not so. Your kindness to me in the short time I was back in the Home has atoned for all the past—what has been said, and what has not. I look back over these last few weeks, and think what has been going on for the sake of a chance of service. . . . Dear Matron, I don't wish to feel any ill will against you. We are not placed here to be enemies, but to be at charity with every one. Dear Matron, I have not a place to go to. I looked, forward to coming up to see you all. Well, Matron, you can put your full confidence in me, for if all the girls turn out as well as I intend to do they will be a credit to you. I am not boasting over what I have said. . . ." That does not read like the letter of a girl who looks upon Mrs. Branting with horror?—l am only speaking of what I heard. 13. How do you reconcile that letter with what was said to you?—l could not have thought it possible for A to write a letter like that, 14. Is it not more likely that these thoughts were put into her head by you?— Most decidedly not. I never suggested such a thing. ' I did not know anything about Mrs. Branting. She was a stranger to me. 15. It was clear Miss Early had taken the idea that Mrs. Branting's judgment was wrong, and that the girl ought to be at service. Were you not putting the girl against Te Oranga Home? —Certainly not. 16. You say this girl talked in your hearing nothing but horror of Mrs. Branting, and yet she wrote this letter, breathing almost affectionate expressions to her?—l have told you the truth. I am astonished she should have written such a letter. Monday, 9th March, 1908. Henry Patten examined on oath. 1. The Commissioner.] Where do you live?—ln Christchurch. 2. What is your occupation?—l am a tailor. 3. I understand you wrote to the Commission expressing your willingness to give evidence? —Yes,