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349. Was there any food ready for you? —There was nothing there for us. 350. What did you do? — I found Colonel Sommerville and Captain Winter, and they did all they could for us. We could not find the cooks. After considerable worrying around we got some tea and bread, and we supplied some things from outside. 351. How was the straw inthe camp ?—There was plenty of straw, but the ground was wet and very bad, and the men could not walk on it where it was ploughed up and formed mud. After the second or third day the place was a sea of mud. 352. How about the rations supplied to the men ?—The meat was not sufficient, and was badly cooked. I saw the potatoes, and they were quite raw. Several times the men said there were only six potatoes to nine men. 353. Did the men not have enough meat ? —Not always. 354. Had they any other vegetables besides potatoes ?—I did not see any. 355. How was the bread ?—I think that was fairly well. The men did not get enough food the whole time, and yet there was a lot of waste. 356. What about the butter?— That was very good. 357. Was the food good at the officers' mess? —It was very coarse and rough. 358. Was it cooked?— No. The potatoes seemed as if they had just been dipped into hot water. 359. How about the puddings ?—They were like stickjaw. They were very " satisfying." 360. Have you anything to say about the forage ?—There was plenty of forage, and yet there was not. My company did very well, because I had a splendid quartermaster who looked well after the men. Some of the other companies were not so fortunate. 361. Do you know whether your quartermaster, got the forage from a tent or from a cart ?—I believe he got it from the tent. I had a severe cold at the time, and did not take so much interest in the work as I would have liked to do. 362. Were there any complaints made ?—I made a report of the condition of the tents and what I had seen there. 363. Did you see the cooking arrangements ?—Yes. 364. What were they ?—They seemed to be totally inadequate for the number of men there. 365. What convenience had the cooks to cook with ? —They were not suitable, although in the summer time they might have been all right. There was no shelter for the men. There was a half-inch pipe led off an inch pipe to supply the water, and the water got fouled and was used for cooking. 366. You think the cooking place should have been covered in?— Yes; and also a place for the meat. The meat was piled up on boards, and, as it sweats very quickly, it is liable to get sour. I think Colonel Sommerville came up on the Tuesday to look into matters, for there was a very great improvement, and the men cheerfully admitted that the food was very much better. The men in some cases had given up going for their rations, and supplied them themselves. 367. Do you think Newtown Park was a fit place to hold the camp in? —Not at that time of the year. 368. How long had you been in camp before the state of things became unbearable ?—The first night we got in the horses began to sink into the ground four or five inches ; and the next night the horses got away, and the whole of the ground began to work up until at last it became a liquid sea of mud. 369. Did you make any formal complaints to Captain Dunk about the state of things ?—Yes, more than once, and asked for permission to get my men's tents shifted. On the Wednesday, luckily before the heavy rain came on, I had had the tents shifted up among the trees. 370. Colonel Davies.] You say you were in Captain Dunk's battalion? —Yes. 371. Did you ever see any battalion orders detailing a staff? —There were written orders in Captain Winter's tent. 372. Were they brigade or battalion orders ?—They were orders relating to the procession, forming escorts, and that sort of thing. 373. Did you see any orders when you first went into camp stating that there would be four battalions, and detailing the brigade staff?—l cannot say that I did. I was bad with influenza at the time, and got my lieutenant to go out and see about things. 374. You did not copy any orders into a book ?—No. 375. You have never seen any orders yourself appointing a battalion staff? —There were orders, otherwise I would not have been appointed officer of the day. That was for the Wednesday, and was on paper. The second time, when we were removed to the X shed, it was by word of mouth. 376. You never saw the staff detailed and did not know who they were : who was brigademajor?—l could not tell you. 377. Do you know who was adjutant of your battalion ? —I do not think there was one appointed. 378. Maj r Haivkins.] On the day you were officer of the day, the 17th June, were you present at the issue of rations?— Yes. 379. Were any other officers there from other battalions ?—I do not remember. I confined myself to doing the best I could for my own battalion. 380. Will you tell us how the ration parties fell-in ? —There seemed to be no particular orders so far as falling-in was concerned. They just lined-up. I told the men to keep in line. 381. Did you s?e an officer there checking off the list of corps, aud, as each corps came, seeing that each got rations according to the number given, or how did they do it ?—The men were simply asked to line up. 382. Had you been in a mounted camp before ?—No.