19

E.—3b

Thomas Lane, examined on oath. 215. Mr. Harley.] How old are you? —Seventeen. 216. You are an inmate of St. Mary's Industrial School at Stoke ?—Yes. 217. When were you let out ? —A year ago in May. 218. Mr. Wardell.] You were licensed out by the school to work ?—Yes. 219. Mr. Harley.] Where did you go to work ?—To Mr. Chas. Baigent's, at Pigeon Valley. 220. When did you leave there ? —A little while after I went there. 221. Where were you sent to next ?—To Mr. Hailes's, at Takaka. 222. How long were you at the institution ? —About six or seven years. 223. How were the boys punished during the last year you were there ?—By caning across the hands. 224. Were many strokes administered?— Yes; sometimes. 225. How many at a time ?—I have seen forty. 226. At once ?—Yes. 227. Mr. Wardell.] That would be twenty on each hand ?—Yes. 228. Mr. Harley.] What were you caned with ? —A supplejack. 229. Were the boys thrashed in any other way?— They used to flog them when I first went there. 230. Mr. Wardell: Never mind about that. It is over two years ago. 231. Mr. Harley.] Do you know of any cells in the institution?— Yes. 232. How many do you know of?—I know of three. 233. Where were they when you were there ?—One downstairs and two upstairs. 234. Have you ever been in any of them yourself ?—No. 235. Mr. Wardell.] You have heard of them ? —Yes. 236. Mr. Harley.] Have you ever seen them?— Yes. 237. Were the boys put in them during the last year of your time? —Yes. 238. Could you name any boys who were put in them?— Yes; Lowe, Maher, and Willis. 239. Mr. Wardell.] Are those the only ones you know of during the last year you were there ? Yes. 240. Can you tell which rooms they were put in ? Which cell was Lowe in ? —'He was in the downstairs one. 241. And Maher and Willis? —They were in the lower one, too. 242. Was any boy that you know of put in the upper cell during your last year? —No. 243. Mr. Harley.] Do you know the time they were there ? How many days ? — Lowe was in about two months, I think. He was let out for examination. 244. Mr. Wardell.]' Whom was he examined by?—By Mr. Harkness. 245. Mr. Harley.] He is the Government School Inspector?— Yes. 246. Mr. Wardell.] Was that the termination of his confinement ?—Yes. 247. Did you see him out during the time he was in?—l saw him scrubbing the cell out. 248. Mr. Harley.] Were you punished by kneeling during the last year you were there? —Yes. 249. How long were you put upon your knees at a time ? —About an hour. 250. Is that painful ?—Yes, after half an hour. 251. What did you have for dinner?—lrish stew on every day except Friday. 252. What did you have on Friday ?—Potatoes boiled by themselves and a bit of dry bread. If they were short of potatoes at any time we had curry and rice. 253. Did that happen often ?—Not very often. 254. Then, except on Friday, you had Irish stew ?—Yes ; Friday was a fast day. 255. Did that go on all the year round ?—Yes. 256. What did the Irish stew consist of ? Do you know ?—Yes; I had to help make it. 257. Well, what was it made of?— About two buckets of water, with four or five buckets of potatoes, and two soup-tureens full of meat, all put in a copper. 258. Was anything else put in it ?—Sometimes some cabbage, and sometimes carrots. 259. Were the cabbages and carrots put in regularly ?—Not very often. 260. Was any seasoning put in ?—Yes; pepper and salt. 261. Was this all boiled up in one pot together?— Yes, in a copper. 262. Who superintended the making of it ? —I made it myself, and had to look after it. I was cook for about three months. 263. And did you alone make Irish stew for the whole of the three months ?—Yes. 264. Were the potatoes peeled ?—They were scraped. 265. Were they scraped sufficiently to get their jackets off? —Not always. 266. Were they scraped white ?—No. 267. Mr. Wardell.] You were cook; why did you not make the boys do it properly ? —I used to tell them to; but if they did not have it done by ten o'clock, they would drop in for it. 268. Mr. Harley.] What was the meat ?—Mutton; sometimes beef. 269. Which did you have most of ?—Mutton. 270. And one of the boys killed the sheep ?■ —Yes. 271. Who brought it to you ? One of the Brothers cut it up, and I cut it into small pieces. 272. Did any Brother watch you do this ?—Yes; Brother Patrick would be there some of the time. 273. Was this one copper full sufficient for all the boys?— Yes. 274. How was it taken to them in the dining room ?—ln dishes and soup-tureens. 275. You said two tureens full of meat. Can you give any idea of the size of the tureens ?— They were about a foot long and a foot high. (Indicating by the hands.)