H.—2l.

90

[E. SIMPSON.

18. Are they fond of her apparently?— Yes, the majority of them are very fond of her. 1 know that from the way they speak to me of her. 19. Generally, could anything more be done by the State than is being done to help these children up in the world? —No. 20. Do they get enough time for play and recreation?— Yes. 21. And they make use of it?— Yes; I think they get more time here for recreation than they would in their own homes. 22. Do you ever punish the girls yourself?—No; I have had no occasion to. Once I sent one girl to the cell. 23. Did you report it to the Matron? —Yes. She was in less than half an hour. Once I made a girl go a piece short at tea-time. 24. You do not like to punish a girl if you can avoid it?— No. 25. Do you know of your own knowledge that every effort is made to obviate punishment? — Yes, so far as I can see. 26. You think the staff treat the children well? —Yes. 27. Do you remember the day when Miss Dean brought D D up to the Matron?— Yes; I was in the office when Miss Dean brought her in. 28. Did the Matron punish her? —She smacked her. 29. Where did she smack her? —She held her by the left arm and smacked her on the shoulder. 30. She did not box her ears? —No. 31. She did not box her first on one side and then on the other? —No. 32. Mr. Salter.] Do you think, if you can manage the girls without punishment, the other attendants could do the same?— That is different. I have only four girls, and if you could not manage four it is rather a poor look-out. Where the staff has sixteen to twenty girls it is very hard work. I really cannot say. 33." What are your hours in the kitchen? —Fiom 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. I have half an hour for meals. 3.4. Only half an hour ?—Yes. 35. I think you prepare the bread and jam and bread and dripping for the table? —Yes. 36. One of the witnesses said yesterday it was scantily spread: is that so?—lt is spread as I was directed to spread it. 37. That is not the point. Was it scantily spread?—l do not think so. That was a fair sample I sent over the other day. 38. Is it a fact that you dilute the golden syrup ?—Yes. 39. With what?— Water. 40. Is that with the object of making it go farther? —Yes. 41. Do you think it is a fair thing to the children to dilute their syrup with water?—l would rather not do it. 42. By whose instructions do you do it? —Matron's. 43. Do you dilute the jam too?— No. 44. Never? —No. 45. Do you know of girls having to go on short allowances as a punishment?—Y T es. 46. Sometimes they lose part of a meal?— Yes. 47. Do they ever lose the whole of it?—No; I do not recollect a case. 48. Do you know whether the girls are unjustly reported to the Matron by the attendants? — I do not know. 49. Do you remember on one occasion saying to Miss Hunt that if she reported a girl of yours she would be reporting her unjustly?— Yes, I remember that. 50. Were you afraid she was going to report her? —I thought she threatened to report her. 51. And you said, " If you report her you will report her unjustly " ?—Yes. 52. Have you heard Miss Mills make any complaint about anything?— No. 53. Did she ever complain to you about Miss Hunt having no morning work? —No. 54. Do you remember that on one occasion the children had some bad fish for dinner ?—Yes. 55. You prepared that for the meal? —Yes. 56. Did you know when you put it on the table it was bad?—l did not know it was as bad as it was. I was rather doubtful about it. 57. You spoke to the Matron ?—Yes. 58. What did she say?— She came and looked at it, and we talked about it a little while. I believe she tasted it, but lam not quite sure. She said she did not think it was bad, and to give it to the girls. Then, after thinking it over, she sent a message not to give it to them, and I did not get that message in time, so the girls got it. 59. You know a girl named J L ?—Yes. 60. Do you remember last November she was in the cell two days in succession?—l do not remember. 61. Do you remember one day when she was in from breakfast-time until tea-time?—l cannot remember any particular day. 62 Do you remember that at tea-time there was a knocking heard, and some one said, " That is J -L "?—No. 63. Have you had any instructions as to the limit your meat bill was to go to?— The Matron orders the amount. I tell her what I want. 64. Have you ever heard of any limit—that the meat bill was to be kept down to £3 per month? —No. I have been told to keep the bills down, but there was no limit. 65. Then, the idea was to limit the expenditure to as small an amount as possible?—l do not know what the idea was.