H.—29

7

74. Witness : Buckley, Clarke, and myself received quite different treatment for our respective shares in this business. Dr. King spoke to Buckley, so Buckley told me, and said his part was manly and straightforward. • 75. Dr. King : Perfectly true ; so it was. Attendant Buckley expressed regret for his share in the matter to me in this office. 76. Witness : The doctor also said the asylum crockery had been maliciously broken by the attendants. 77. Dr. King : I cannot recall having made any such remark. Is a large dish " crockery " ? And if it is broken intentionally can you approve the action ? 78. Witness : No. [To Dr. MacGregor:] Ought Dr. King for one man's action to blame the whole staff? 79. Dr. MacGregor : No. 80. Dr. King : The breaking of the dish was not the action of one, but of a number. 81. Dr. MacGregor : Did Dr. King attempt to influence Downes not to sign the petition? 82. Witness : Certainly not. 83. Dr. King : The morning after the complaint, having been spoken to by the matron about the returning of the marmalade, and understanding that this was taken back to the kitchen by Downes, I sent for him to the office, and asked whether he thought it unfit for use. He said, " Certainly not," that he had taken it back because it was urged upon him as his duty as chargeattendant. As to promising him promotion, or suggesting anything of the kind, I absolutely deny it. Moreover, he being charge attendant already, the suggestion is absurd. I spoke to Downes before the meetings began. 84. Witness : Yes, but Downes knew a paper was being got up. The doctor says the signatures do not prove unanimity. 85. Dr. King : Certainly. 86. Witness : He said at the meeting he had proof we were not unanimous about the food. 87. Dr. King : Certainly. 88. Witness : And that these signatures were obtained under coercion. 89. Dr. King : That appears in evidence. 90. Witness : What are the names of those who were coerced ? 91. Dr. King : My answer is that the question needs no other reply than that this appears in evidence. 92. Witness : By whom was coercion used ? Dr. King: I decline to answer. [To Witness :] Is it a form of coercion to threaten to write men's names on the back of a paper if they refuse to sign the face of it ? Witness : No. I did write the name of an attendant on the back. That is my memorandum. I did this without threatening, for the reason of proving unanimity. I heard Downes say it made him more conspicuous to appear on the back. He came and begged to be allowed to sign. Ido not think he would have done this except for the memorandum. Ido not think this is coercion. I wish to swear that the evidence given by Arundel as to what took place, both from hearsay and from his own knowledge, at the meetings to be fairly correct, with the following exceptions : When Arundel says he did not see the paper till it was brought forward by me for signature, he is making a misstatement. It was not the fact. He said at Mr. McLean's meeting two attendants said the thing ought to drop, as it had gone far enough. Mr. McLean put it to the vote, and only four held up their hands for doing so. Their names were I cannnot tell the names, but I counted the hands and called out the number. Marr did not hold up his hand, but later expressed the wish, at the same meeting, that it should drop. At the second meeting, on Thursday, Dr. King said that the matron, the clerks, and Mr. Stewart had precisely the same food as we got; but he afterwards admitted that they had extras, but that was no reason why we should get them. 93. Dr. King : It was alleged that custards went up to the clerks' room. I said it did not follow, even if that were the case, that custards should be given to the whole of the attendants. As a matter of fact one of the clerks is an invalid. [To Witness:] Do you think custards should form part of the attendants' diet ? 94. Witness :If I say Yes, I cannot tell you why; if I say No, I cannot tell you why. [To Dr. King :J Is it a fact that at Mr. Stewart's table they always get pudding? 95. Dr. King: It may be so. 96. Witness [to Dr. MacGregor]: What, then, did Dr. King mean by saying we got precisely the same food, without any extras whatever ? 97. Dr. King ; I never said so; it is false. 98. Witness: The statement was made at the second meeting on Thursday, and to attendant Buckley. [Witness desired to state how he had been treated since he got notice, both by Dr. King and Mr. Stewart.] Faults have been found where they did not exist. On Saturday, the 4th December, at the bathing, Mr. Stewart asked if patient Hughes had been bathed. Downes said he had been bathed in the ward. Stewart said, " Give him clean clothes, because these are dirty." Downes and I examined the clothes, and they were quite clean, and put on that morning. [To Dr. King :] Why was this last ball given to the attendants ? Is it not given for their past services and extra duties, connected with patients' dances, &c. ? 99. Dr. King : It is given in a liberal spirit; certainly not as a quid pro quo solely. No attendant who has left is entitled to come to such a ball, unless specially invited. 100. Witness : Am I entitled, while an attendant, to the same privileges as other attendants ? 101. Dr. King : Yes; but you could not expect tickets to a ball to come off after you left. 102. Witness [to Dr. King]: Stewart reported me to Downes, charge-attendant, as being quarter of an hour late coming on duty. Was it a fact ? 103. Dr. King : It was not.