H.—29

8

104. Witness : When I received my day, referred to on paper marked " X," I wish to say that, if I had asked Mr. Stewart, I think I should have got leave ; that I intended to apologise and make up for it next day. 105. Dr. King : I left the matter till the afternoon to give him a chance of explaining. He did not do so. The leave would not have been granted, and he had no reason to expect it. It is always done formally in writing. At least, when lam present at the Asylum, my consent is always required. I frequently have to refuse such leave to deserving men. 106. Witness: Mr. Stewart was absent, and that is why I made no explanation. I never thought of the doctor in the matter ; and the first intimation I had of Mr. Stewart's return was his coming and saying the doctor wanted me in the office. I wish to admit I did wrong. The night of the ball I was not well, and went to bed. I went to Clark's room, and was ordered to get up. Stewart said that the doctor had ordered me to be turned out. 107. Dr. King : My order was not a specific order referring to Mr. Impey. I assumed that others were refused. 108. Mr. Stewart, recalled, said : Some others—for instance, some friends of the carpenters — were refused. Mr. Impey never asked leave to stay. Incracci, senr., was refused. 109. Mr. Impey: I went to bed without asking leave. I passed both the doctor and Mr. Stewart when I went in at No. 1 door going to bed. I did not know any better. John Clack sworn, examined. 110. By Dr. MacGregor. lam a plumber-attendant. What brought the paper about was a statement by the doctor that the complaints before him by the speakers at the meeting called by him did not express the opinions of the staff as a whole, unanimously, and that they were grossly exaggerated. The object was to show that the staff were unanimous in their complaints. This paper was voluntarily signed by the staff. There was no pressure used in my presence. I could not say if any were pressed to sign. I did not try to influence any one. I required no pressure. I got notice of dismissal on the 29th November, the morning after the last meeting. Dr. King told me the 'same morning that if I expressed regret for signing the paper he would overlook the matter. The doctor gave no reason for giving me this chance and not the others. I refused his offer. The main ground of complaint was that the food was badly cooked. Sometimes the food would be very good, and sometimes very bad. Complaints were made to Mr. Stewart for a fortnight before, nearly every day. I complained myself. I think we had reason to complain of the quality as well as the cooking, for on several occasions there has ; been a shoulder of mutton on each of the four tables. The complaint was that we got the shoulder too often. I never saw any reason for saying it was not good mutton. Complaints were also made about the cooking of the potatoes. It was very bad. The proof is that since then the cooking has been very much better. Dr. King remarked in his statement that, if the food was bad, it was very singular that nearly every new attendant put on a stone in the first month or six weeks. I got up and told him chat, speaking for myself, I did not think it was the nutritious qualities of the badly-cooked food, but more the change from town, and the bracing atmosphere. I was told that I was very insolent, and grossly insubordinate, when I dared to say such a thing. 111. Dr. King : Everything depends on the manner in which a thing is said. 112. John Clack [re-examined at his own request on the 31st December, said:] I hand in a memorandum of my interview with Dr. King, in which he offered to reinstate me if I expressed regret for my action in signing the paper. 113. Dr. King : It was the manner of Clark in making his speech at the meeting, and not simply the words used, that I thought insolent and insubordinate. [To witness :] You were one of the men who wished to call a meeting about the food, and Mr. Impey acted as your agent ?—■ Yes, and I was present at the meeting. 114. Dr. King : You heard Impey repeatedly press for a retractation and apology ?—Yes. I certainly thought there were grounds for that. The words I wished withdrawn were " malcontents," as applied to speakers at the meeting; also the word "savages," applied to attendants; also, the word "liars," once at least applied to the attendants. Some of the attendants at Mr. McLean's meeting got up and said, in an off-hand way, that the thing ought not to go any further. I was not willing to let it drop. I still think those words ought to be withdrawn. I asked for the reason of my dismissal, and I was told, in writing, that it was because I was unsuitable for the position. Eobeet Stewaet, sworn, examined. 115. By Dr. MacGregor.] lam head attendant. Within the last four months my attention has been called three or four times to the meat, as being undercooked. I did not consider the meat unfit to eat. Some people like their meat in the condition this meat was in. But on occasion the mutton was fairly cooked, but was blueish. It did not smell, and was quite fresh. Once the Vegetables were badly cooked, and the attendants wanted sauce with them. I have sometimes spoken to the matron about these complaints. When the leg of mutton was brought by Blacklaws, and when the vegetables were hard, I spoke to the doctor. The doctor came in, saw the leg of mutton, and sent for the matron and cook. They could not agree whether the meat was undercooked or not. I found Arundel several times —I remember distinctly three times —insubordinate. Once, when I spoke to him about doing duty on a patients' dance-night, he treated me with contempt. He smiled sarcastically, turned away his head, and never spoke. I reported it verbally to the doctor, and he spoke to him. I was present on both occasions when the doctor reprimanded, him. The doctor said if he could not drop into the rules of the asylum he had better go. He made a sort of apology and promised amendment. One time was on a Sunday morning. This was shortly after he came. It is not true I told him he would be " off on Sunday (to-morrow)." I asked the night-charge w r here Arundel was, and he was in bed. It is distinctly false that I ever