TE ORANGA HOME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 137, 4 March 1908, Page 7

TE ORANGA HOME.

CONTINUATION OF THE INQUIRY* EVIDENCE OF I FOOD, WORK, AND PUNISHMENT. , (BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.') ■ ' March 3. • Mr. 'H. W. Bishopi sitting as, Commis sioner, continued, the-inquiry .into the man l agoment of the To Oranga Homo this'morn- . 1 ing. ; Tlio witness who had concluded hoi evidence in chief yesterday, afternoon was ■ v tendered for cross-examination. . '. . .v; . In reply to questions by Mr. Russoll, .the witness stated that it was not truothat sho 1 was living in a, Chinese den in Wellington .before she was/sent to the. Homo. She was found 'in a Chinese house, but it was the,) only, timp she was ever there. She took soma j ' " clothes thero : for a woman. '. ! Tho Commissioner stated that .the Magistrate found' that it was [proved to his satisfaction that tlio girl was!found in. a. brothel, and that she had been associating with re-' puted prostitutes. He could not .allow tho' girl's:'version toi ; go forward,to the public as ■ a truo one. .■... ■[ Tho.witness couti;.uiug, said that.sho was not always/a' truthfur'girl." She would toll : a lio when it 'suited her, but she was speak-. ! iiiig ;tho .truth now; : The matron was' gene- ■ rally kind to iler. The matron had arranged to take her and two other girls to thorSyd.. . hoy Exhibition with four or five other girls, j : ' Is it not very kind of the matron! to tak«»I you?. i Wo could go oil our own if we wanted to. 1 I had arranged to go with another'girl. COMPLAINTS. ! Continuing, witness said her complaints generally ;weronot against tho matron, but against the way. they had to " sjlog into work," Sfte objected to the wood-chopping and sawing, the grubbing of lupins, 'the way .slio,was spoken to, and tlio condition of the ' food. ..The .potatoos were boiled in their skins ■ , . iu'.tiio. stew, anil .the'girls, had to pick them fliit aiid peel tlieni:'-Slio wanted to do houso ; work instead of wood-chopping. . When they wont out to service their mistresses had- to V teach them hoilsowork. / If there was not- . > enough housework in the Home they should' bo put on . pr making clothcs. Sho .' . ,did 'hot! inind .doing- washing, but she ob- . jefctcd'. to'tli? other outside work. Miss • ■ Howden was just m every, way. She had'-; ; said in reference to certain things said by ' tho matron that if was hellish to live: where ... ■ such- things wero-said,-and to have no chance of proving t-horn. . . -.r "DID NOT KNOW OF THE PLOT." . : ■ Witness did not know of the plot among tho girls to abscond, or that they wero going to uso tho.excuse to go for water as a chanco to got away. absconded from ono . • placo where: she was in service. Sho went • ■ to Ivaiapoi, walking along tho railway line. • She-just took it into her head to go there.Sho h&d 3d. on her. Sho stayed at a board-ing-house,;! She told; Miss. Mills that' she had •: •boeh'Vtd" the Exhibition .with another girl, s ' , . Tliq; staff, wero trymg to pump her, and she 'j • told _ them lies. - Tho girls were not allowed' .to i talk to one another, but they did, talk I. ' . when tlio'staff-was out'of the way. In thei ■. / • winter ,of last year tho food was short, but- j '' ■she 'novel-' mado any complaint. Some of; I -the.gills diad complained, and were told tLafc; thoyhad plenty. - Tho girls .were not allo\tsd<i, to seo the official visitors privately. : They: ■ just camu mto"tho room and walked >aut .e again. She had had plenty, to oat dunng> . riot, know. that-'thG.-, .;: diotary scalo was tho s;imo. . , •• - In replv to Mr.- Ilunt, tho witness .• said that Miss. Hunt did not-put her. hand m tno hot water, and Jeyes' fluid, along with that . of ' tho girl.