57

E.—3b

109. Have you done any hill work ?—Yes ; splitting posts up there in company with a Brother and five boys. After splitting the posts the boys would carry them out to a heap on a convenient track. These boys would be strong boys—fifteen or thereabouts. Posts are brought down the hill another day. There are other boys to carry the posts to the top of the hill. When they are doing this they take one post down the hill with them in the evening. There is generally a shout when it is announced the night before that the boys have to go up the hill. They take spells going up. When they ge,t to the top they take a load down to the cricket-ground. 110. How often in the day do they do that?—lt all depends. The boys themselves only do it twice a day. If driven to it they could do it five times. 111. Have you heard of any deer being shot there?— During the last two years. The deer are dressed on the hill, and brought down to the Orphanage, and I expect consumed there. 112. Do you think the boys get plenty to eat?— Yes ; I should, think so from appearances. I have seen food go from the table to the waste-tub that would feed twenty more boys. 113. I understand you to say that some Brothers are not in favour with the boys ?—Brother Kilian is the only one I know of. **• John Nayloe, examined on oath. 114. Mr. Fell.] You are the State Schoolmaster at Stoke ?—Yes ; I have been there eighteen years altogether. 115. How far from the Orphanage property is your school ?—My school is next to the Trolove property acquired by the Orphanage. 116. Have you been in the habit of going to the Orphanage frequently? —Yes, very frequently. I was teacher of the drum-and-fife band there before they got the brass band. 1 spent evenings there, and I have been there at all times of the day and night. I have not been of late years except as a casual visitor. 117. What are the relations between the Brothers and the boys?— Prom what I have seen they are most amicable, and they get on well together. There seems to be no reticence on the part of the boys in their communication with the Brothers. 118. Have you ever had any complaint made to you by the boys as to the want of food, clothing, or other hardships?— None whatever. I have never had occasion to ask them. I have heard other people ask them how they get on, how they are fed, and so on; but I have never heard a complaint. I keep the post-office at Stoke, and some of the boys come down every day. I have no reason to suppose they are discontented. I have often been with them at their sports and picnics. They always seem happy, and apparently well treated. 119. Mr. Wardell.] Are you speaking of recent times ?—Yes. 120. Mr. Harley.] I suppose you know very little about the inner life of the institution ? You call there frequently, no doubt; be you know little of what is going on ? Do you know if they get a bath, for instance ?—No, Ido not. I have been in the bathroom*, and there seems to be plenty of accommodation. 121. Do you know if the boys have their socks washed regularly?— No. 122. Do you know of boys being put in cells ? —No. 123. Do you know of them having Irish stew everyday all the year round? —No. I have seen them eating, and they seemed to enjoy what they had. I would not mind eating it myself. I did not bother my head whether they had Irish stew every day. 124. How many times have you been there during the last year ?—Bight or nine times. 125. Have you been there at meals during that time ?—Yes ; I have sat down and had meals with the Brothers. There seemed to be little difference between the Brothers' and the boys' food. I did not have any Irish stew, as it was tea-time. I had butter and home-fed mutton. 126. Did you know that visitors' suits were kept upon the premises ? I suppose you have seen the boys pretty well dressed, and I suppose you have seen them ragged ? —I have seen them dressed differently on different occasions. I do not think they were ragged, but they were not luxuriantly or extravagantly dressed. 127. Mr. Fell.] Are the boys as well set up as a similar lot at your State school ?— I think they will compare very favourably with the boys at < my school. I see children at my school sometimes with a bit of bread-and-jam for dinner, and I would rather have the Irish stew. Jambs Wilfred Mabsdbn, examined on oath. 128. Mr. Fell.] You are a Justice of the Peace at Stoke, and have an extensive farm contiguous to the Orphanage property ?—Yes; I have lived there many years. 129. You have been brought into frequent contact with both the Brothers and the boys at the Orphanage ? —Yes; I have had relations with both the Brothers and the boys. I have seen the boys constantly at work, picking up stones, harvesting, dragging posts down the hill, clearing gorse, and all that kind of thing. The relations between them and the Brothers appear to be extremely friendly. 130. Do you know of any complaint of a system of terrorism being exercised over them, or have you ever heard complaints from the boys ?—No. The boys have never spoken to me, or I to them, on the subject. They are very cheerful indeed when working. 131. Mr. Harley.] You would hardly expect to see them going about with a morose look ? — No. 132. Have you been much about the school itself ? —No; I have not been there much. Haevey Clifford Jacka, examined on oath. 133. Mr. Fell.] You are a farmer at Stoke, and your property is next to the Orphanage?— Yes. 134. You are the Mr. Jacka who has been spoken of as supplying the Orphanage with fire--B—E. 3b.