>-. Sho .had been punished foi threatening to kill, a girl. Sho did not get* , on with. all. tlio members of the,staff. Thej wero too fond of: growling at .her. .It was -against; tlio rules :to .take hot.'water foi scruDbing. She had'made no complaint to*v , tho matron about tho marks of the strap. EXTRA FOOD. ( v • To Mr. Salter tho witness said that after' tho' girls- complained about the shortage of food, the matron gave orclors for oxtra food ...... lor; itheni; and instructed the. 6taff to see that they ato it.;. Several of tho girls woro ,'. •: 'ahnost sick .with -'overeating. K ; J. ' ;• ' . lii replv to-the. Commissioner, the witness said; that punishment was .inflicted with tlia •broad sido. of the Btrap. .Tho.girl lay. on- ft bed and was punished through: her.night- i, gown. Sho had been strapped oil tho baro , ■ floor 1 of tho oell-by-Miss Hunt., . ;. v " PUNISHMENT PRESSES." .V ; j Mr 1 Bishop asked for- tho " punishmontjN dhosses,"'and :thoyi wore protluced. Mr Pope:-Those' drssfies have been ap-j proved by tho.' Department in accordance with the . regulations. Mr Bishop: Tlio Department may notes' . ■ liavo exercised a wiso discretion. : •. Tho witness said that tlio dresses wer^. kept on" for three months .when a girl_rani ... awav. - If sho did-not aslv to, get. it off, it , woiiild- bo kept oil as long as tho matron liked At present--slie was wearing her ordi- M, ■ 'riary. .'of them a^.worse^tKaa-.. this, sho' said. \ ; Tlio dressMvas quite a noat one, and Mr.; Bishop romavked: "I am not finding any,....... .'fault'with your dress." ' The' witness contimiocl tliAb tho matron had bo\ed liei ens This caused a bussing in her ears, but sho was'not exactly deat. Tlio docton did not 1 examino her for. deafness.. , : - Tho matron had banged'lier head and boxed , . her ears-for refusing to eat dry bread.i ... Another girl had not been mado to oat dry' bread becauso.sho'had offonded. "That is : where': justicq'.'conies ; in,"....tho... witness doi", . clared , , ; - Mr/- Bishop =; Boxing ,tho ears ,is againsl. v ; - 'the regulations,')is.it:.-nofc,-Mr.>PopoP Jli Pope Enln ely. ' i ' Mr: Bishop read tho .regulations , marked that the complaint" might, bo m.ads, : :tho. subject of rebijttmg. evidence. ■' - ;; ANOTHER WITNESS. - ' Tho next witness was a girl with short „ •black hair-' 'She said'that sho would be IS yoars old in ;June, and "lour : years in thi,,., Home no\t August. Sho had done choppmi. iaiid sawing, andrworked among tho lupinsIt was not. nice', work. The; girls wero noij. ,- allowed to take water to; tho lupins. Sh{ considored that: they did not get substantial -food for tho work:they did, Sho.haa been" out at service,' but: was brought back; io theHome. On one occasion'bliS tmd anotber girl had been sent to church, but instead of gome , there, they went'up town, The matron said :V. .'that her; (witness's'), mistress had told hex • - that sho gave a sigb of relief when she left, .t v.• and that'sho had'taken;men into tho liouso. When tHo'hmtron. said this ; witness itas indignant: Tliero was somo trouble among the girls about losing marks, and witness proposed to sevoral' that they. should. abscond. .•■ . Her reason was 'that'the matron had s,nd. tlioso things to her, and sho did not seo why she should'bo brought-back to the Home.; for those things sho/had- 'been blamed, for, and .which, woro not jtruo. ..Witness did not ask the girls tpi s go to; a' house of ill-fame. Witness said .thatt 1 the .matron thuinped her,,., • 'down the-passage !■ when she was. brought back, and- put 1 lier- ; "int6 ' a ;coll. She, had .i , three meals a .day cf dry. breed and water,,. and'ton 'strokes with tho strap. Miss Hunt. tlio punishment. Tho: matron- said] that ; she..would'givo the strokes /.as havd/ a# she'could.' ' ;■ IN THE CELL. 1 Witness was in 1 tho cell from Tuesday ■ tilt' • Suuday.r Somo>night.s-she.slept m the. dor- .... nntorv, and,was taken,to the cell ill the morning', and sent into the detention yard* . at ten o'clock. : On Suiulay sho was locket? ,up.in, the coll all day, pud only had a night-, clross,' blanket, "and;, pillow." rSho was only visited' ohco by a member of tho staff except at' meal tinies.'- 'After absconding sho was; allowed'thrro moals a" day of dry broad and water. Aftor she came out she woro piuiislv. nient dress; She; had her hair cut off on November 9, and; had twelve strokes of the strap that day. Slio had never been iu .tho . : "reception" r00m...' She baa: heard tlio ma^' ;• trim mako reiharks about tlio girls. Slio ' called ono. of the" girls ail infuriated animal, and'another'a' : vulgar brawler. Sho got ont. . , fairly , woll with, the members of tho staff u though she was sonietimes blamo;l for thingw ' > that she did not-.do. ,